Dam Removal Restores Creek: Buckhorn Creek flows freely again; volunteers plant trees

More than 100 years after a dam built beneath the historic Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad disrupted the natural flow of Buckhorn Creek, the waterway is running free again, and the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail now crosses it on a new 90-foot bridge. The Muskegon River Watershed Assembly (MRWA), which has led the restoration project with state, federal and local partners, will mark the milestone with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 25. The organization confirmed the event and the completion of the bridge on its website. The transformation is the culmination of years of planning around an aging dam that had become both an environmental obstacle and an infrastructure concern.A century-old barrier comes downThe Buckhorn Dam was more than a century old and had begun to deteriorate. The structure sat beneath the White Pine Trail, meaning its removal also required a new crossing for cyclists, hikers, snowmobilers and emergency vehicles.Plans for the project called for the dam and an old culvert to be removed and replaced with a full-span bridge, allowing Buckhorn Creek to return to a more natural channel. Work began in May 2026, with the trail temporarily closed and users directed to...