One of the reasons why I love living in the strip of land between Detroit, Toledo and Jackson is the history found in almost every small town.  This is one of the oldest settled areas of Michigan.  Every town has an old mill site, old hitching posts, historic churches and scenic cemeteries.

I have blogged in the past about Clinton, a historic town in NE Lenawee County.  Clinton is a great little town.  It has an old movie house, an inn that rents rooms and serves meals.  And the town has a great little library.

Clinton also has the very walkable Tate Park and a sidewalk-lined historic downtown.  You can read my previous blog below:

http://www.blogsmonroe.com/expatriate/2008/08/clinton-hike-tate-park-downtown/

During a recent visit to town, I decided to add some length to my Clinton walk route by scouting the Riverside Cemetery.  The cemetery is “Riverside” in name only.  I suppose at one time, a person could stand at the edge of the cemetery and look down on the River Raisin.  Today, however, one only sees a high-density mobile-home park between the cemetery and river.  Whoever planned that was crazy.

That said, Riverside is a pleasant place.  It has the traditional mature trees that characterize many local burial sites.  There are several interesting crypts and a cement monument that reminds me of those found at Hillsdale County’s McCourtie Park.

An interesting chapel provides the highlight of this walk route.  All told, a perimeter walk of Riverside Cemetery runs about four-fifths of a mile.  However, once this circle is added to a longer Tate Park/Downtown walk, a substantial length can be achieved.

I had to admit, however, that the lack of scenic river views was a disappointment.

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