In 1961, Castle Park resort owner Carter P. Brown proposed creating a public park with an authentic Dutch windmill as a symbol of Holland's Dutch heritage. City officials needed permission from the Dutch government, which protects windmills as national monuments, and Willard C. Winchers, Midwest director for the Netherlands Information Service, led negotiations over three years. In June 1964, he traveled to the Netherlands to find a suitable mill and finalize arrangements to buy and move it. In Vinkel, Noord Brabant, stood De Zwaan, built in 1884 using pieces from older mills. Damaged during World War II and deteriorated, it was approved for sale on the condition that Dutch millwright Jan D. Medendorp supervise its relocation and restoration. Dismantling began in June 1964, and its approximately 7,000 pieces, weighing 66 tons, were brought to the United States by the Dutch steamship Prins Willem van Oranje, arriving at Muskegon, Michigan, on October 5, 1964. The pieces were then moved by truck to the site, where the city had leveled the grounds, removed brush, and created canals. Over the next six months, Medendorp supervised the mill's reconstruction, including placing it on a new brick base, and restored its gears to working order so it could mill local grain into flour. Jaap R. de Blecourt, former head gardener at Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel, planned the island's gardens. De Zwaan was dedicated on April 10, 1965, with Governor George Romney and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands in attendance.