OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — For a full century, rural Port Sheldon Township has grown from fertile, fruit-bearing soil.
The Ottawa County municipality will celebrate its centennial throughout the week, reflecting on its history in a mini museum on display in the township hall.
Black-and-white photos and old newspaper clippings aside, the township will also put on a Friday car-and-tractor show and a Saturday picnic where residents can fill out a survey on the township's master plan.
"We live together and we'll need to work together," the township said in a release.
The history of Port Sheldon
In the 1830s, the Port Sheldon Land Company bought 600 acres of land for $900, planning to build a "boom city" near Pigeon Creek in present-day Port Sheldon Twp., according to the township's website.
Despite these dreams of prosperity and an "elaborate" hotel titled The Ottawa House, the settlement collapsed and was deserted.
Nearly a hundred years later, fruit farmers moved into the township, finding the moderate climate and its soil "suitable" for blueberries, strawberries and raspberries.
"Coal and gasoline were shipped in. Grain, pickles, bark, and logs were shipped out. Two trains a day carried passengers and mail," reads the township website.
On April 7, 1924, residents from the west end of Olive Township who did not feel "properly represented" by their elected officials broke away from the municipality and Port Sheldon Township was born.
As of the 2020 Census, the township boasted a population of 5,206.
Through a treasurer's eyes
For most of Port Sheldon's history as a township, former treasurer Esther Van Slooten has lived within its borders.
"A great place to be, it really is," Van Slooten said. "But I'm prejudiced, too, because I've been here for so long."
In the 1950s, Van Slooten moved to the township, living in a "very old and drafty" house with her family before they built the "fantastic" home she still resides in today.
"It was a good life," Van Slooten said.
In 1972, she ran for office and found herself at the front of a leadership change in Port Sheldon Township where she and other candidates "upset the whole board" in the election. Months later, she became treasurer.
"I was very dedicated to what I was doing," Van Slooten said. "I wanted it to stay good.”
During that time, the newly built J.H. Campbell Complex, a coal-fired power plant operated by Consumers Energy, was bringing in tax revenue to the township.
Van Slooten and the board went to work, "almost immediately" surfacing the roads in the township, as all but one (Lakeshore Ave.) was gravel, according to the treasurer.
In 2020, Van Slooten retired. "It was time," she said. "I was 90. I thought, 'That's it.'"
As the township she once served celebrates its centennial, she still sees beauty in its blueberry fields and largely rural setting alongside the shore of Lake Michigan, something she'd like to see continue for another 100 years or more:
"This is just God's country."
Centennial Celebration
May 28–June 1: A township scavenger hunt takes families around the township for clues and fun facts about its history.
May 28–June 4: Mini museum on display in the township hall during open hours and during the Saturday picnic, in addition to a veteran's display and art contest featuring Port Sheldon-themed art.
May 31 (5–8 p.m.): Community car-and-tractor show for residents featuring live music and blueberry-harvesting equipment.
June 1 (11 a.m.–3 p.m.): Centennial Celebration picnic including face painting, balloon animals, a bounce house and fire truck equipment on display.
