Fog Bank by John Levanen
News from the Week
Stories this week were pretty much events, but there was a very cool video about "Leland Blues".
The Week's Weather
We had a nice warm end of the week last week and have spent most of the rest of the time in the 40s and 50s. I get the sense from talking to farmers that they're OK with this.
April 24, 2008: Cloudy, light rain & 70s (75/41)
April 25, 2008: Very heavy rain, thunderstorms & low 70s (75/50)
April 26, 2008: Wind, rain & 50s (63/39)
April 27, 2008: Mostly sunny, breezy & 40s (46/35)
April 28, 2008: Sunny, windy & 40 (40/28)
April 29, 2008: Partly sunny & low 40s (44/32)
April 30, 2008: Sunny & 50s (54/32)
Click for the Leelanau news archive from April 2007 and our April 2008 page!
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
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore offers guided snowshoe hikes every Saturday during January and February. Hikes begin at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center on Highway M-72 at the edge of the village of Empire at at 1 PM and you can call the Visitor Center at 231-326-5134, ext. 328 to make a reservation and check here for more about skiing & snowshoeing trails in the Sleeping Bear Dunes.
We have to point out that most of the trails in the Lakeshore are well marked and easy to navigate, so if you can't make a guided tour, don't let that slow you down!
Photo credit: On the lip by jonwilli
The Glen Arbor Sun reminds us that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will hold three public meetings this week to solicit public input regarding a new General Management Plan for the Lakeshore. The public meetings will be held on Tuesday, May 1 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Platte River Elementary School (11434 Main St.) in Honor; Wednesday, May 2 from 6-8:30 at the Glen Arbor Township Hall; and Thursday, May 3 from 5:30-8 at the Traverse Area District Library (610 Woodmere Ave.) in Traverse City.
The public is being asked to consider three Preferred Alternatives for management of the Lakeshore:
Alternative A calls for approximately 3,000 extra acres of the Park to be classified as wilderness, mostly in the Sleeping Bear Plateau west of the Dune Climb and Glen Haven; Alternative B calls for eliminating the wilderness designation everywhere except North Manitou Island, and highlights recreational opportunities; and Alternative C calls for "concentrating visitor use in selected areas" while promoting "more natural, primitive conditions" elsewhere in the Park.
Read Park considers public input on eve of new Management Plan from the Glen Arbor Sun and also Park releases new planning documents, seeks more input from the Leelanau Enterprise. You can view the proposed Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore General Management Plan in detail at the Park web site and also submit your comments.
Photo credit: Sleeping Bear Dunes, National Park by Kathy
D.H. Day Barn, photo by Jim Sorbie
According to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (excerpt from George Weeks' Sleeping Bear: Yesterday & Today):
The D. H. Day farm, comprised of 400 acres, was also known as "Oswegatchi" after the New York community where his father was born and the Oswegatchi River where D. H. Day played as a boy. Day grew hay and corn to feed his 400 hogs and prize herd of 200 Holsteins. The farm is just south of Glen Haven and has a large white barn and several out-buildings that stand as a landmark of the agricultural heritage of this area. The buildings were built in the 1880s and 1890s.
Read more about the DH Day Farm and also more about David Henry Day.
Elderhostel Nature Photography Leelanau Pt. 2, photo by penny7442
Here's a great photo of the old Canning Company in Glen Haven. It is now part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and home to the park's Historic Boat Collection. Here are hours and information from the park's web site.
Open
May 20, 2006 thru September 4, 2006 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Daily.
Location
At the bend in the road in the historic village of Glen Haven, off of M-109/M-209.
Special Programs
Volunteer staff available for impromptu interpretive talks.
Exhibits
Historic boat collection including vessels, motors and equipment.
Available Facilities
Picnic tables are available adjacent to the parking area and restrooms are located next to the Glen Haven General Store.
