Wabaningo is a small

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Fruitland Township,

Muskegon County Muskegon County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of 2020, the population was 175,824. The county seat is Muskegon. Muskegon County comprises the Muskegon, MI Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of the larger Grand Rapids- ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. It is situated where the White Lake flows through a short navigation channel into

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

at . Wabaningo, now a resort community, was originally settled in the 18th century by the Grand River Band of

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

. It was first called Sylvan Beach, but the post office, established in 1897, was named Wabaningo, after the

leader

Wabiwindego Wabiwindego (literally “White Wendigo” or sometimes "White Giant") (d.1837), also spelled Wobwindego, Wobiwidigo, or Wabaningo, and known among the Ojibwe as Waabishkindip (literally “White-Headed”), was a leader of the Grand River Band of ...

, who

Whitehall Whitehall is a road and area in the City of Westminster, Central London. The road forms the first part of the A roads in Zone 3 of the Great Britain numbering scheme, A3212 road from Trafalgar Square to Chelsea, London, Chelsea. It is the main ...

founder Charles Mears met there in 1837. It was made a branch of the

office in 1954. The office operated as a summer post office from 1897–1938, 1939–1942, 1944–1953, 1954–1965, and 1966–1999. Wabaningo is no longer an acceptable name for delivery, although Sylvan Beach is an acceptable name with the Whitehall ZIP code 49461.ZIP Code Lookup
United States Postal Service It is also the location of the White River Light station, which includes a lighthouse built in 1875, which now houses a small lighthouse and maritime museum. The original

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

is on display there.

References

Unincorporated communities in Muskegon County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan {{MuskegonCountyMI-geo-stub