Pigeon Hill, Muskegon Was Doomed to Disappear…and It Did

Once upon a time, there was a giant sand dune in Muskegon called Pigeon Hill. Why was it given that name?

Passenger pigeons frequently used the dune as a rest stop during their journeys. In the late 1800s, hundreds of passenger pigeons could be seen as they flew overhead, making their way to the giant dune to catch a little rest before heading out again (the passenger pigeons were pushed into extinction in the first half of the 20th Century).

The pigeons weren’t the only ones who relied on this giant dune. Sailors also used it for navigation as a way to identify the Muskegon Channel. Although not officially recorded at the time, t was estimated that the dune was 300 feet tall with a mass of 40 acres.

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Pigeon Hill was soon doomed to disappear.

In 1879 the Muskegon Lake Railway Company built tracks at the bottom of the dune and began mining the sand. Then it was purchased by the Nugent Sand Company in the 1920s who set about mining it even more.

By the 1940s the dune was noticeably smaller. The sand mining had been done mostly on one side which caused the hill to eventually collapse. By the 1950s, “it was almost like a speed bump size in a lot of ways.”

The mining was finally called off in the 1960s.

Visiting the former site, you won’t see signs of the original Pigeon Hill, as it has now been taken over by the Harbour Towne Marina, condominiums, The Pidge Inn, and a public beach.

Scroll down to see some old pictures of Pigeon Hill as it once was.