I last visited Lowell about 30 years ago and was curious as to how the town has been doing.
The perfect opportunity came along when I offered to drop Jackie off at the Gerald R. Ford Airport in Grand Rapids, and decided to “Take the long way home” and check it out.
Lowell is situated just north of where the Flat River meets the Grand River. The city’s downtown area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The earliest modern residents of the Flat River and Grand River were the Grand River Odawa, who established several villages along the Grand River. The modern city of Lowell was founded in 1831 by Daniel Marsac as a trading post with this existing Odawa village, built on the south bank of the Grand River.
My first stop in Lowell was at Keiser’s Kitchen for a tasty omelette. Keiser’s has been in business since 1945. I enjoyed looking at the local memorabilia adorning their walls.
After breakfast, I parked on Main Street and spent the next two hours exploring local stores and talking with the owners. I could not resist stopping into Sweet Seasons Bakery and Cafe, deciding on a delicious bran muffin. It is a cozy coffee shop and bakery. The server told me that on my next visit, I should try their avocado toast or one of their signature breakfast sandwiches.
I peeked in the door of Main Street Inn, noticing some interesting antiques in the lobby. Sally, the innkeeper, greeted me and gave me a tour of the rooms on both floors, tastefully furnished with vintage furniture. Most rooms overlook the Flat River and several include access to an outdoor deck.
North Star Antiques is chock-full of brightly lit, vintage lamps and glass chandeliers.
Red Barn Mercantile is well worth a visit. The walls are lined with signs and artifacts from Lowell’s past including the smokestack from the old Showboat. The Red Barn sells a large selection of Made in Michigan products including Cherry Republic, Local Honey and Pure Maple Syrup, Stonewall Kitchen and Schuil Coffee The manager said, “You need to see the basement. It has not changed much in 150 years.” I walked down the wooden plank stairs to an old stone-walled basement, full of antiques.
A few doors down, a cool, window display caught my eye, with 1960’s dressed mannequins and a colorful Woodstock era sign. The window display belonged to Wear Forward Consignment, packed with colorful vintage clothing and displays.
On a main corner of town, there was a large mural promoting the North Country Trail, with a store and office inside. I talked to Alison and found out that Lowell is the U.S. headquarters for the North Country Trail. The hiking trail extends roughly 4,800 miles from Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota to the Green Mountain National Forest in Vermont, passing through eight states along its route.
The Lowell office ties together all of the chapters in Michigan as well as across the country. There is an information area as well as a small store, selling NCT shirts, hats, mugs and patches. I bought a sticker to display on my car and Alison told me of a section of the trail just north of Lowell that I checked out later in the day.
The Lowell Showboat (a large wooden paddle boat) was a civic project in Lowell that began in 1932 and was demolished in 2019 due to safety concerns. The showboat was built to attract people to downtown Lowell. It was a very popular annual event that drew thousands to the area as well as a community gathering place that hosted concerts, Santa visits, and festivals. The summer Showboat Festival featured well-known entertainers such as Dinah Shore, Milton Berle, Louis Armstrong, the Everly Brothers and Bob Newhart.
The newer Lowell Showboat VI sits on the shores of Flat River. Although there is no longer a Showboat Festival, the boat is available for weddings, parties and other events.
The Lowell Area Historic Museum is home to more than 25,000 photographs and artifacts that have been donated by area residents. It is housed in the historic 1873 Graham Home which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The east side of the Graham home has been refurbished and houses a beautiful Victorian parlor, dining room, porch and garden. It is open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, 1-4 p.m.
I found out that William S. Burroughs, the inventor of the adding machine and founder of the Burroughs Corporation, lived in Lowell for a while. So did true crime writer Ann Rule and Anthony Kiedis, singer for the rock group, the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
King Milling Company was founded in 1890 on the banks of the Flat River. The company produces the well-known King Flour and is still family-owned. King Milling offers a large variety of hard and soft wheat products for bakers and food processors.
I left town and drove a few miles north to the Fallasburg Covered Bridge-a 100-foot wooden bridge across the Flat River that was built in 1871. The bridge is part of the Fallasburg Historic District which includes several 19th-century houses and an 1878 one-room schoolhouse. The village was founded in 1837.
I hiked the gorgeous, 2.23-mile section of the North Country Trail that takes you along the banks of the Flat River.
After the hike, I wound my way back home through the small towns of Saranac, Clarksville and Lake Odessa.
