Situated on a peninsula, the village of Spring Lake, Michigan is surrounded on three sides by Spring Lake and the Grand River. There are several small islands in the Grand River, some of which are within the village limits.
The village is in Spring Lake Township, in the northwest quadrant of Ottawa County, a few miles east of Lake Michigan.
The main route through the village is M-104. Other routes include Fruitport Road and Leonard Road.
The city of Ferrysburg is across the inlet connecting the Grand River with the body of water known as Spring Lake. M-104 crosses the inlet via Smith's Bridge. The city of Grand Haven is across the Grand River from Spring Lake. While there is no direct connection between Spring Lake and Grand Haven, US-31 connects Ferrysburg with Grand Haven via the Grand Haven Bascule Bridge.
Besides Ferrysburg and Grand Haven, other cities and villages within twenty-five miles include Fruitport, Norton Shores, Roosevelt Park, Muskegon, Coopersville, North Muskegon, Ravenna, Walker, Holland, and Zeeland. The unincorporated community of Nunica is about seven miles from Spring Lake.
Spring Lake first appeared on a census roll in 1860 with a population of 179. By 1880, it had risen to 1,372. After a couple of decades of decline, its population was 696 in 1900. This was followed by seven decades of population increases, culminating in its peak population of 3,034 in 1970. Since then, it has declined slightly each decade until 2010, but experienced an increase of 7.5% by the 2020 census, at which time its population was 2,497.
Prior to its settlement by European-Americans in the late 1830s, the area had been inhabited by the Ojibwe, the Bodewadmi, and the Ottawa people for centuries.
Among the first white settlers in Spring Lake were Captain Benjamin Hopkins, Jabez Barber, and Richard Mason, who had fled Canada during the 1837 MacKenzie's Rebellion. Captain Hopkins built a mill in 1837, and the community became known as Hopkin's Mill.
When S.C. Hopkins and Thomas W. White platted and recorded the village in 1849, they named it Mill Point, as John H. Newcomb had built a sawmill in the area in 1841, and Jabez Barber and Richard Mason operated another mill.
In the 1850s, Hezekiah Smith, a former slave, founded a black colony in Spring Lake. In the early 1900s, after several accusations of thefts for which members of the black colony were blamed, a group of white vigilantes dressed up in old army uniforms presented a document, which they had prepared, demanding that the black colony disperse. By the next day, they were gone. Twenty years later, Hezekiah Smith returned and lived the rest of his life in Spring Lake, but the colony never returned.
A post office was established as Mill Point on May 1, 1851, with LeMoyne S. Smith as postmaster. On May 28, 1867, the post office and town were renamed Spring Lake, for its location on the shores of Spring Lake.
After the Detroit, Grand Haven & Milwaukee Railroad opened a station in Spring Lake, Spring Lake was incorporated as a village in 1869, and its post office is still in operation.
Spring Lake Public Schools operates PK-12 schools for the village and township. Its campuses include Spring Lake High School, Spring Lake Middle School, Spring Lake Intermediate School, Holmes Elementary School, and Jeffers Elementary School, some of which are located just outside the village limits.
Police services are provided by the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office, while the Spring Lake Fire Department provides fire suppression services.
The focal point of this portion of our web guide is the village of Spring Lake, Michigan. Online resources for the village government and any other governmental body located within the village, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, entertainment venues, and recreational opportunities, within the village, are appropriate topics for this category.
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Recommended Resources
Chartered by Spring Lake Presbyterian Church, Troop 37 is affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America youth organization. A profile of the Spring Lake, Michigan troop is provided, along with its meeting times and locations, a calendar of events, and information about its annual Monopoly Tournament fundraiser, as well as contacts for the troop's scoutmaster. Troop positions and ranks are defined, and a discussion of its activities, events, and community service projects is included.
https://troop37springlake.weebly.com/
Opened in 2009, the locally-owned family business is actually opened in Spring Lake, Michigan. The year-round, indoor training facility has 12,000 square feet of training area, with multi-use batting and pitching tunnels, a HitTrax training system, a fully-stocked pro shop, a weight training area, and a batting tee area. Its location, facility hours, contacts, and information about owning a baseball and softball training franchise are presented. An online shopping area is also provided.
https://www.extrainnings-muskegon.com/
Holiday Inn Grand Haven / Spring Lake
Renovated in 2019, the Spring Lake, Michigan hotel serves the Spring Lake and Grand Haven communities and is affiliated with the Holiday Inn. The four-season resort hotel has an attached restaurant, Burger Theory, and a seasonal Tiki Bar. Room choices are displayed, with photos, descriptions, and a list of amenities, along with its regular rates, available hotel packages. A schedule of events, an overview of its dining facilities, a blog, and the IHG Rewards Club program, are included.
https://www.ihg.com/holidayinn/hotels/us/en/spring-lake/grhmi/hoteldetail
When the Spring Lake Township board was organized in 1849, they voted to spend $50 to create a public library, originally housed in the township clerk's office. When the Village Hall was built in 1936, one room was set aside for the library, which was later housed in the Spring Lake Township Hall, and into its own building in 1977. Serving the village and township, the library is located on East Exchange Street in Spring Lake, Michigan. Its location, hours, and services are highlighted.
https://sllib.org/
Named for one of the two bodies of water upon which it is situated, Spring Lake is in Ottawa County, not far from Lake Michigan. The official municipal website features an overview and history of the village, along with meeting and event schedules, agendas and minutes, maps, and tax information. Contacts for the village's administrative offices and departments are provided, and a guide to village parks and recreational programs is included. Various forms and applications may be downloaded.
https://springlakevillage.org/
