NEW PARK IN ALBION NAME UNVEILING 

The Calhoun County Parks and Recreation Department hosted a name unveiling and community walk on June 4 at the newly completed park in Albion Township at 10750 28 Mile Rd, Albion MI.  The new name is Ménwabek Meadow Park.” The name is a Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi translation of “beautiful metal.” This name symbolizes the park’s purpose as an Iron Belle Trailhead and its restoration to a wildflower meadow.*

After the unveiling, a 3-mile group walk took place from the county park trailhead to Victory Park and back.

The newest County park hosts 65 acres of scenic, restored prairie habitat and woodlands, along with a paved trail, kiosk, and benches. The park also serves as a trailhead for the Iron Bell Trail, Albion River Trail, and the North Country Trail.

This park offers proximity to Albion College’s campus, the Nancy G. Held Equestrian Center, Whitehouse Nature Center, the Kalamazoo River, and downtown Albion. A shared hope in the community is that this trailhead will become a welcoming and dynamic recreational use area, increasing awareness and public access to many new opportunities. Albion College, Kalamazoo River Recreational Foundation, Calhoun County Parks Millage, and Michigan DNR funded the development of this park.

The extension of the Albion River Trail heading south features wildflower meadows, bench seating, all paved trail, tree plantings and a trail head at the top of the hill.
After the unveiling ceremony, many of the participants walked the paved trail extension, that starts at Riverside cemetery.
Saturday June 4 2022 is National Trails Day. It's always the first Saturday in June. People in Albion were in for a treat with two ceremonies featuring our trail extensions.

One of the speakers at the event was a representative of the Potawatomi tribe.  She looked over the land and said she appreciated the restoration of the land and how people can walk on it. She said other peoples walked on it long before we arrived, and that other peoples will walk on it in the future.

“Other peoples walked on this land long before we arrived, and other peoples will walk on it in the future.”

The name "Ménwabek" is a Potawatomi translation of “beautiful metal,” to mark the role of the park as a trailhead for the Iron Belle trail.
Ménwabek Meadow Park had a name unveiling of the trailhead on June 4, 2022. Approximately 60 people attended.
The sign for the new Calhoun County Park - Ménwabek Meadow Park

*Source for Nottawaseppi Huron Band of Potawatomi translation of “beautiful metal:”  Calhoun County website:
https://www.calhouncountymi.gov/departments/parks/menwabek_meadow_park.php

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