The Most Beautiful Sunrise at Windmill Island in Holland, Michigan

There is an interesting story behind this windmill. It's named De Zwaan, which in Dutch means "The Swan" or "Graceful Bird". It was first built in Krommenie, the Netherlands, in 1761 and later moved to Vinkel, the Netherlands. In the United States, there is a town with many Dutch immigrants from the late 1800's. It's Holland, Michigan. Two residents of the town, Willand Wichers and Carter Brown, wanted to bring a Dutch windmill to Holland to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage. But many windmills in the Netherlands were damaged in World War II, and the Dutch government put a ban on selling them outside of the Netherlands. But Wichers and Brown were able to get around that by purchasing a very heaviliy damaged windmill, the De Zwaan, which had an uncertain future. So the Dutch government sold it to Wichers for $2800, and it was the last windmill to leave the Netherlands. So in October 1964 the De Zwaan was transported by the Prins Willem van Oranje ship to the harbor of Muskegon, and then by truck to Windmill Island in Holland. It took around 6 months to reconstruct the mill, and in April 1965 it was dedicated. Windmill Island sits on 36 acres of reclaimed swampland on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. De Zwaan is 125 feet tall and its blades are 80 feet long. It is still in use today. De Zwaan windmill is one of the prominent landmarks of Holland along with the Big Red Lighthouse which sits at the opposite end of Lake Macatawa at Lake Michigan. This photo is an HDR.

Windmill Sunrise, Holland, Michigan

There is an interesting story behind this windmill. It's named De Zwaan, which in Dutch means "The Swan" or "Graceful Bird". It was first built in Krommenie, the Netherlands, in 1761 and later moved to Vinkel, the Netherlands. In the United States, there is a town with many Dutch immigrants from the late 1800's. It's Holland, Michigan. Two residents of the town, Willand Wichers and Carter Brown, wanted to bring a Dutch windmill to Holland to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage. But many windmills in the Netherlands were damaged in World War II, and the Dutch government put a ban on selling them outside of the Netherlands. But Wichers and Brown were able to get around that by purchasing a very heaviliy damaged windmill, the De Zwaan, which had an uncertain future. So the Dutch government sold it to Wichers for $2800, and it was the last windmill to leave the Netherlands. So in October 1964 the De Zwaan was transported by the Prins Willem van Oranje ship to the harbor of Muskegon, and then by truck to Windmill Island in Holland. It took around 6 months to reconstruct the mill, and in April 1965 it was dedicated. Windmill Island sits on 36 acres of reclaimed swampland on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. De Zwaan is 125 feet tall and its blades are 80 feet long. It is still in use today. De Zwaan windmill is one of the prominent landmarks of Holland along with the Big Red Lighthouse which sits at the opposite end of Lake Macatawa at Lake Michigan.

Big Red Lighthouse in Holland, Michigan

In Holland, Michigan stands a beautiful big red lighthouse on a channel that connects Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa. "Big Red" is also known as Holland Harbor Light. The original structure was built in 1872 and the current structure was built in 1907. It has a gabled roof which reflects the Dutch influence in the area. This is a view of the lighthouse across the channel from Holland State Park at sunset.

Incredible Sunrise at Windmill Island, Holland, Michigan

There is an interesting story behind this windmill. It's named De Zwaan, which in Dutch means "The Swan" or "Graceful Bird". It was first built in Krommenie, the Netherlands, in 1761 and later moved to Vinkel, the Netherlands. In the United States, there is a town with many Dutch immigrants from the late 1800's. It's Holland, Michigan. Two residents of the town, Willand Wichers and Carter Brown, wanted to bring a Dutch windmill to Holland to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage. But many windmills in the Netherlands were damaged in World War II, and the Dutch government put a ban on selling them outside of the Netherlands. But Wichers and Brown were able to get around that by purchasing a very heaviliy damaged windmill, the De Zwaan, which had an uncertain future. So the Dutch government sold it to Wichers for $2800, and it was the last windmill to leave the Netherlands. So in October 1964 the De Zwaan was transported by the Prins Willem van Oranje ship to the harbor of Muskegon, and then by truck to Windmill Island in Holland. It took around 6 months to reconstruct the mill, and in April 1965 it was dedicated. Windmill Island sits on 36 acres of reclaimed swampland on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. De Zwaan is 125 feet tall and its blades are 80 feet long. It is still in use today. De Zwaan windmill is one of the prominent landmarks of Holland along with the Big Red Lighthouse which sits at the opposite end of Lake Macatawa at Lake Michigan.

Big Red in the Morning, Holland, Michigan

In Holland, Michigan stands a beautiful big red lighthouse on a channel that connects Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa. "Big Red" is also known as Holland Harbor Light. The original structure was built in 1872 and the current structure was built in 1907. It has a gabled roof which reflects the Dutch influence in the area. This is a view of the lighthouse after sunrise. Holland State Park is across the channel from the lighthouse. This photo is an HDR.

Grand Haven Lighthouse Catwalk, Michigan

The lighthouses at the end of the pier in Grand Haven, Michigan are prominent landmarks. They sit at the end of a very long pier which extends out into Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River. I arrived at sunset and was so happy to capture this shot before the sun went down. The sky lit up with bright colors that night. The cement on the pier had recently been redone and the catwalk was in the process of being reinstalled. The lighthouses stand at the mouth of the Grand River which moves towards the city of Grand Rapids. Grand Haven was formerly known as "Grand Heaven". The outer lighthouse was built in 1875 and the inner lighthouse was built in 1905. This photo has been enhanced with digital painting effects to add detail. It is a long exposure photo of 13 seconds to soften the water.

Incredible Morning at Windmill Island, Michigan

There is an interesting story behind this windmill. It's named De Zwaan, which in Dutch means "The Swan" or "Graceful Bird". It was first built in Krommenie, the Netherlands, in 1761 and later moved to Vinkel, the Netherlands. In the United States, there is a town with many Dutch immigrants from the late 1800's. It's Holland, Michigan. Two residents of the town, Willand Wichers and Carter Brown, wanted to bring a Dutch windmill to Holland to pay homage to the city's Dutch heritage. But many windmills in the Netherlands were damaged in World War II, and the Dutch government put a ban on selling them outside of the Netherlands. But Wichers and Brown were able to get around that by purchasing a very heaviliy damaged windmill, the De Zwaan, which had an uncertain future. So the Dutch government sold it to Wichers for $2800, and it was the last windmill to leave the Netherlands. So in October 1964 the De Zwaan was transported by the Prins Willem van Oranje ship to the harbor of Muskegon, and then by truck to Windmill Island in Holland. It took around 6 months to reconstruct the mill, and in April 1965 it was dedicated. Windmill Island sits on 36 acres of reclaimed swampland on the eastern end of Lake Macatawa. De Zwaan is 125 feet tall and its blades are 80 feet long. It is still in use today. De Zwaan windmill is one of the prominent landmarks of Holland along with the Big Red Lighthouse which sits at the opposite end of Lake Macatawa at Lake Michigan. This photo portrays the reflections of the bridge and windmill in the canal. The sky burst into pink and blue colors as the sun rose above the horizon. There is a slight oil paint effect applied to the photo to bring out details.

Grand Haven Lighthouses, Michigan 3

The lighthouses at the end of the pier in Grand Haven, Michigan are prominent landmarks. They sit at the end of a very long pier which extends out into Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River. I arrived at sunset and was so happy to capture this shot before the sun went down. The sky lit up with bright colors that night. The cement on the pier had recently been redone and the catwalk was in the process of being reinstalled. So this is a rare shot without half of the catlwalk. The lighthouses stand at the mouth of the Grand River which moves towards the city of Grand Rapids. Grand Haven was formerly known as "Grand Heaven". The outer lighthouse was built in 1875 and the inner lighthouse was built in 1905. This photo has been enhanced with digital painting effects to add detail. This is a bluer version of the original photo which had more purple in it.

Big Red at Blue Hour With Sailboat, Holland, Michigan

In Holland, Michigan stands a beautiful big red lighthouse on a channel that connects Lake Michigan with Lake Macatawa. "Big Red" is also known as Holland Harbor Light. The original structure was built in 1872 and the current structure was built in 1907. It has a gabled roof which reflects the Dutch influence in the area. This is a view of the lighthouse across the channel from Holland State Park at blue hour right after sunset.