WYNKEN, BLYNKEN & NOD

These three smokestacks are part of the Eckert Power Station in Lansing, Michigan which provides drinking water, electricity and steam to Lansing and the surrounding area. The smokestacks are 615 feet tall (187 m) and have blinking lights on top to warn aircraft. After they were added to the utility in 1981 there was a contest to name them, hence the names Wynken, Blynken and Nod (after the children's nursery rhyme). The purpose of the smokestacks is to cleanse the plant's exhaust and take it high enough before releasing it into the atmosphere.

The stacks are made of concrete and lined with stainless steel. While they were being build there was a small elevator inside that could take a person to the top. Dad was offered a chance to ride one of these elevators by a friend who was the chief engineer on the project. To this day, he could kick himself for not taking advantage of that opportunity.

It has recently been announced that this power plant will be phased out from 2017 through 2025 to be replaced with a more efficient 250 megawatt hybrid plant that will burn 70% 'clean' coal and 30% biomass (waste paper, crop residue, waste wood, etc.) Even though the smokestacks are no longer used as originally intended, they are a familiar landmark in the Lansing area and can be seen from miles around.