The independent reading novel that I chose to read, The Shipping News, takes place in a small Newfoundland town that is heavy into the fishing and shipping industries. In some way every job is connected to the sea, be it writing about ship wrecks for the paper, doing ship repair, or just working on a ship. And this reminded me of our town's own shipping industry. And while it is nowhere nearly as large as an international port in Newfoundland, it is still a large part of my childhood memories.
My grandparents have a house on the north side of lake Mackatawa on a place called Chippawa point. Their living room has an immense window that faces the lake, and I would spend many summer days sitting and watching the boats go past, the Holland Princess, the Sunquest, and the large coal barges. The lake has a large shipping channel spanning its length from the outlet to Lake Michigan, to the now abandoned coal plant at the other end. This is regularly used for deliveries of coal or gravel to the docks, and the occasional cruise ship we used to receive. Additionally it is integral for the Heinz pickle plant (according to this article from 1997 it is the largest in the world) which uses the shipping lane for distribution of their product.
A fun aside, the channel that connects the lake to Lake Michigan, was headed up by Mr. VanRaltee, who petitioned Congress for funding. Shortly after, the country fell into a recession and the request was denied, so the dutch folk set to work on digging it themselves. 9 years later, the project was completed, and the first boats floated through the channel. It was later expanded, dredged, and turned into the structure we all know and love today.
My grandparents have a house on the north side of lake Mackatawa on a place called Chippawa point. Their living room has an immense window that faces the lake, and I would spend many summer days sitting and watching the boats go past, the Holland Princess, the Sunquest, and the large coal barges. The lake has a large shipping channel spanning its length from the outlet to Lake Michigan, to the now abandoned coal plant at the other end. This is regularly used for deliveries of coal or gravel to the docks, and the occasional cruise ship we used to receive. Additionally it is integral for the Heinz pickle plant (according to this article from 1997 it is the largest in the world) which uses the shipping lane for distribution of their product.
A fun aside, the channel that connects the lake to Lake Michigan, was headed up by Mr. VanRaltee, who petitioned Congress for funding. Shortly after, the country fell into a recession and the request was denied, so the dutch folk set to work on digging it themselves. 9 years later, the project was completed, and the first boats floated through the channel. It was later expanded, dredged, and turned into the structure we all know and love today.
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