Wells State Park (Michigan)

Wells State Park
Sign
Location within the state of Michigan
Location	Cedarville Township, Menominee County, Michigan, USA
Nearest city	Menominee, Michigan
Coordinates	45°24′06″N 87°22′19″W
Area	678 acres (2.74 km²)
Established	1925
Governing body	Michigan Department of Natural Resources
Wells State Park
J. W. Wells State Park
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1927
NRHP reference No.	02000040
Added to NRHP	February 25, 2002

Wells State Park (also known as J.W. Wells State Park) is a state park in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 678-acre (2.74 km²) park is located in Menominee County on the shore of Lake Michigan's Green Bay, just south of Cedar River. It is on M-35, roughly midway between Menominee and Escanaba. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.

History

In 1898, Sam Crawford purchased fifty-three thousand acres of stumpland around Menominee and began logging operations on the hemlock growing among the pine stumps. Five hundred of these acres were was still virgin timber, and Crawford intentionally preserved it. John Walter Wells, part owner of the Bird-Wells Lumber Company, later purchase this land. Wells died in 1921, and in 1925 his children donated 335 acres of virgin timber, including 2.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, to the state of Michigan to establish a park. An additional 131 acres which had been purchased by the Menominee County Road Commission was added to create the park.

Development of the park began in 1927-28. Trees were planted and stoves, toilets, a well, and play equipment were installed. In 1929 a log bathhouse was constructed. However, much of the development in the park was done by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1933, a two-hundred man camp was established, and over the next 10 years, the CCC developed five distinct areas within the park: the day-use (or picnic) area, the residence area, the group camp area, the campground area, and the trails and trailside shelters area. The CCC undertook a major reforestation project in the park, constructed three miles of foot trails, a parking lot, recreational fields, and sanitary facilities.

Facilities and activities

• Swimming: The park features a three-mile (5 km) shoreline with a sandy beach for swimming.
• Hiking: Hiking is available on the Wells-Cedar River Trail, which runs along the shore, with side trails looping through other parts of the park.
• Cross-country skiing: The park's seven miles of ski trails are not groomed.
• Fishing
• Picnicking
  • Picnic Area
  • Picnic Shelter
• Playground
• Camping: There is a modern campground with 150 sites and five rustic cabins available for rent from mid-March to mid-December. The modern Bay Stone Lodge sleeps twelve and includes an equipped kitchen, two full bathrooms, screened porch and a stone fireplace in the great room.

External links

• Wells State Park Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Bay Stone Lodge Michigan DNR
• Wells State Park Protected Planet (World Database on Protected Areas)