Muskegon County took its name from the river that runs through it and then empties into Lake Michigan ; the counties name is a derivation of the Native American word " Masquigon " meaning "marshy river" or "Swamp". Muskegon County is located about halfway up the mitt on the West side of the state. French maps from the late seventeenth century identify the " Masquigon " river, which suggests French explorers may have reached the western coast of Michigan by that time. The area was rich in white pine and prospered during the lumber boom at its peak in the mid 1880s, forty-seven sawmills surrounded Muskegon Lake , while another sixteen dotted the shores of White Lake , to the north. Muskegon was known as the "Lumber Queen of the World", in 1887 alone over 665 million board feet were cut and Muskegon boasted more millionaires than any other town in America .   Muskegon County also has ties to the Big Screen. Silent film star Buster Keaton spent summers in Muskegon from 1905 to 1920 with his family. It was John Keaton, Buster's father who started an Actors Colony in Bluffton and by 1911 had over two hundred theater personalities flocking to Bluffton each summer; however film began replacing vaudeville and the Actors' Colony declined. Today, Muskegon County has retained its economic diversity and has become a major metropolitan center. Its clean, sandy beaches along the Lake Michigan coastline, as well as the many fishing and water sport opportunities inland, make it a popular spot along In Outdoor Michigan.

Muskegon County Websites and Locations of Interest

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskegon_County%2C_Michigan

http://www.infomi.com/county/muskegon/