One thing associated with Christmas time since the 20th Century is finding an electric model train chugging around the Christmas tree on December 25, complete with railroad crossing signals, crossing gates and other layouts. These things became possible after railroads became a major means of transportation during the 19th Century, including the three main railroads that reached Leelanau County during the same time.

First known as the Empire Lumber Co. RR, the Empire & Southeastern Railroad was used as a logging line, but also was used as a passenger train as well. Beginning at Pearl Lake in northern Benzie County, it ran to Empire, with stops in between at East Empire, High Top (Main Top), which became a watering stop for the train, and Jacktown. If passengers from Empire wanted to travel to Traverse City, they would change cars at East Empire, then again at Platte River Junction (Benzie Co.), proceeding via Solon and Hatches Crossing. The Empire Lumber Co. harvested most of the trees by 1915, and its sawmill caught fire in 1916. The E. & SE. RR continued to carry passengers until 1920.

The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad arrived up North in November 1872. When the first train pulled into Traverse City, people really felt they were no longer isolated, the only other modes of transportation until then being lake shipping, Indian trails, and stagecoach lines. Carrying passengers and freight, it reached its peak in the early 1900's, but when freight orders declined, the G.R. & I. RR built the Traverse City, Leelanau & Manistique Railroad in 1903, from Traverse City to Northport, with depots at Greilickville, Hatches Crossing, Bingham, Keswick, Suttons Bay, and Omena. At Northport, a railroad car ferry operated from Northport to Manistique, hoping to recuperate lost revenues, but the ferries went out of business in 1908. Passenger service continued on the line to Northport, and during the 1930's and 1940's, a steam locomotive ran on the line that was known affectionately as "Maud," a name given to it by Will Solle of Solle's Bookshop in Omena. Passenger service stopped in 1948, but continued to carry freight. The railroad tracks from Suttons Bay to Northport were abandoned in the 1960's, and from Traverse City to Suttons Bay in 1979. The tracks saw a revival in the late 1980's when some railroad buffs ran a tourist train from Traverse City to Suttons Bay, calling it The Leelanau Scenic Railroad. That train stopped in the mid 1990's, and the tracks were removed to build the Leelanau County Trail in its place.

The Manistee & Northeastern Railroad was the third major line to serve Leelanau County. Reaching Traverse City and Leelanau County in June 1892, it ran from Traverse City to Cedar, with stops in Hatches Crossing, Carp Lake (Fouch), and Solon. In 1903, the line was extended to Provemont (now Lake Leelanau), via depots in Bodus, Schomberg, and Elton. As with other railroads, the M. & NE. RR did a thriving business in logging and passengers. Passenger service reached its peak in 1915, and when the timber ran out, it was hoped that farm produce would take up the slack, but in some places, the soil that once contained trees was depleted after 2 or 3 farm crop seasons, causing depletion of farm freight. In 1932, the Pere Marquette Railroad took over the M. & NE. RR, but abandoned the line from Kaleva (Manistee County) to Solon in 1934. The Provemont branch continued to operate, but with automobiles and commercial vehicles so commonplace, that line was abandoned in April 1944.

In addition to the mainline railroads, there were logging railroads that operated by lumber companies, and Leelanau County had three notable ones. Two of them were in the Glen Lake region, the first one being operated by D.H. Day. The track was built in a loop from the northwest tip of Glen Lake to Glen Haven, the location of Day's loading dock. The Glen Arbor Lumber Co. ran a logging railroad from Glen Lake to its loading dock in Glen Arbor. The third logging railroad was located on North Manitou Island. In 1908, a tract of hardwood timber was purchased by W. Cary Hull (son of Henry Hull, founder of Traverse City's Oval Wood Dish Co.) and Frank Smith, forming the Smith & Hull Lumber Co. They built a sawmill at Cresent, the island's village on its west side, and 5 miles of logging railroad, the Manitou Limited, using a second-hand Shay Locomotive for hauling the cars loaded with logs. In Autumn 1909, 3 more miles of track were built, and a new "sidewinder" train engine was transported to the island. The railroad and its mill ran until 1917 when the timber ran out. During that time, Cresent grew from a handful of people to a population of about 300.

In closing, it is interesting to note that Leelanau County, being so rural, never had any railroad crossing signals or crossing gates at any of its crossings, these being relegated to model trains circling around the bottom of Christmas Trees in some of the homes in the county on the morning of December 25.

~Thomas Baird

Locomotive photo by freefotouk on Flickr, used under Creative Commons license

Posted by Publius at 12:28 PM | Permalink

When we hear the words "ghost town," visions come to mind of an abandoned town from the days of the Old West, but every U.S. state and each of Canada's provinces and territories have sites where towns were once located. Leelanau County is no exception. Here are a few of Leelanau's ghost towns.

Although it was not an incorporated community, Hatches Crossing was located at what now Fouch Rd. (Co. Rd. 614) is and the Manistee & Northeastern Railroad crossing. It was the location of a small railroad station (begun in 1892) and post office, and in the early 1880's, the Hatches Crossing schoolhouse was built just west of the station at the corner of Fouch Rd. and Co. Rd. 641. In 1916, property was bought for a new school near the railroad crossing, and it was completed two years later. In 1903, the Traverse City, Leelanau, and Manistique Railroad contracted with the M & NE Railroad to use the tracks from Traverse City to Hatches Crossing, then branch off to Northport, where railroad ferries would take railroad cars and products to Manistique in the Upper Peninsula.

One of Hatches Crossing's most prominent residents was Daniel Whipple. Known to his friends as "Uncle Dan," he was known to walk to Traverse City and back to Hatches Crossing when he was past 100 years of age. Daniel Whipple died in 1908 at the age of 108. Things started to decline for Hatches Crossing, beginning with the post office closing in 1925. Passenger service was halted in 1934 with the M & NE, and 1948 with the former TCL & M (freight trains continued from Traverse City to Suttons Bay until 1979). In 1952, Hatches Crossing School was closed, and District No. 3 that it was located in was made part of the then Norris School District. In the late 1980's, the old railroad track saw a revival during the summer months, when the Leelanau Scenic Railroad was established from Greilickville to Suttons Bay as an excursion train for tourists and railroad buffs, but was in business only a few years. Today, only some houses mark where Hatches Crossing was. The railroad tracks and station are gone, along with the original schoolhouse. The second schoolhouse is now a private home still on Fouch Rd. The tower that held the school bell was still preserved, and a path where the tracks were is now paved for walking and bicycle riding as the Leelanau Trail.

Another notable community was located north of Omena near Grand Traverse Bay. Agosatown was named for Native Indian Chief Agosa. When Omena was established by Rev. Peter Dougherty as New Mission in 1852, Chief Agosa went with Dougherty from Old Mission Point to the new settlement, and he established his home a few miles north. His tribes people made their homes by his, thus creating the village named for him.

Only a memory, Oviatt was located on the Leelanau/Benzie County line on what is now County Rd. 669. Begun in 1878, it had two general stores and a sawmill, the latter operated by M.C. Oviatt. The town was named after him by H.C. Pettengill.

The next two places were never incorporated communities, but have interesting and/or identifiable landmarks and businesses. The first one is Cherry Bend, located in Elmwood Township on Cherry Bend Rd. (Co. Rd. 633). In the 1930's, Cherry Bend grocery store and Standard gasoline station was opened for business by the Plamondon family at the sharp bend in the road which was part of M-22 at the time. The area was surrounded by orchards, and catered to the people of the surrounding area. Today, the orchards have been replaced by businesses and a subdivision, and M-22 traffic bypasses (since 1937) the store, but it still does a thriving business, even after getting out of the gasoline business in 1980. A descendent of the founders, Don Plamondon and his family, now own the business, and he will even cut and weigh his meat and cheese products and make deli pizza for his customers.

The other place is Tobin Corners, located just south of the Glen Lake Narrows at the corner of M-22 and Co. Rds. 616 and 677. The surrounding area is primarily summer homes and cottages, with some year round residents. Tobin Cemetery is near the southwest corner of the intersection. The intersection has a fine mom & pop deli sandwich restaurant, and the M-22 bridge over the Glen Lake Narrows is named in honor of Carl Oleson (d. Christmas 1999), a U.S. Coast Guard veteran who ran the Sportsman Shop in Glen Arbor for over 35 years.

~ Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 07:46 AM | Permalink

We have all seen the county number designations around Leelanau County, 616, 633, 667, etc. But just as numbers and location of state and federal highways have changed over the decades, Leelanau County's numbered roads were no different. To learn about this, we need to take a nostalgic trip to Leelanau County in the 1930's.

Some county road numbers are now no longer used, one of them being County Road 612. Starting at Empire, it followed an approximate course of what is now M-72, coming to a stop at a dirt road on the Elmwood/Solon Township line. As far can be determined, the dirt road is no longer there.

County Road 624 is another one relagated to nostalga, which connected County Roads 637 and 639 on what is now known only as Perther Road.

Does anybody remember County Road 639? It began at County Road 641 just north of Lake Leelanau along Eagle Highway, then turned west onto Alpers Road back to 641.

Does anyone know Solon Rd. from M-72 to 616 was County Road 649?

There is also County Road 665, which began at Oviatt on the Leelanau/Benzie County line, cosigned with 612, and followed what is now 669, Baatz Rd, Newman Rd., Valley Rd., and 667 through Maple City to M-22 near Little Traverse Lake.

The most recent county number to be removed from the county's road system
(c.mid-1980's) is County Road 671, which ran from 616 to M-22 near Bass Lake. Today, it is part of 669.

Some of the county numbers still in Leelanau County today did not always follow the courses they do now, and some of the differences may be quite interesting. County Road 633 from Cherry Bend Rd. to Suttons Bay followed what is now M-22, both designations exchanging places when the former 633 was upgraded to highway standards.

County Road 614 was originally on the west side of the county when it ran from 616 at Burdickville, around the southern shore of Glen Lake, to M-109 at Tobin Corners. Meanwhile, County Road 616 originally followed the eastern Glen Lake shore from Burdickville to M-22 near Glen Arbor on what is now County Road 675.

County Road 641 originally began on the edge of Cedar at 645, and followed to the village of Lake Leelanau on what is today's 643. Along some parts of Lake Leelanau's eastern shoreline, today's 641 was not even yet built at that time.

Other changes to Leelanau County's numbered roads also included minor reroutings and surface improvements, but, just like the state highways, the county's numbered have come a long way from their beginnings during the Model T and Model A era.

(Image courtesy of www.gribblenation.net)

Posted by Publius at 07:56 PM | Permalink

During Michigan's lumbering era in the 1800's, ships were one of the major modes of transporting lumber to market, and many communities along Lake Michigan's shore would contain at least one dock for boats to access the towns. Leelanau County's communities fell in this category as well, Suttons Bay, Northport (which had a railroad ferry to Manistique from 1903 to 1906), Good Harbor, Port Oneida, and Glen Haven, among others. One of these boats that plied Lake Michigan, and which could have possibly visited all or some of these Leelanau County ports of call, was the schooner Rouse Simmons. Built in 1868, she sailed longer than most other schooners when more modern ships were replacing masted boats for commerce.

Although the Simmons brought lumber and other products to market during the regular sailing season, she was best known for bringing her last cargo of the season to the people of Chicago: Christmas trees. And because of this, she was nicknamed the Christmas Tree Ship. Other boats hauled Christmas trees as well, but the Simmons stood out as the Christmas Tree Ship, perhaps because of her skipper, Captain Herman Schuenemann.

Herman and his brother August made their careers sailing the Great Lakes, and it was August who started the tradition of bringing Christmas trees to Chicago in 1876, with Herman following in 1887. Both skippers continued this tradition together until tragedy struck in November 1898 when August Schuenemann and his boat, the S. Thal, were lost in a November storm on Lake Michigan northeast of Chicago while hauling a cargo of Christmas Trees. August's death was a great blow to Herman, but he continued to carry on the tradition of bringing Christmas cheer to his fellow Chicagoans.

Herman sailed a number of different ships, but it was only beginning in 1910 that the Rouse Simmons earned The Christmas Tree Ship nickname, the good captain purchasing part ownership in the boat. One of the other part owners was Mannes J. Bonner of St. James, Beaver Island (a Leelanau County protectorate, 1865-1869). The Simmons, decked out with Christmas tree lights and loaded both on deck and cargo hold with Christmas trees from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, made its annual port of call at Chicago's Clark Street Bridge in 1910 and 1911 to bring Christmas cheer to anyone who could afford a tree or not. 1912 should have been no different, but...

The 1912 shipping season was over for the Simmons, and Captains Schuenemann and Charles Nelson, Nelson's wife, and 14 others made their way on the Christmas Tree Ship for the port of Thompson, Michigan in the U.P. for their annual Christmas tree cargo. Once the boat was loaded and ready to sail, the weather began to turn threatening. Captian Schuenemann had to choose between waiting out the storm, or to take a chance. He chose the latter because he wanted people to have their annual Christmas trees, and possibly because of Chicago's trade demand.

As conditions on Lake Michigan went from bad to worse, ships were taking shelter, but one incoming boat off Point Aux Barques saw the Simmons heading out full sail into the November fury on November 22, 1912. The next day, she was spotted, flying distress signals, by the Kewaunne (Wisconsin) U.S. Life Saving Station. Then snow made visibility zero. A telephone call to the Two Rivers Station sent a power-boat out to look for the Christmas ship, but was never sighted. The Revenue Cutter Tuscarora was sent out, but to no avail. The Christmas Tree Ship was lost with all hands.

During the course of the next fifteen years, two corked bottles were found washed up on the Lake Michigan shore, supposedly one each written by Captians Schuenemann and Nelson. Whether or not these notes are authentic is debatable, but, a wallet washed up on shore contained a receipt with Herman Shuenemann's signature on it in 1924.

As recently as the 1950's, fisherman in the vicinity of where the Simmons went down would occasionally bring up Christmas trees in their fishing nets. The location of the wreck was only approximately known until October 1971 when a scuba diver discovered and identified the boat as the Simmons. Underwater cameras have even spotted Christmas Trees still in its cargo hold.

Despite the loss of Captian Schuenemann, his family continued to bring Christmas trees to Chicago households and churches until the mid-1930's. Mrs. Barbara Schuenemann passed away in 1933, and daughters Elsie, Hazel, and Pearl in 1950, 1969, and 1991 respectively. But even today, the tradition the Schuenemanns started so long ago was revived in 2000 with Cheboygan's U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw, and its successor, USCGC Mackinaw II, arriving in Chicago decked out with Christmas tree lights and loaded with Christmas trees for both needy and well-to-do families.

~ Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 01:31 PM | Permalink

Although the Tom's Food Market chain has locations in Leelanau County's neighbor, Grand Traverse County, it has locations in Leelanau County and its founder was born there.

Tom Deering was born in Empire on October 5, 1908, a son of Mark Deering (1873-1974), who began Deering's Meat Market in the village, and later opened a second one on S. Union Street in Traverse City. After high school, Tom was engaged in the business his father started, and then decided to go into the grocery business on his own in the 1940's. In 1946, Tom Deering open the first Deering's Market in what was originally a gasoline station on the corner of 11th and Maple Streets in Traverse City, and the business became successful, being located in the Central Neighborhood.

In 1953, Tom renamed Deering's Market as Tom's Food Market, maybe to avoid confusion with his father's meat market, which was also located in Traverse City's Central Neighborhood. By 1958, Tom's son, Dan Deering was working for his dad in the business.

In 1960, construction began on Leelanau County's first Tom's Food Market on the corner of M-22 and M-72, part of the West Bay Shopping Center which included Gauthier's Shoe Store & Repair, a laundromat, and a pharmacy. The shopping center and Tom's opened on February 23, 1961, giving Traverse City and Leelanau County each their own Tom's. The West Bay Tom's also included a garden center for buying flowers and gardening supplies, at was even open in December for selling fresh cut Christmas Trees.

In 1967, another Tom's began construction on the corner of Division (US-31/M-37) and 14th Streets. However, Tom Deering, who began the Tom's Food Market chain, passed away on October 21, 1967, and Dan Deering took over ownership of the stores and supervised the new store's construction which opened in July 1968. After that, the original Deering's Market that opened in 1946 was closed and the building now houses the Salvation Army's Thrift Store.

Tom's Food Market remained at one store each for Leelanau County and Traverse City until the Summer of 1982 when construction began on the third Tom's in Acme, and had its grand opening in April 1983. Since then, three more Tom's have opened in existing buildings.

In 1978, Cherryland Mall (now Cherryland Center) opened at the corner of Garfield and Airport Roads near Traverse City, which contained a Kroger's Supermarket. That same building space went through two more supermarkets (Hamady Brothers and Plumb's) before becoming the fourth supermarket in the building and the fourth Tom's in November 1986 (called Cherryland Tom's).

In May 1993, the fifth Tom's, and the second for Leelanau County, opened in Northport when Tom's, Inc. purchased the Dame's grocery store, and in February 1994, the sixth Tom's opened in the building space that was occupied by a Giantway supermarket in the East Bay Plaza on Munson Ave
(US-31 N.).

In 1997, plans were begun to do a total rebuilding of the Westbay Shopping Center in order have an upgraded structure. After taking several years to work out issues such as water drainage, construction began on a brand new West Bay Tom's Food Market in 2005. The new building opened to the public on February 27, 2006, the remaining section with its bakery, deli, and expanded produce section completed the following June, and holding its grand reopening the following Autumn. Jeff DeRusha is the current Market Manager of the new West Bay Tom's.

Since the 1950's, Tom's primary wholesaler has been Spartan Stores, which began in 1917 as the Grand Rapids Wholesale Grocery Company (called Spartan Stores since 1957), and helps independent grocery stores and supermarkets sell food and other items at competitive prices.

~ Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 01:43 PM | Permalink

Prior to the establishment of Leelanau County in 1863, the future county's lands were parts of other counties, and some of it was under the jurisdiction of a self-proclaimed "kingdom," the only one at that time within the United States.

Things began in 1840, when Grand Traverse County was formed, including what are now Leelanau and Benzie counties. The Manitou Islands were included in the future Leelanau County, and the Fox Islands were made part of Kiskonko County, which was later renamed Charlevoix County. Since the area was still in the very early beginnings of settlement, about the only areas of activity were the establishment of the Old Mission Church by Reverend Peter Dougherty, and the first lighthouse on South Manitou Island, both in 1839.

In 1847, a man named James Jesse Strang was traveling on a passenger ship past Beaver Island (part of Charlevoix County), and believed the island would be an ideal place to bring his Mormon followers. Strang had gained his followers when they broke away from the main body of Mormons when Brigham Young was chosen to be the successor of the murdered founder of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith. Strang first settled in Vorhee, Wisconsin, but was now looking for a better place for his flock.

Strang began moving his followers to Beaver Island, leaving the Irish fishermen that were already there alone. He ruled his flock with absolute authority and from time to time would tell his people of "divine revelations." One of them was the belief that he should made king of the island's Mormon colony, and Strang crowned himself king on July 8, 1850, complete with royal robes. People continued to settle on Beaver Island, and a few even settled on the Fox Islands where they made their livings by establishing their own farms.

"King" Strang increased his power base by extending his authority over the Irish fishermen, which they vehemently resented. With threats made against them, the fishermen were forced to settle in Pine River (now Charlevoix) on the mainland. Also, Strang had another "divine revelation" saying that all Mormon men should have more than one wife (polygamy). During the period of Strang's kingship, he was the only one who carried out this "revelation," much to the dismay of his lawful wife, Mary, who moved back to Vorhee. Strang had a total of 5 polygamous wives, the last one being the former Elvira Fields (d.1910). On nearby Garden Island, where several Indians lived, Strang wanted to marry the daughter of one of the Indian chiefs, but the chief would not allow it.

Strang was accused of crimes against "non-Mormons," but was acquitted of them in a trial held in Detroit in 1851. Although it was not proven that a band of "Strangites," which Strang's followers were called, acted on orders from the "king," fishing boats and other properties were raided by these men. One of the victims was the founder of present day Leelanau County's Port Oneida, Carson Burfiend, who had his fishing nets taken from him on three different occasions. On one occasion, the Strangites took his boat and punched a hole in the bottom of it.

Strang ran for a seat in the Michigan Legislature in 1852 and was elected twice, the second time in 1854. In order to increase the power base of his "kingdom" he introduced a bill to make Emmet County part of Charlevoix County, which was passed by the entire governmental body. However, after protest by the Emmet County residents, the legislature repealed the law. Strang did not give up, and in 1855, he introduced a bill to create Manitou County, which would encompass Beaver Island, its surrounding islands, and the Fox and Manitou Islands. The bill passed, creating the county, and the Manitou Islands were organized as Chandler Township, and the Fox Islands as Galilee Township. The county seat was established at St. James (formerly Beaver Harbor and renamed by Strang himself).

During one of Strang's missionary trips, he became familiar with a new kind of women's undergarments called bloomers. Being quite impressed with them, he returned to his island "kingdom" and ordered all the women in the colony to wear them. However, the wives of two men protested against the order, and Strang ordered the two men, Thomas Bedford and Alexander Wentworth, flogged (some sources say their wives were flogged).

Strang had become a virtual dictator over his flock, and even some of his own followers began to resent him, not to mention Bedford and Wentworth. In June 1856, at the peak of his power, Strang was requested to talk with the skipper of the schooner "Michigan" to discuss allegations of crimes brought against him or some of his followers. As the "king" walked past some pilings on the dock towards the ship, Bedford and Wentworth appeared from behind the pilings and shot him. They then ran to board the ship, hitting the wounded "monarch" with a gun butt as they ran by. They were taken to Mackinac Island, where they were released as heroes. This was how many people militantly resented the dictator "king."

When a word reached authorities in St. James that some were going to arrive on Beaver Island to finish Strang for good, the 'king" was put aboard a ship and returned to Vorhee, Wisconsin, where he died of his wounds on July 8, 1856. Without the Strangites "monarch," the Irish fishermen returned and took back their former property and forcing the Strangites from the island, about 2,600, with only the clothes on their backs. The "kingdom" within the U.S. was now relegated to history.

All that remained was Manitou County, which was said to hardly hold court, hold elections, or enforce the law. After Leelanau County was formed in 1863, Manitou County was made a "protectorate" of Leelanau County from 1865 to 1869. The first attempt to have Manitou County relegated to history was in early 1877, when retiring Michigan Governor John J. Bagley asked the Legislature to do so, saying the entire county should be made part of Charlevoix County. The legislators failed to take action on the proposal, but it was brought before the Legislature again in the Spring of 1895. This time, the governmental body listened, and Manitou County was divided up between Leelanau and Charlevoix Counties. The Manitou and Fox Islands became part of Leelanau County, and the Beaver Islands part of Charlevoix County. South Manitou Island was made part of Glen Arbor Township, North Manitou Island part of Leland Township, and North and South Fox Islands part of Leelanau Township, establishing Leelanau County's jurisdiction as it stands today. Leelanau County's population increased by 177, the total population of the Manitou and Fox Islands in 1895.

~Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 12:54 PM | Permalink

The first settlement in what is now Leelanau County occurred in 1849 when Rev. George N. Smith of the Congregational Church arrived from Holland, Michigan and settled near the northern tip of the peninsula with his family to minister to the Indians. The Indians that followed Rev. Smith to the new site platted a village they named Waukazooville, after their chief. In 1852, Joseph Dame settled at the site and platted Northport village, which also took in Waukazooville. Once the village was growing, other faiths made their way to Northport. In 1858, Rev. Lewis Griffith of the Methodist faith arrived, and in 1870, both Congregational and Methodist church buildings were completed in the village. A Lutheran Church was built in 1885, and St. Gertrude's Catholic Church in 1889.

In 1852, Rev. Peter Dougherty (1809-1894) moved across Grand Traverse Bay to establish a "new mission" site, to continue his ministering to the Indians of Chief Ahgosa's tribe. This would later become the village of Omena, and the village's Presbyterian Church, the "Grove Hill New Mission Church," was dedicated in 1858. Sunday services have been held there since. The name "Omena" is said to be an Indian word meaning "Is it so?," a word Rev. Dougherty used speaking among the native people. From 1866 to 1872, Gen. and Mrs. George Armstrong Custer owned land just south of Omena, and in 1936, a parcel of the land became Villa Marquette, a Jesuit training center and retreat.

In 1852, a band of Ottawas from Cross Village in Emmet County established Eagletown. Their spiritual needs were administered to by Rev. Angelus van Paemel, a Catholic priest. He was succeeded by Rev. Ignatious Mrak (1810-1901), who helped build the settlement's first church building in 1858. It was later replaced by a second structure, which later burned, and was replaced by the current church building in 1865. Today, the site is now called Peshawbestown, and the church is named for Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha (1656-1680).

The Catholic Church at Peshawbestown is not the only one Rev. Mrak helped establish. In 1869, the same year he became Bishop of the Marquette Diocese, Rev. Mrak dedicated a Catholic Church on the hill north of Leland.
It later burned, and Catholics from that village went to the one in Provemont (Lake Leelanau). 1869 also saw a Congregational Church built in Leland, and in 1871 Immanuel Lutheran Church was built. It was a frame structure that was replaced by a brick church in 1925. A Methodist Church was also established in Leland.

Holy Mass was offered up by Rev. Mrak in the home of Jacob and Margaret Schaub at the new settlement of Le Naro, later Provemont, and now Lake Leelanau. In 1864, a log structure was built by Rev. Mrak, and dedicated by Bishop Baraga. Originally, it was to be named Sts. Peter and Paul, but the promise of prayers answered changed that. Margaret Schaub, taking maple syrup and maple sugar for barter, and some other villagers made a trip by boat to Buffalo, New York to get money from friends and relatives for a statue of the Virgin Mary, a chalice, and church vestments. On the return trip, a storm came up on the Great Lakes, and the passengers prayed that if the people returned safely to their homes, they would name their new church St. Mary's. The storm subsided, and the promise was kept, calling it Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1877, a frame church was built and renamed St. Mary's, and in 1887 a Catholic school was opened, followed by another new church in 1895, and in 1924, the current church was built. The current school was built in the 1930's, the old one being razed in 1938.

Another Catholic Church that played a part in a new village is St. Michael's in Suttons Bay. In the Autumn of 1854, Harry C. Sutton built a dock for selling cordwood for Great Lakes boats, and in 1867, he platted what was named Suttonsburg by the Register of Deeds. In 1871, Rev. Andrew Herbstrit, a real estate operator as well as a priest, platted what was named Pleasant City, and in addition to founding St. Michael's Catholic Church, intended to establish a Catholic university in the town; but it did not get off the drawing board. St. Michaels Church did have its own elementary school for several decades, however, and during the 1870's, Suttonsburg and Pleasant City became the village of Suttons Bay. Later, two Lutheran churches, German and Norwegian, were established, and Suttons Bay Congregational Church began in 1898.

In 1870, Polish immigrants established Isadore, the Catholic Church being the center of it. A wooden church was built in 1883 and named Holy Rosary. In 1884 a Catholic school was built, and a brick schoolhouse was built in 1905. In 1922, the wooden church was replaced by the current brick church, and from 1938 to 1961, Holy Rosary had a high school. Sadly, Holy Rosary had a dark chapter in its history. In 1906, Sister Mary Janina was assigned to the church and school, and disappeared the following year. The pastor at the time was Rev. Bionowski (d.1964). By the time the nun's bones were found buried under the church eleven years later, he had been assigned to a church in Manistee. It was suspected that his housekeeper, Stanislawa Lipsczynska, had murdered the nun. She was tried in Leland and found guilty of first degree murder in 1919. Sentenced to life in prison, the housekeeper was paroled in 1927, and passed away in Milwaukee, Wisconsin c.1960, at an advanced age.

Communities in what are now "ghost towns" had churches, and some are worth mentioning. The former town of Port Oneida was started in 1853 by Carson Burfiend, and Thomas Kelderhouse built a dock there in 1862. With the community gaining enough population, a Lutheran Church and cemetery were built at what is now the intersection of Port Oneida Rd. and M-22. Today, only the cemetery remains.

Good Harbor is another former Leelanau County town. Once having a population of about 300, it began in 1863 when H.D. Pheatt built a dock for a wooding business and a sawmill in 1868. St. Paul's Bethlehem Lutheran church was established in 1877, and a wooden structure was built about 1879, but was struck by lightning in 1918, and a brick church was built to replace it less than two years later. It has gone through remodeling and addition three times from 1932 to 1962, and is still used for weekly services.

Gill's Pier was another community established on Lake Michigan near the northern tip of the county. Wilbur Gill built a sawmill and dock in Leelanau Township. Bohemians of the Catholic faith began having services in the home of Julius Kolarik in 1885, with Rev. Mrak offering up the first Mass. In 1890, a frame church was built and was dedicated to St. Wenceslaus. In 1941, a brick church was built, and in 1948 a rectory was built. Both frame and brick churches stood together until the former structure was razed in the Autumn of 1963. Out of all that made up the community of Gill's Pier, only St. Wenceslaus Church remains today, located at the head of Co.Rd. 637.

The ghost town of Keswick began in 1872 when Rev. John Lawrence of New Brunswick, Canada settled near the site. At its peak, its population was 200, but had dropped to 40 by 1910. Only Keswick Methodist Church remains today between Bingham and Suttons Bay on Co.Rd. 633 (Old M-22).

Originally called Pegtown, Maple City has a white steepled church on the hill just east of the town. It has been the home of two denominations. Built about 1890, it was a Friends' Church until 1916 when it became St. Rita's Catholic Church. St. Joseph Catholic Church, located near the intersection of Neweskal Rd. and Co.Rd. 669, is a white steepled church that consolidated with St. Rita's in Maple City. Although Mass is no longer offered up there, it is still available for weddings and other church gatherings.

There are two other churches in Elmwood Township. One is West Bay Covenant Church at the corner of Cherry Bend Rd. and M-22. It was built in 1958, and an addition built in 1972. The other, Praise West Church, holds Sunday services in Elmwood Township Hall. It is independent Lutheran.

A Jewish settlement was located across the Narrows from Provemont (Lake Leelanau) in its early days, and its residents worked cutting timbers for the Great Lakes boats. A Jewish cemetery is located on a farm once owned by Philip Drow, but the headstones are probably no longer standing.

There are numerous other churches in Leelanau County, and the author apologizes for the ones not mentioned. However, if anyone has materials for research on a possible future article about these churches, the author would be interested.

~ Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 11:14 AM | Permalink

In the early 1900's, it became apparent that the "horseless carriage" was here to stay (some thought it was only a novelty item). The desire for improved roads grew, and Michigan's government raised money by having all automobiles registered, using license plates to be displayed on the vehicle. From 1905 through 1932, automobile license plates used numbers. It was not until 1933 that the plates began to be identified by county by means of a prefix letter.

At this writing, we cannot be sure which letter identified Leelanau County, but if its neighbor Grand Traverse County is any indication, it may have been the letter 'L.' Whatever letter it was, the single prefix letter continued through the 1938 plates. However, problems arose because the single letter caused confusion with other counties that began with the same letter.

In 1938, a county code using 2 prefix letters was created to begin with the 1939 license plates. This was a better system, as the county confusion was removed, and Leelanau County became identified with the letters 'LL.'
However, it was not long before another county code was created.

The 1940's saw multiple Leelanau County identifications on license plates. A new county prefix for the "Little Finger of Michigan" was 'SK.' During this same time, Michigan issued 1/2 year plates through 1946 to lighten the financial burden for those who needed to split their payments for car plates. A different county code was used for the 1/2 year plates, and Leelanau County's was 'ZP.' Probably the most varied identification was on the plates used for municipally owned vehicles. For example, vehicles belonging to the Leelanau County Road Commission would display license plates that contained wording such as 'Leelanau County Road Commission.' Cars belonging to the sheriff's office would be so identified, as were plates that identified different county and village departments. This practice was streamlined beginning in 1949 when license plates for all municipally-owned vehicles were made with a diamond-x prefix and had 5 numerals.

In the 1950's, Leelanau County had a program by which the head of the license bureau would go around to the county's villages and townships and take applications for new license plates. The plates would be mailed to the applicant. Also, another county code was created beginning in 1955, with Leelanau County given the 'XL' prefix. This prefix would be used through 1961.

In 1962, when Michigan reshuffled the codes again, 'WW' became Leelanau County's new license plate prefix. In 1965, still another reshuffling of the county codes took place, but Leelanau County was one county not affected by this change, so 'WW' continued as the prefix through 1969.

In 1970, Michigan's license plates began containing 3 prefix letters, which also reduced the numerals from 4 to 3, and used still a new county code. Leelanau County had more than 1 prefix, and was identified with the prefixes 'BLZ' through 'BMF'.

Beginning in 1972, Michigan's license plates were renewed with stickers, and today they are not identified by county code. However, one thread of information discovered by this writer may indicate that the 1971, 1973, and
1976 plates had specific county code prefixes. If this is proven, we will post which prefix letters were used for Leelanau County in those years.

~ Thomas Baird

Update 12/29/2006:

Someone read my article on Leelanau license plate prefixes, and shared information on the missing prefix code letters. They are as follows:

In 1940-41, Leelanau was TZ-50-01 to TZ-99-50, changing to SK from 1942-54.
1971-72 - BMM-BMR
1973-75 - BKX-BLB
1976-78 - BNS-BNW, and SKW
1979-83 - BPB-BPG
1984-86 - 200 AAB-249 AAB, ABV, APW-APX, CLK-CLL, JGB-JGC
1996 Auto Centennial Plate - DHH-DHM prefix
1997 Bridge Plate - BPF

~Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 09:56 PM | Permalink

The settling of what is now Leelanau County began with settlers arriving by the only way possible: water. With the State Road into Leelanau County not completed until 1862, boat traffic was the only means to bring the county's pioneers to the area, and with the boat traffic, it was necessary to build aids to navigation for the safety of the waterways. Congress had created the U.S. Lighthouse Service to carry out this important function, and Leelanau County has some of these beacons in its own jurisdiction. It should be noted here that the U.S. Lighthouse Service was consolidated with the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939, taking over the duty to care for these navigational aids.

The first lighthouse in what is now Leelanau County was built in 1839 on South Manitou Island. It was also the first lighthouse on the Great Lakes, and was a wooden structure. In 1858, it was rebuilt, and operated until 1958 when the lighthouse and Coast Guard Station, established in 1902 (as the U.S. Life Saving Service) were closed. Ironically, two years after the closing of the South Manitou Lighthouse, a freighter named the Francisco Morazan struck a shoal off the southern shore of the island and sank in a blizzard on the night of November 29, 1960. The crew was rescued, and what is left of the ship can still be seen today. The lighthouse is now operated as a museum by the National Park Service.

Leelanau County's second lighthouse, a 47 foot-high brick tower, was built in 1852 at Cat Head Point, the tip of the Leelanau peninsula. Originally called Cat's Head Light, it was later named Grand Traverse Lighthouse. The light and the lightkeeper's house were two separate structures until 1864 when the tower was replaced by a lighthouse and residence combined. In 1916, this structure was remodeled and was eventually replaced with an automated light. Grand Traverse Lighthouse today is a museum and gift shop, and as visitors climb the spiral stairway to the light tower they can see on the wall a piece of the SS Carl D. Bradley that went down in a storm on Lake Michigan in November 1958.

The third lighthouse in the county, a tower 90 feet high, was built in 1867 on South Fox Island, due to its proximity to the Manitou Passage. The U.S. Lighthouse Service rebuilt the structure in 1934, and the U.S. Coast Guard automated the light in 1959. The Coast Guard is still responsible for maintaining and operating it and all other automated lights today.

Lighthouse number 4 was built on North Manitou Island in 1878. 200 feet back from the shore, the tower was 50 feet high. In 1931 the light was automated. It was abandoned in 1935 when the South Manitou Shoal Light was built, known by its nickname 'The Crib'. Sadly, the North Manitou Island Lighthouse was wrecked and pulled into Lake Michigan by a strong late autumn storm in 1942, leaving only the lightkeeper's brick dwelling. In 1980, The Crib, which flashes a red light 80 feet above water level, became an automated light.

In 1934 and 1935, another aid to navigation was in place in the Manitou Passage. The Lightship Huron, a 'floating lighthouse' (also called Lightship 103) was assigned to the passage, assisting the automated light on North Manitou Island. The ship had a light mounted on the top of its mast, and also had a foghorn of some kind installed. When the South Manitou Shoal Light was completed, Lightship Huron was reassigned elsewhere, and is today a floating museum in Port Huron, Michigan.

~ Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 07:17 AM | Permalink

The language of some of Leelanau's first residents--the Odawa ("Ottawa") people--is in danger of dying out altogether.

As this Record-Eagle article describes, Ray Kiogima of Harbor Springs is trying to save it, writing down for the first time a lexicon of Odawa words rendered in their English equivalents.

Posted by Publius at 01:51 PM | Permalink

The most successful newspaper in Leelanau County has been the Leelanau Enterprise-Tribune, but there have been a number of other newspapers in the county through the years as well.

Since the Enterprise's beginning on an autumn day in early October 1877, by B.H. Derby, the paper has not missed a weekly publication. As of this writing (April 22, 2006), 6,630 issues of the Enterprise-Tribune have been published.

When the Enterprise began, its home was in the Village of Northport, which was the county seat of Leelanau County. When the county seat moved to Leland in January 1883, the Enterprise moved with it, and was published there until 2000 when it moved to Lake Leelanau.

The second publisher of the Enterprise was W.C. Nelson, beginning in 1879, and he published the paper until 1925, longer than anyone. Dayton Selby was publisher from 1925 to 1939, being succeeded by Gerold Selby, publisher until 1943. From 1943 to 1948, the paper was published by Fred and Julia Dickinson. Julia wrote a column called "Leelanau Lookout," which continued until June 1967. She later reported on news from the Glen Lake area for the paper, and wrote "The Story of Leelanau," published in 1951.

In 1948, the Enterprise was sold to Karl and Clarice Detzer, and in March 1950, the Northport Tribune, begun in 1942, was purchased by the Detzers. Their paper became the Leelanau Enterprise-Tribune, which they sold to Don Gorden and E.J. Ziebell in 1951.

In 1961, Mr. Gorden was succeeded by C.G. Egeler, and he and Mr. Ziebell were the publishers until 1975, when they sold the paper to Richard Kerr. Since 1997, the paper's owner and publisher has been Alan Campbell.

The Leelanau Enterprise-Tribune has had some unique mastheads. Since 1877, the title of the paper has been printed in old English style lettering. When the Dickinsons published the paper three drawings appeared under the title, compliments of Fred Dickinson. On the left was a picture of the fishing boat harbor (Fishtown) in Leland with a Great Lakes ship drawn in. The
middle picture was an early map of Leelanau County, published when Lake Leelanau village was called Provemont, and there were the villages of Good Harbor and North Unity. The picture on the right was a farm with a cornfield, and a quail perched on a fence. There was a cherry branch to the right of the farm, and one of the Manitou Islands was in the background, as well as another Great Lakes ship sailing. Later, only the two ships from the illustrations appeared, and today, only the old English letters of the paper's title remain.

Like most weekly newspapers, the Enterprise-Tribune publishes local news only. About the only times other news was reported was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, and President Kennedy's murder in November 1963. Some editorials also dealt with state or national issues.

In December 1944 and January 1946, the Enterprise published special history editions, which covered events and stories of interest of the early history of Leelanau County, and annual history sections have been published every latter part of winter since 1986.

Advertisements appeared on the front pages in the early days, but are now on the inside pages, and classified ads have their own section in the paper. One regularly printed classified ad is worth noting, because the man who ran it was a fixture in Leelanau County. During the 1970's, Preston Smith's ad offered a free search service for old and out-of-print books, and he could be reached at Box No. 2 in Omena. He also reported on happenings in the Omena area for the Enterprise-Tribune until he passed away.

The Leelanau Enterprise did not have a monopoly on newspaper publishing in Leelanau. In
addition to the Northport Tribune, that village also had the Leelanau Tribune in the early 1870's, Leelanau Co. News until 1915, and the Northport Leader from 1903 to 1941. Empire had the Leelanaw Leader in the 1890's, Empire Leader until 1901, and Empire Journal from 1901 to about 1914. Provemont (now Lake Leelanau) had the Courier until it moved to Suttons Bay
in 1921, and published until November 1960. Suttons Bay also had the Tribune in the 1880's, and the Bazoo. There were also the Suttons Bay Telephone in 1882, and the Leelanau News in the 1910's. The Suttons Bay Courier's final competitor in the village was the Leelanau Co. Times from 1947 to 1949. Other newspapers in Leelanau County were the Burdickville Meteor in the 1870's, the Leelanau Republican in Greilickville in 1890-1891, and the Maple City Mirror. Cedar also had its own weekly newspaper.

Today, the only other source of print news in addition to The Leelanau Enterprise is the Glen Arbor Sun, published by Norman Wheeler. On the internet, Andrew McFarlane's leelanau.com (www.leelanau.com/news) has published continuously since March of 1998, and the Leelanau Post (www.leelanaupost.com) since 2005.

~ Thomas Baird

[Updated 4/23/06]

Posted by Publius at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

According to Michigan's constitution, each county's seat is determined by the registered voters of the county. When Leelanau County was created by the Michigan Legislature in 1863, a majority of the voters chose Northport to be the new county's seat. Since that time, the county seat has been relocated only twice, but there have been other proposals to change the county seat as well. One of these proposals was actually approved, but not officially carried out.

In 1883, the county seat was moved to Leland after a vote of the county's residents. After this, there were two more moves suggested, one of them that could be said to be a prelude to the recent move from Leland.

In 1920, a proposal was put on the county ballot to move the county seat to Suttons Bay. In the general election that year, the proposal was approved by the voters. However, for reasons not known, the move was never officially made and the county government remained at Leland.

Another proposed move of the county seat had its beginnings in 1956 when a ballot proposal for a new county jail was approved by the voters. Discussion started to determine where to build the new jail, some wanting it in Leland, and others believing another location would be better suited. The latter choice would have involved possibly another change in the county seat. The debate on the county seat issue began at a meeting of the County Supervisors in early 1958 when a resolution to move the county seat was introduced, and then was tabled. After the story was reported in the Leelanau Enterprise, people began to promote various communities for the new location, and the Suttons Bay Courier published a special section in its paper promoting the advantages of Suttons Bay. People living in Greilickville nominated their community, and Cedar was nominated by its local Chamber of Commerce because it was near the center of the county. After about a month and a half the matter was suddenly dropped, and the new county jail was built in Leland in 1959.

In the opening years of the twenty-first century, another proposal to build still another county jail was presented, and a new proposal to move the county seat to Suttons Bay was passed by the County Commissioners in 2004 and was approved by voters later that year. The new county jail has been completed just west of the village, but the official move from Leland to Suttons Bay has not yet taken place as of this writing.

-- Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 09:42 PM | Permalink

A man claiming to be Harry L. Johnson of Solon passed a bad check in Traverse City for river shoes, misses' rubbers and cash.

The Grand Traverse Herald has this news from 100 years ago.

Posted by Publius at 09:13 PM | Permalink

Among the immigrants who settled in Leelanau County were those from Canada. Whether they became U.S. citizens or registered as permanent resident aliens, these Canadians have contributed to Leelanau County's history.

Some communities in Leelanau County had their beginnings with Canadian settlers. Two of them were started by one family. Antoine Manseau and his son were born in Canada and arrived in the U.S. in 1838. In 1853 they settled at the mouth of the Carp River. Father and son built a dam and sawmill on the river which were the beginnings of Leland, which would later serve as the county seat from 1883 to the early 21st century. In 1856, the senior Manseau bought an acre of land on a creek which he named Kenosha Creek, and in 1859 he built a dam on the creek and a flour mill for processing grain. In 1882, Antoine II built an addition onto the mill. The mill remained in the Manseau family until it was sold in 1906. The mill was closed in 1934, but its wheels for grinding the grain into flour can still be seen today between Suttons Bay and Omena on M-22. The site was known as Manseau, but it never consisted of anything more than the flour mill.

Another Leelanau County community of Canadian origin was the town of Keswick. It had its beginning in 1872 when Reverend John Lawrence, who was born in Keswick, New Brunswick, settled near the site. A gristmill was built nearby the new town, and a post office was established for it in September 1889. At its peak Keswick's population reached 200, but by 1910 only 40 residents remained and the post office was closed that same year. Now only the Keswick Methodist Church remains to show the sign of a village, located on County Road 633 between Bingham and Suttons Bay.

Norrisville, though not settled by Canadians, had one early settler named Jacob Groessner, who was originally from Hamilton, Ontario. Norrisville was renamed Greilickville in 1897. Provemont was another village that became home to some French-Canadian settlers; it was renamed Lake Leelanau in 1924.

Leelanau County also contains place names that recall Canada, even if only indirectly. For example, Elmwood Township has a namesake in the form of a small community in Ontario named Elmwood. The maple leaf is of course Canada's emblem, and the township once had a one room schoolhouse, located near Bugai and Lincoln Roads, named Maple Leaf School, which operated from about 1880 to about 1940. Maple City may be indirectly associated with Maple Leaf, Ontario, as may Cedar with its namesake in British Columbia. Finally, St. Joseph Catholic Church at Leelanau County's Bohemian Settlement recalls one of Canada's patron saints.

Authored by Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 10:35 AM | Permalink

The settlement at Port Oneida, north of Glen Arbor, formed a largely self-contained community of farmers on a landscape that was at once heartbreakingly beautiful and incredibly challenging. Today the Port Oneida community survives largely in some abandoned farmsteads and the memories of a few older residents.

Former Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore ranger Tom Van Zoeren has spent many hours interviewing current and former residents of the Port Oneida area to document the history of the area. These pages, which appear on the website of the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes, tell the story of three Port Oneida families through words and photos.

Don't miss this recreation of world almost lost.

Posted by Publius at 09:57 PM | Permalink

None of Leelanau County's villages and communities are incorporated, but there was one that almost became a home rule village called Elmwood. The story of how this village almost came into being begins back in the early 1960's.

After the 1960 census was taken, it was determined that the population of Greilickville was about 900. Later that year, people in Greilickville began to talk about becoming an incorporated home rule village in order to have the advantages of their own police and fire protection, water and drainage, etc. In September 1961, a petition was presented to the Leelanau County Supervisors to call a special election to let the voters in Sections 28 and 33 of Elmwood Township (which include Greilickville) decide the question. The supervisors approved the petition, and set the date for the special election for November 28 of the same year. The ballot proposal also called for electing a village charter commission, which would have 70 days to draw up a village charter and submit it to the voters of the Village of Elmwood, should that proposal be approved. Seven candidates ran for five places on the commission. There were about 450 registered voters in Sections 28 and 33.

On November 28, 1961, the proposal to create the Village of Elmwood was defeated by a vote of 238 to 88, and the five charter commissioners who were elected had only the personal satisfaction of knowing they were elected.

The unincorporated community of Greilickville remains today, with a township park, boat marina, and a loading dock for Great Lakes ships. It also contained the West Bay Shopping Center until the land it sits on (a portion of Section 33) was annexed to the City of Traverse City in the 1980's, after a fight by Elmwood Township beginning in the late 1970's to keep it in the township. Probably because of this experience, Elmwood Township became a Charter Township in the 1980's.

As for the remainder of Greilickville, it remains under Elmwood Township government. But at one time it almost became the Village of Elmwood.

Authored by Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 01:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The Grand Traverse Herald news ... 100 years ago for this week has the story of a young man injured at a Cedar logging camp.

Posted by Publius at 12:02 PM | Permalink

The advent of the automobile brought about a desire to travel farther, and a demand for better roads and highways in Leelanau County. It also created the need for a network of highways to help travelers get to places as easily as possible, and in 1918, Michigan started its own highway system using numbers. Leelanau County received its share of state highway designations, and over time the roads were improved and relocated in some places. These early modern highways, some of them on gravel roads, would be quite foreign to the modern day driver and motor vehicle, but these highways used existing roads and were routed as best as possible on what roads were available. A short history of these highways may give people of today some insight into early 20th Century motoring in Leelanau County.

The state highway numbers located in Leelanau County today are the same except for one, and its designation was changed to extend one of the highways across Michigan. In 1920, M-22 went through Greilickville, but in the early days, it followed Cherry Bend and Center Roads on its way to Suttons Bay, and also followed what is now M-109 until 1922, when it was routed over the Glen Lake Narrows. In 1929 and 1930, M-22 followed the road around the eastern shore of Glen Lake while the bridge over the Narrows was being repaired or replaced.

In 1936, M-22's relocation along the shore of the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay began when construction proceeded to Crain Hill Road, then routing M-22 onto it to return it to Center Road. The highway's routing remained this way until 1949 when it was realigned along the shoreline to Suttons Bay. Meanwhile, the gravel stretch of M-22 between Leland and Northport was paved in 1945, and today, the Cherry Bend/Center Road stretch of old M-22 is part of County Road 633.

During the 1930's, highway M-76 ran for seven miles from M-22 in Empire to County Road 669. However, in 1940, this road was re-designated M-72, making it disconnected from the rest of the highway by about 45 miles. In 1946, this western segment of M-72 was extended to Traverse City when it was designated along county roads, and in 1948, some sharp curves along this stretch were bypassed by a new alignment.

M-204 starts at M-22 in Suttons Bay and returns to M-22 south of Leland. Originally a gravel road, it was later paved on the gravel alignment. Just east of the village of Lake Leelanau, a new short alignment was built to bypass a curve in that area, and in 1969, M-204 was totally rebuilt from Lake Leelanau to south of Leland, smoothing out a series of curves along the stretch. Phillip Street in Lake Leelanau was widened and used as part of the new stretch, and old M-204, follows Main Street from the St. Joseph/Phillip Street intersection northwesterly to the edge of the village.

M-201, which zig-zags its way through Northport from M-22, takes the traveler to north of the village, where it junctions with county roads, and they point the way to Leelanau State Park, the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, and Peterson Park.

M-209 was a unique highway in Leelanau County. From the 1920's, it was the shortest state highway in Michigan, serving as a spur route from M-109 to a U.S. Coast Guard Station access road in Glen Haven, a total distance of 4/10 of a mile. It remained Michigan's shortest state highway to the mid 1990's, when the designation was retired and the road returned to county control.

Authored by Thomas Baird

Posted by Publius at 11:36 AM | Permalink

The Grand Traverse Herald has published their latest installment of news from 100 years ago. In this weeks edition, the the story of a pair of "Asiatic Turks from Mesopotamia" (present-day Iraq) who visited Traverse City to raise money for an orphanage back home, and who left town in a hurry after being questioned by the police.

Posted by Publius at 11:10 AM | Permalink

The following tale comes from Julia Terry Dickinson's The Story of Leelanau (Omena: Solle's Bookshop, 1951). According to Mrs. Dickinson, back in the days when Good Harbor was a thriving community supplying cordwood to the steamers that plied Lake Michigan, Dick Schomberg was the local shopkeeper and a shrewd judge of what would sell to his clientele. On a buying trip to Chicago he was able to get a good price on a shipment of bowler hats. Although some might think that such an urban refinement would find no market among the farmers and lumbermen of Leelanau, Schomberg knew better. He offered a derby hat with every purchase of ten dollars worth of merchandise, and soon his hats were worn with pride to all sorts of social events, and especially to church on Sundays. According to Mrs. Dickinson, at the time she wrote (over fifty years ago today), the derby was still part of the Sunday best outfit of some Leelanau residents.

Posted by Publius at 05:56 PM | Permalink

Larry Wakefield's books on the history of our area are a wonderful resource. The following account is drawn from his Sail & Rail: A Narrative History of Tranportation in Western Michigan (Holt, Michigan: Thunder Bay Press, 1980, 1996).

From 1892 to 1929, passenger steamers plied Lake Leelanau (then known as Carp Lake). Starting at Leland, they made two round trips a day with stops at Provement (today's Lake Leelanau village) and Bingham Point, delivering passengers from the western hinterlands of Leelanau County to the Manistee & Northeastern railroad station at Fouch. From there, passengers could ride to Traverse City for a day of shopping or business, returning home in the evening.

The first steamer to sail the waters of Lake Leelanau was the Sally, beginning 1892. The Sally was succeeded by the Tiger in 1894 under Captain John Hartung. In 1900, the Tiger got a competitor in the steam propeller Leelanau, owned and operated by Louis Mosier.

A price war between the two boats ensued, with prices for a round trip ticket between Leland and Fouch going from $1.50 to $1.00 and eventually $0.75. Eventually, the Leelanau succeeded in driving its rival out of business. But on Aug. 16, 1908, she met with tragedy. Her boiler exploded, throwing one passenger overboard (her body was not found for five days), and severly scalding Captain John Hartung, who had go to work for his rival after selliing the Tiger. He died a few days later at Munson Hospital.

Some time later, the Leelanau was sold to a new owner, John VerSnyder. He operated the boat on the lake until 1929, when ill-health forced him to retire.

That was the end of the Lake Leelanau steamers. By the 1930s, the road system in Leelanau County had improved to the point where the lake steamers were neither necessary nor ecomonically viable. So ended an era in Leelanau County.

Posted by Publius at 07:57 PM | Permalink