M-166's Scenic Turnout LbNA #32072 (ARCHIVED)
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Add Location| Owner: | Familyof6  |
|---|---|
| Plant date: | Jun 19, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| City: | Lyons |
| County: | Ionia |
| State: | Michigan |
| Boxes: | 1 |
| Found by: | Angel Winks |
|---|---|
| Last found: | Aug 25, 2010 |
| Status: | FFFaFOFFFFFr |
| Last edited: | Jun 19, 2007 |
Michigan’s Picnic Promoter- Allen Mackenzie Williams
By introducing the first roadside picnic table in 1929, Allan Mackenzie Williams ensured that his name would appear in the annals of Michigan history. His list of accomplishments is far greater than just installing rustic outdoor seating with an eating surface at a four-corners green spot in western Ionia County.
The Williams’ inventory of lifetime credits begins in 1918, when the recent graduate from the University of Michigan’s civil engineering school apparently helped develop the diamond-shaped sign for designating our state’s trunk line routes. Concluding his brief tenure with the Highway Department, in 1919 he is said to have drafted Michigan’s first official road map for motorists.
In 1919, Williams left Lansing and became the first engineer/manager for the Ionia County Road Commission, a position he held for the next thirty-eight years. During his tenure with this agency he reportedly pioneered the use of the straight-blade, front-mounted snow plow as a replacement for the earlier V-plow style; he established (***** **** *****) overlook (1927) just east of Lyons, one of the first scenic turnouts in the nation; helped to create the Bertha Brock County Park about three miles west of Ionia (1931); and established the Ionia County Airport (1934).
In 1940 Williams won the first place award in a contest by Better Roads Magazine for excellence in county road management. Soon thereafter he was twice (1941 and 1943) a Republican candidate for the post of State Highway Commissioner, but he failed in both instances to get his party’s nomination.
Williams was also active in many professional and civic organizations. In this respect he is probably best remembered for his service in founding the Ionia County Memorial Hospital (1943) and for variously holding forth as manager, director and president of the Ionia Free Fair from 1938 to 1964.
In 1977 Williams was chosen to cut the opening ribbon on the final section of expressway I-96. This honor was bestowed upon the then-retired engineer because in 1926 he had performed the same task for the last paved stretch of US-16, the predecessor highway between Detroit and Muskegon. To honor his accomplishments, Michigan erected a historical marker along old US-16.
This son of the town of Ludington (born June 26, 1892), who had spent nearly all of his working life bettering the transportation facilities of Ionia County, died in East Lansing on June 3, 1979, at the age of eighty-seven. A man who had come to the end of his long and well-done road, Williams left behind a legacy for the public that will outlive him by centuries.
CLUES:
The location you seek is along old M-166, another highway that was credited to Allen Mackenzie Williams. M-166 began as one of many very short state highway spur routes connecting a downtown district with a nearby state highway, but was extended later. In this case, M-166 originally connected downtown Lyons in Ionia Co with M-21 north of town. Later, M-166 was extended east, then south to end at US-16 (now BUS I-96) in Portland. M-166 was eventually transferred to local control and the designation has not been used since. US-16 also has faced the same fate. (To find out more about US-16, M-166, and M-21, go to www.michiganhighways.org).
Named in honor of Michigan Governor, Fred W. Green, this place was known for it’s majestic view of the Grand River and valley below. It is also known to have hosted an extremely violent and bloody battle between Native American tribes from the Lansing area and the Grand River tribes settled in the vicinity. Unfortunately, when the highway was decommissioned and reverted to local control, this gem fell into disrepair and was repeatedly vandalized. However, recent interest in Governor Green’s favorite stopping point and countless hours of volunteer labor has created a rebirth of this majestic beauty once again. Stop and find out why, and find the other “hidden” gem.
Find Ionia County’s Leading Citizen and crack the code (but pay no heed to the "numbers" of this citizen when you find him!).
37 110 64 31 22 89 45 101 54 68 35 11 80 37 59 128 4 115 16 5 66 48 109 64 68 37 3 13 23 17 88 94 48 17 106 21 77 29 121 65 9 84 68 2 39 83 99 103 9 3 114 101 19 58 107 128 42 117 24 39 96 1 17 26 81 58 7 126 86 39 32 101 16 80 68 2 99 58 22 71 18 122 17 6 59 8 127 1 71 86 109 18 37 19 54 7 127 111 54 21 8 99 62 115 83 16 60
**Please remember to reseal and rehide the box well. Bring your own stamping pad!**
**THIS STAMP IS HANDCARVED**
By introducing the first roadside picnic table in 1929, Allan Mackenzie Williams ensured that his name would appear in the annals of Michigan history. His list of accomplishments is far greater than just installing rustic outdoor seating with an eating surface at a four-corners green spot in western Ionia County.
The Williams’ inventory of lifetime credits begins in 1918, when the recent graduate from the University of Michigan’s civil engineering school apparently helped develop the diamond-shaped sign for designating our state’s trunk line routes. Concluding his brief tenure with the Highway Department, in 1919 he is said to have drafted Michigan’s first official road map for motorists.
In 1919, Williams left Lansing and became the first engineer/manager for the Ionia County Road Commission, a position he held for the next thirty-eight years. During his tenure with this agency he reportedly pioneered the use of the straight-blade, front-mounted snow plow as a replacement for the earlier V-plow style; he established (***** **** *****) overlook (1927) just east of Lyons, one of the first scenic turnouts in the nation; helped to create the Bertha Brock County Park about three miles west of Ionia (1931); and established the Ionia County Airport (1934).
In 1940 Williams won the first place award in a contest by Better Roads Magazine for excellence in county road management. Soon thereafter he was twice (1941 and 1943) a Republican candidate for the post of State Highway Commissioner, but he failed in both instances to get his party’s nomination.
Williams was also active in many professional and civic organizations. In this respect he is probably best remembered for his service in founding the Ionia County Memorial Hospital (1943) and for variously holding forth as manager, director and president of the Ionia Free Fair from 1938 to 1964.
In 1977 Williams was chosen to cut the opening ribbon on the final section of expressway I-96. This honor was bestowed upon the then-retired engineer because in 1926 he had performed the same task for the last paved stretch of US-16, the predecessor highway between Detroit and Muskegon. To honor his accomplishments, Michigan erected a historical marker along old US-16.
This son of the town of Ludington (born June 26, 1892), who had spent nearly all of his working life bettering the transportation facilities of Ionia County, died in East Lansing on June 3, 1979, at the age of eighty-seven. A man who had come to the end of his long and well-done road, Williams left behind a legacy for the public that will outlive him by centuries.
CLUES:
The location you seek is along old M-166, another highway that was credited to Allen Mackenzie Williams. M-166 began as one of many very short state highway spur routes connecting a downtown district with a nearby state highway, but was extended later. In this case, M-166 originally connected downtown Lyons in Ionia Co with M-21 north of town. Later, M-166 was extended east, then south to end at US-16 (now BUS I-96) in Portland. M-166 was eventually transferred to local control and the designation has not been used since. US-16 also has faced the same fate. (To find out more about US-16, M-166, and M-21, go to www.michiganhighways.org).
Named in honor of Michigan Governor, Fred W. Green, this place was known for it’s majestic view of the Grand River and valley below. It is also known to have hosted an extremely violent and bloody battle between Native American tribes from the Lansing area and the Grand River tribes settled in the vicinity. Unfortunately, when the highway was decommissioned and reverted to local control, this gem fell into disrepair and was repeatedly vandalized. However, recent interest in Governor Green’s favorite stopping point and countless hours of volunteer labor has created a rebirth of this majestic beauty once again. Stop and find out why, and find the other “hidden” gem.
Find Ionia County’s Leading Citizen and crack the code (but pay no heed to the "numbers" of this citizen when you find him!).
37 110 64 31 22 89 45 101 54 68 35 11 80 37 59 128 4 115 16 5 66 48 109 64 68 37 3 13 23 17 88 94 48 17 106 21 77 29 121 65 9 84 68 2 39 83 99 103 9 3 114 101 19 58 107 128 42 117 24 39 96 1 17 26 81 58 7 126 86 39 32 101 16 80 68 2 99 58 22 71 18 122 17 6 59 8 127 1 71 86 109 18 37 19 54 7 127 111 54 21 8 99 62 115 83 16 60
**Please remember to reseal and rehide the box well. Bring your own stamping pad!**
**THIS STAMP IS HANDCARVED**