1675Military
Ignace in 1675, and a party of French soldiers under La Salle's lieutenant, Henry de Tonty, passed through the area in 1679.
1748Military
The county's earliest known Euro-American resident was Edward Fitzgerald, a fur trader and trapper who came to the Muskegon area in 1748 and who died there, reportedly being bur...
1790Government
Between 1790 and 1800, a French-Canadian trader named Joseph La Framboise established a fur-trading post at the mouth of Duck Lake.
1810Government
Between 1810 and 1820, several French-Canadian fur traders, including Lamar Andie, Jean Baptiste Recollect, and Pierre Constant, had established fur-trading posts around Muskego...
1837History
Euro-American settlement of Muskegon began in earnest in 1837, which coincided with the beginning of the exploitation of the area's extensive timber resources.
1857Culture
It started publication in 1857.
1860Government
== Education ==
Muskegon Public Schools was founded in 1860 and serves students from preschool through grade 12.
1862Government
Bluffton was founded as a lumbering village in 1862 in Laketon Township.
1868History
It had its own post office from 1868 until 1892.
1872History
Richard Mell, politician
Religion
Jim Bakker, TV evangelist
Edmund Cardinal Szoka, cardinal, President Emeritus of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State
Science and ...
1880History
Hasse (1880–1926), botanist
David Leestma, astronaut
W.
1889Government
Muskegon annexed it in 1889.
1904Architecture
In addition, Muskegon also berths Milwaukee Clipper, a former passenger ship built in 1904 that traveled the same route as Lake Express does today.
1908Government
Muskegon Country Club was founded in 1908 and features a course design by Tom Bendelow and a course redesign by Donald Ross.
1912Architecture
The Muskegon Museum of Art opened in 1912.
1929Architecture
The Frauenthal was originally built as the Michigan Theater in 1929.
1937History
=== Ferries ===
In 1937, the Grand Trunk Western began operating ferries that met up with train and carried passengers and automobiles across Lake Michigan to Milwaukee.
1971Infrastructure
Rail passenger services ended in 1971 with the advent of Amtrak; the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad’s routes in Michigan were not included in the initial Amtrak system.
1973Infrastructure
The C&O became a unit of Chessie System in 1973 and subsequently CSX Transportation in 1987.
1978History
The GTW stopped operating the ferries in 1978.
1998Culture
It was refurbished in 1998 and again in 2021, and hosts JAM Theatrical productions, Muskegon Civic Theatre productions, and is home of the West Michigan Symphony Orchestra.
2000History
=== 2000 census ===
As of the census of 2000, 40,105 people, 14,569 households, and 8,537 families were residing in the city.
2004History
The last remaining ferries across the lake would be the ones launching from Ludington, Michigan until the Lake Express first came into service on June 1, 2004.
2005History
CSX leased their Muskegon area lines to MS in 2005.
2010History
== Demographics ==
=== 2010 census ===
As of the census of 2010, 38,401 people, 13,967 households, and 7,895 families resided in the city.
2020Disaster
Services were suspended during the severe downturn in travel during the COVID Pandemic of 2020.
2021Architecture
Downtown is home to a number of hotels, a 25,000-square-foot convention center completed in 2021, and the Trinity Health Arena.
2025History
While regional bus carrier Indian Trails picked up the bulk of Greyhound’s former Michigan services, no intercity coach service has been restored to Muskegon as of 2025.