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.
This photo is part of Joe Burda's Fishtown set (slideshow) and also a part of the Manitou Islands group on Flickr.
And yes, it's wallpaper-sized!
The photo is by Chris Burda, part of his Fishtown Docks photo gallery (view slideshow). The University of Michigan's Animal Diversity Web's entry for the Mute Swan (cygnus olor) includes photos and information and begins:
Mute swans are large birds, measuring 144 to 158 cm. The wingspan is 2 to 2.5 meters. The two sexes are alike in appearance, except that males are generally larger than females. The plumage is white. They are best distinguished from North American swans by the knob at the base of the upper bill, and the color of the bill itself, which is orange, with the tip and base colored black. The head and neck may sometimes be stained brown from water and mud containing iron.
Don Harrison of Up North Memories (eBay store) has piles and piles of cool old postcards from Leelanau, Benzie and Northern Michigan.
I don't know when this photo of the fish tug Helen S in Fishtown was taken, but I do know that it was before the current version of the breakwall. As a bonus, lots of Don's photos (including this one) are wallpaper sized!
Here's an awesome photo from The Real Ferg that brings new light to Leelanau's most often-photographed place (click to get it "background sized"):
Fishtown Delights by oldbrushes is just one of several beautiful photos of Fishtown Kathy has taken.
Leland is on the western shore of the Leelanau Peninsula, between Lake Leelanau and Lake Michigan. The Carp River (known to locals as the Leland River) connects Lake Leelanau to Lake Michigan and runs through the village. Leland is well known for its 140 year old historic fishing village, Fishtown. Fishtown is popular, in part, because of it's rustic shanties that are reminiscent of commercial fishing life one hundred years ago.
The town of Leland was originally the site of the oldest and largest Ottawa village on the Leelanau Peninsula. A village on the top of the hill was supported by fishing out of the mouth of the Carp River. White settlers first arrived in 1830 and used the area as a fishing settlement. It was not until Antoine Manseau built a dam and sawmill on the river in 1854 that the town began to grow. Wooden docks were soon built to allow steamers and schooners to dock in order to deliver new settlers and supplies and pick up fuel and provisions. The village became the county seat in 1882, because of its thriving economy. The village had a booming fishing trade, a canning factory, and shingle and sawmills.
Many families moved to Leland from both North and South Manitou Island. Many of the descendants of those families are still around and now own many historic establishments in town. The Blue Bird Restaurant & Bar, Manitou Island Transit, and Carlson's of Fishtown are all owned by three of the historic families. Leland's beautiful sand beaches along Lake Michigan have been attracting visitors for generations. Lake Leelanau also draws many visitors who enjoy fishing, boating or just relaxing on the inland lake. The Leelanau Historical Museum is a great place to go to learn about the history of Leelanau County. Fantastic rotating displays tell stories of the County.
Local area links:
Leland Chamber of Commerce
Leland Township Library
Leelanau Peninsula Chamber of Commerce's Leland page
The Enterprise reports that the Leland Township Board agreed on a plan that will combine funds generated at the harbor, donations from private interests and a $7,000 contribution from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to clean out the entrance to the the Leland Harbor.
The Township Board agreed Friday to front the $62,000 needed for the project — $50,000 for the work itself, and $12,000 to cover fees being charged by the Army Corps of Engineers to oversee and issue permits for the work.
The cost was thought to be higher just a week ago, when township officials learned the Corps planned to charge a $24,000 "administration" fee. But Leland Township combined efforts with Arcadia Township, which also owns a harbor needing to be dredged, to cut each of their costs in half.
Work will begin within a couple weeks. Harbor committee chair Cris Telgard says that a goal of $18,000 in contributions from businesses and residents to raise $18,000 is well underway. Contact the Fishtown Preservation Society at 256-8878 to learn how to make tax deductible donations.
Read Leland harbor dredging a go from the Leelanau Enterprise.
