I love continuing to discover new things since I moved here in 2017. One thing I had never seen was Maple Isle located in Paw Paw, which is an island park that looks like it's the ultimate kid hang out, but also a nice place to picnic for the family as well.

It turns out the preservation and the dedication to the island were made possible by Harry Sage, a village trustee in the late 1930s whose vision was to make it a great playground for the kids of the Paw Paw area.

The island sits on Maple Lake in Paw Paw, which I also learned was man-made...

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The Lake Was Man Made?

According to their site, the lake was made in the early 1900s:

From the north end of the lake, the Paw Paw River continues its run all the way to St. Joseph/Benton Harbor where it joins the St. Joseph River before flowing into Lake Michigan. Maple Lake was created by the Village of Paw Paw by erecting a hydropower dam 27-feet high in 1907 on the north side of the lake. Maple Lake is 172 acres in size and has a maximum depth of about 15 feet. Depths can vary over time because the flow-through system acts as a sediment basin.

Fishing In The Lake

There are apparently a bunch of fish species in the lake including perch, bluegill, catfish, bass, northern pike, walleye, and carp.

There are hidden gems all over Southwest Michigan, and I clearly have a lot more discoveries to make.

Vintage Photos of Paw Paw