Fishtown is a historic 100 year old fishing village located in Leland. In the 1930s fishing reached its peak and quickly declined due to overfishing. Although Fishtown may not still be home to as large a fishing community as previously, it is home to many charter fishermen, Carlson's fishery, the only ferries to the Manitou Islands and a wide variety of shops.
Cool things to do: take a ferry to the Manitou Islands with Manitou Island Transit, shop in the old fish shanties, buy fish from the 5 generation old Carlson family fishery, look for fish in the Carp River, and eat a sandwich from The Village Cheese Shanty.
Read about Leland at Leelanau.com's Leelanau on Location.
The Leelanau Conservancy recently completed a purchase that will expand the protected areas along Victoria Creek (Cedar River) to a total of 300 acres with over two miles of Lake Leelanau shoreline and connecting channels along the waterways within the Solon Swamp wetland complex (scroll down and click the small map to view the protected areas).
“Purchasing the property was like putting in a key piece of a puzzle,” adds Price. “Now, both banks of the Cedar River from the village of Cedar all the way down to Lake Leelanau are owned by either the State or the Conservancy and open to the public to explore and enjoy.” The new acquisition is strategic for another reason: the property includes about eight acres of dry upland along Co. Rd. 645, just east of the Village of Cedar, which will be the first access point along a public road north of the Cedar River and only the third road-access point into about 1,500 acres of Pere Marquette State Forest. Conservancy ownership of the 100 acres will allow the public to directly access 275 adjacent acres of State Forest which were previously inaccessible on foot because of the river.
The forested wetlands on the property are thick with northern white cedar, hemlock and spruce and with a large pocket of mature tamaracks in the 24 acres south of the river. This land has tremendous ecological value,” says Matt Heiman, a Conservancy land protection specialist who worked on the project. While a complete inventory of plant and animal species on the property will have to wait for the winter to unlock its grip, nearby land within the Cedar River Natural Area contains over 100 species of plants, including such gems as the carnivorous yellow pitcher plant, along with other species that grow in the most extensive and least-disturbed wetlands. Heiman adds that the land is part of a very large and diverse complex of forested swamp, cattail marsh, and freshwater fens, all connected by stream corridors.
The Leelanau Enterprise reports that the Leelanau Players will present Perfect Timing by Kristi Kane at the Old Art Building in Leland.
Perfect Timing follows the trials and tribulations of an art critic, her frightening German maid and her refreshingly sane secretary. The comedy bubbles over with an assortment of intruders, passersby and drop-ins accompanied by long- and short-term lovers who invariably end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The play is directed by Stephanie Young, and performances are scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Sunday (April 11, 12 and 13), and Thursday, Friday and Saturday (April 17, 18 and 19). Curtain time is 8 p.m. for all shows except for the Sunday, April 13 performance, which will begin at 3 p.m.
Ticket Locations are Horizon Book Store in Traverse City, The Painted Bird and Brilliant Books in Suttons Bay, The Cottage Book Store in Glen Arbor, Leelanau Books in Leland, and Dog Ears Bookstore in Northport.
For more information call (231) 633-4155, email leelanauplayers@leelanau.com or visit their web site at leelanau.com/leelanauplayers.
We have started on a new map of Leelanau County and the nearby area. After looking at the available options, we decided to build it using Google Maps. We're adding short entries on the map that link to longer entries in our Leelanau Blog that will be posted under the map category and feature photos from our Leelanau.com photo group. If you have comments or questions or tips for people exploring that area, you can leave a comment!
There are just a couple of things on the map right now, but we're going to be focusing on the map for the next few months to try and build a whole new way to explore Leelanau County on the internet.
Check out the Leelanau County, Michigan Map!
Glen Arbor is located on a small strip of land between Glen Lake and Lake Michigan in the heart of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Glen Lake's natural beauty attracts visitors throughout the summer. Considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the entire state, local legend says that Glen Lake was recognized as "the most beautiful lake in the world" by National Geographic Magazine (though the magazine denies ever having published such a ranking).
Glen Arbor was first settled around 1848 when John LaRue moved from South Manitou Island in order to set up a trading post on the Sleeping Bear Bay. As other families moved into the area a wooding station was built to provide fuel for passing steamers. In 1856 a dock was built to aid in the loading of the steamers, which soon became known as the Central Dock. By 1868 the township of Glen Arbor had 200 people, three docks, two hotels, four stores, a blacksmith shop, and a copper shop. The Empire and Southeastern Railroad stopped in Empire just a few miles away, providing transportation to the area. It is said that before the 1900s there were numerous cranberry bogs along the banks of the Crystal River. The Crystal River runs from Little Fisher Lake to Lake Michigan. Signs of the old cranberry bogs can still be seen along the banks of the river.
Kayaks or canoes are available to rent from several businesses along the Crystal. If you are feeling really adventurous, either paddle around Glen Lake, or begin your expedition in Big Glen Lake, paddle through Big Fisher, then Little Fisher, then follow the Crystal River all the way to Lake Michigan. The famous Dune Climb is just minutes away from Glen Arbor, and there you can climb up the 150 foot dune.
If a less crowded hike is more to your liking then head on over to Glen Haven for the Sleeping Bear Point Trail. The Glen Arbor area has years and years of history and much can be found at the village of Glen Haven, which has been renovated to look like the town did in the 1920s. The historic Sleeping Bear Point Lifesaving Station, which was built in 1901, can be found just minutes from Glen Haven.
Glen Arbor Links
Photo: Atop the Dunes by Andy McFarlane
Glen Haven was first founded as a wooding station to provide fuel for the passing steamers. In 1857 a sawmill and an inn were built on the beach west of Glen Arbor by Charles C. McCarty, brother in law of John E. Fisher, the founder of Glen Arbor. McCarty called the area Sleeping Bearville. In 1865 a dock and the Sleeping Bear Inn were built. The Inn was used as a boarding house for lumberjacks and passengers. In 1868 McCarty built a sawmill on Little Glen Lake. Horses were used to transport the lumber from Glen Lake to Glen Haven. At that time 100 to 300 cords of wood were used by a steamer for a full trip from Chicago to Buffalo. By 1870 a two mile long tramway had been built to transport wood cut by the sawmill of Glen Lake to the docks at Glen Haven. During the winter of 1870-1871 214 people died because of shipwrecks on the Great Lake. In 1871 the U.S. Life-Saving Service was created. The Life-Saving Service conducted rescues from shore. That year the first Life-Saving Station was opened in the area.
In 1878 the President of the Northern Transit Company bought Glen Haven in order to make sure that there would always be a reliable supply of wood for the fleet. At that time D. H. Day moved to Glen Haven as an agent for the Northern Transit Company. In 1881 D. H. Day bought the town of Glen Haven. In 1901 the Sleeping Bear Point Lifesaving Station was built. At that time most of the workers at Glen Haven were of Norwegian and Swedish descent, a small group of workers were from a small Native American settlement a few miles away. As steamships began changing from wood burning to coal burning D. H. Day realized the need to expand his operations and changed his sawmill into a hardwood mill, which sold oak and maple boards to the building industry in Chicago. D. H. Day also promoted managed forests and farming. In 1910 he owned more than 5,000 acres of managed forest and 5,000 cherry and apple trees on his 400 acre farm. In the 1920s the Glen Haven Canning Company began canning and shipping D. H. Day’s fruit. In 1931 the Sleeping Bear Point Lifesaving Station was moved to its present site in order to protect it from the encroaching dunes. That same year the Glen Haven docks were closed. In 1972 the Sleeping Bear Inn closed and the buildings in Glen Haven were purchased by the National Park. Glen Haven has been restored to resemble the town in the 1920s. Just down the road is the Sleeping Bear Point Life Saving Station which has been restored and is now The Sleeping Bear Point Maritime Museum.
Glen Haven Links
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore page on Glen Haven
Photo credit: Glen Haven Canning Co. by cyoas55
Empire is the southernmost town in Leelanau County and is approximately 25 miles due west of Traverse City. Empire is located in the center of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, on the shore of Lake Michigan. Empire is well know for its breathtaking views of Lake Michigan, the dunes, and the Manitou Islands. Two nearby inland lakes, North and South Bar, offer enjoyable swimming for children.
Empire was founded in 1864 when John LaRue, who founded Glen Arbor, moved down the shoreline to what is now Empire. The new community soon built a mill and started harvesting lumber. Lumber was sold to passing steamers for use as fuel. In 1849 the steamer Empire went around nearby what soon became the town of Empire. In 1865 the schooner Empire was icebound off shore and the village was named after the two ships. In 1887 the Empire Lumber Company was established, it turned the small mill complex into one of the largest hardwood mills in the state, and led to the economic growth of Empire. As forests were cleared farming was soon established. Local farmers soon realized that the Leelanau Peninsula soil was perfectly suited to fruit, and orchards sprang up. Empire was also a stop on the Empire and Southeastern Railroad, which transported passengers, lumber, and produce.
Almost 60 years after the heyday of lumbering in Empire, the Empire Air Force Station was built, in 1951, as a norther outpost to detect Soviet action. The Station was used to alert the Air Force of any imminent attack. The Station is now closed, but many of the veterans of this site still live in Empire and Leelanau County. Empire Area Museum Center houses many artifacts from the station. The museum complex includes a main museum, a one-room school house, a barn with horse-drawn equipment, Taghon's Corner Museum (Gas Station), and a 1911 vintage hose house (fire station). Empire is also home to the headquarters of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Empire, Michigan Links
Please feel welcome to suggest any links for Empire in the comments!
Photo: Empire Beach by Andy McFarlane
The Leelanau MSU Extension will host an organic vegetable farming and gardening event on Friday, April 18 at the NW Michigan Horticultural Research Station.
This session will be of use to organic producers, backyard vegetable growers, those considering organic certification, and anyone else interested in growing vegetables. The program will cover soil management, how organic soils work, cover crops for vegetable production, composting, organic pest management, emerging crops for organic production, the pros and cons of organic certification, the use of hoophouses for season extension. There will also be an experienced farmer panel representing four farms across Michigan to explain their operations and answer first-hand any questions participants may have. A catered lunch will be provided. The cost to attend is $25 per person.
If you're interested, you meed to RSVP to the Leelanau MSU Extension office by Monday, April 10th! Call 231-256-9888.
Photo: Eggplant by Andy McFarlane
The Traverse City Record-Eagle reports that the Michigan Senate has approved a school aid funding plan that would allow some of the lowest-funded school districts to gain additional equity payments and also increase all districts' per-student allowance by $71 next year. Traverse City Schools (whuch are among the lowest funded in the state) would receive payments and some Leelanau districts would receive payments as well.
In their excellent editorial calling on Senators Michelle McManus and Jason Allen to champion school equity, the Record-Eagle says (in part):
This is hardly a new issue. Not long after voters approved Proposal A in 1994, the Legislature passed enabling legislation that gave more per-pupil state aid to a handful of districts, most of them the wealthiest in the state. The reasoning was that these districts had taxed themselves more than most and shouldn't be punished for doing so.
The legislation also called for the per-pupil gap to be narrowed until virtually all districts got the same amount of aid, but that hasn't really happened. The so-called 20(J) districts -- those getting higher stipends -- have continued to reap much more than districts like Traverse City.
Today, most districts get $7,204 per pupil, while some 20(J) districts still get more than $12,000. If Traverse City was funded at the level Birmingham schools are -- $12,303 per student -- its state contribution would soar by more than $51 million per year.
School equity is something that everyone in Northern Michigan should be talking with their elected officials about. Learn more about the issue at Citizens for Equity.
The Leelanau Enterprise reports that Leelanau County is the first non-urban municipality in Michigan to take advantage of new brownfield redevelopment rules that provide funding to clean up obsolete, blighted or contaminated properties.
The property in question is the former county courthouse campus in Leland, which is slated to be sold by next month to a local development company, Varley-Kelly Properties L.L.C., for redevelopment into a 2.4-acre residential neighborhood in the heart of downtown Leland.
A decision made Tuesday afternoon in Lansing by the Michigan Economic Growth Authority (MEGA) board will allow the developer to tap into some $350,750 in "tax increment financing" to clean up the site before it is developed.
Read Brownfield site in line for state financing aid in the Enterprise.
