New P.M. Bridge

The New P.M. Bridge was a swing bridge built to carry the Pere Marquette trains over Kettle Creek.

It would slowly pivot open to let the boats through, and people used to gather just to watch it turn.

Back then, the trains brought vacationers right to the edge of the lake, and the bridge was part of the journey.

This postcard shows it mid-construction, with men standing on the trusses and steam rising in the background, the village just waking up around them.