If Newaygo's past doesn't seem wild-west enough with its stagecoach stops, train stations, Indian villages, prairies, and desert, then read on.
  What would a western be without some old prospector and his mule panning for gold? Well, it could be a lot of things I guess, but it is part of the Muskegon River's story, and it fits like a glove.
  That is not to say that I've heard any stories about some old and lonesome prospector panning for gold on the river, but the truth be known, there is gold in that there river.
  Apparently, the last ice age deposited the gold from somewhere up north and so following the river upstream would not lead to the 'mother load'.
  I first read about the placer (pronounced plas-sir) gold deposits in a book about Michigan gold mining, most of which occurred in the upper peninsula. There was mention of a placer gold deposit in the Muskegon River that could be extracted by the panning method. The area was stated as somewhere near County Line Road where it crosses the river. That section of the river is now flooded by the Hardy Dam downstream and would have to be dredged to find any gold. Historical and field research leads me to believe that find was fool's gold, a.k.a. iron pyrite.
  The story sounded a bit like horse hockey and I had my doubts as to its validity, but more than one person has told me this story and one fellow's brother practiced panning here before heading to the Yukon for the big strike. This story was also confirmed by internet sources which claimed that anywhere the Muskegon River cut through gravel beds, there was gold to be found.
  Along with a pan and lots of luck, waders would be necessary on any part of the river when panning for gold. As gold is heavier than sand and other debris, it tends to settle under rocks, which may harbor nasty creatures like crayfish and leeches, so rubber gloves would be a good idea. It would be best to pan in mid to late summer when water levels are lower and currents slower. Topographical maps or maps showing the local soil composition would help identify the most likely hot spots on the Muskegon River.
  I've had a small amount of experience panning in a stream in the mountains of Colorado. I was quite young but I remember that it was a small stream with gold dust which was hard to separate from the sand. I gave up, my interest in exploring or studying the local flora & fauna being greater than my lust for gold, but my older brothers brought home (back to Michigan) plastic bags of river soil to pick the flakes out by hand. I imagine that must be the case here, just enough gold dust to tease someone with 'gold fever'. Just as addictive as gambling (or salmon fishing), each pan is sure to show some color, and every gravel bed around the next river bend must be brimming with nuggets. Comment about this article on the Epress Forum Board .

  Although considered a thorny nuisance by locals, this unique wildflower is the only cactus native to Michigan. The variety found in these parts is named after Newaygo County in its Latin name (Oputina humifusa var. Newaygo). Roughly translated this means, 'Low growing prickly pear, found in Newaygo'.
  This Michigan variety is much smaller and lower to the ground than its bushy western counterparts. Its large yellow blooms open in late June and early July and look like a cross between a rose and a pond lily. It is not as good eating as its southwestern cousin, but it is edible. It has a gel-like consistency comparable to aloe vera. The pears are sweetest the following season.
  The needle-covered pads are oval, light green, and have leathery-looking skin. The needles are an inch or so long, but the tufts of fine hair-like needles are hard to see and they irritate your skin. I've never eaten the pads, but I've heard you remove the skin and needles with a fillet knife, then chop it into strips and cook it with scrambled eggs.
  It was three years of searching around Newaygo County before I found any prickly pears. I first found them east of Newaygo City, on some private property. The people were nice and let me have four large masses of cactus for my rock garden (I gave half of those to my mother for her rock garden). After 3 or 4 seasons and a little TLC, my cacti have grown 3 times the size of wild ones.
  After all these years I've found several areas where our cactus grows. One easy place to find large masses of them is on the river side of Hardy Dam. Just climb up the side of the dam at the beginning of the nature trail and you can't miss them. Please don't take any of the plants! They are owned by Consumers Power, and they are slow to regenerate if disturbed, plus Consumers maintains the side of the dam and will notice you are digging them up.
  I suggest planting the cactus from the pear seed. The seeds are large and ready to germinate. With plenty of sun and the proper soil, it takes about three or four seasons for the young plants to start looking like prickly pear. When used in rock gardens they complement other succulents like hens & chicks or the popular yucca. Other cacti from western states can survive in Michigan as well. What they need is as much sun as you can give them and poor sandy soil to grow in. As a reaction to the coming winter, the pads of the prickly pear will wrinkle up in the fall but will swell up in the spring. Don't miss the bloom in July, it lasts only about a week and a half. Comment about this article on the Epress Forum Board .