Every Saturday in May the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will hold a ranger-led, educational walk in the Lakeshore. Meet at the Visitor Center in Empire on Saturdays at 1 PM. Here are the topics:
May 10 - The World of Frogs - What would spring be without the sound of frogs? Why are they singing and why are they disappearing all around the world? What might they be trying to tell us? Learn to identify several local varieties by sight and sound. This is a great outdoor adventure for the whole family.
May 17 - Hike to a Beaver Lodge - Look for one of the few animals that dramatically engineers their environment and has played a major role in this region’s history. See a dam, lodge, canals, and tunnels while learning more about beavers and their logging operations.
May 24 - A Flurry of Wild Flowers - Few places on earth have an abundance of wildflowers as the hardwood forest of Northwest Michigan in the spring. Join a ranger to marvel at this annual display of native plants as you hike through one of the best wildflower habitats in the region.
May 31 - Returning Birds - Celebrate International Migratory Bird Day by joining a ranger to welcome back several species of migratory birds. Learn about their winter adventures in far off lands and the distances they travel in between. This is a great opportunity for beginning birders. Binoculars provided.
Photo: Spring Beauties by Jim Sorbie (click over to get it desktop background size!)
Over on our Absolute Michigan web site, we're featuring Leelanau's own National Lakeshore in Dig Michigan: Sleeping Bear Dunes. It begins:
The October 21, 1970 Act of Congress that established the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore declared that "...the Congress finds that certain outstanding natural features, including forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena, exist along the mainland shore of Lake Michigan and on certain nearby islands in Benzie and Leelanau Counties, Michigan, and that such features ought to be preserved in their natural setting and protected from developments and uses which would destroy the scenic beauty and natural character of the area."
Before it's all over, you will have hopefully enjoyed the photos, maps and links and checked out 5 "must-do" ways to experience the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. (I'm hoping folks who know and love the Dunes can add many more tips for visitors!)
Check it out - I'm really happy with how it came out!
Photo: canyon of trees by metrolens
Dan took this photo of The Bufka Farm last weekend. He has several more photos from around the county and area on Saturday.
Every month we make a post where you can let folks know about news items, fun things you did and observations of what's happening in the great outdoors.
Every May we know we can expect cherry blossoms and the beginning of the summer travel season.
This May on Leelanau.com, we're also going to be focusing on summer travel with stories about cool vacation ideas and (hopefully) some vacation giveaways courtesy some of our great sponsors.
Stay tuned!
Photo: J Jumps by Andy McFarlane
Paraglider by nasunto
News from the Week
Articles this week included features on the Leelanau Peninsula Vintners Association's annual Spring Sip & Savor event and the Leelanau Players upcoming presentation of Perfect Timing, news that the Leelanau Conservancy has added to its Cedar River parcel and a cool photo of the Manitou boats. We also have added a ton of towns, trails, lakes and attractions to our Leelanau County Map - check it out!
The Week's Weather
We had a gorgeous weekend and early week, then things got a little less gorgeous.
April 3, 2008: Mostly sunny & 50 (52/36)
April 4, 2008: Partly sunny, breezy & upper 40s (51/33)
April 5, 2008: Sunny & low 60s (63/37)
April 6, 2008: Sunny, breezy & 60s (64/39)
April 7, 2008: Mostly sunny & 60s (64/42)
April 8, 2008: Cloudy, 40s & evening rain (46/37)
April 9, 2008: Light rain & low 40s (46/35)
Check out nasunto's other photos from the Sleeping Bear Dunes (slideshow).
Click for the Leelanau news archive from April 2007 and the April 2008 page!
The Sleeping Bear Point Trail takes you on a spectacular climb ascending from forested dunes all the way to open dunes. You can either follow the trail around in a 2.8 mile loop, or you can detour and walk down to the beach for a nice cool dip on a hot day - but please stay on the trails, venturing off the trails disrupts the ecosystem and causes erosion.
Cool things to do: bring a Frisbee or soccer ball and play up in the dunes or along the beach, fly a kite on a windy day, detour to the lake and go for a swim, bring a sandboard and board down the dunes - just watch out for other people. Make sure you give yourself enough time to stop by the Maritime Museum and wander around Glen Haven.
For more info on the Sleeping Bear Point Trail, please visit the National Parks Services website here.
DO NOT TOUCH POISON IVY!!! Poison Ivy can be found on the sides of the trail at the very beginning. A way to help remember about Poison Ivy is this little rhyme: Leaves of three, let it be. Before you go check out Wikipedia: Poison Ivy to learn more about it. The Poison Ivy in Leelanau County is normally ground cover and not a shrub. As long as you do not touch the Poison Ivy you should be fine.
In 1852 Carsten Burfiend of Hanover, Germany moved from North Manitou Island to the mainland, just west of Pyramid Point. Burfiend continued his work as a fisherman on the mainland and ferried settlers from the Manitou Islands to the mainland on his fishing boat. In 1862 Thomas Kelderhouse's dock was completed on Carsten Burfiend's land. The S.S. Oneida was one of the first steamships to dock at Thomas Kelderhouse's dock. The town was named after this first steamer, the S.S. Oneida. Kelderhouse soon built a sawmill to process cordwood to sell to passing steamers for fuel.
By 1880 many other families had moved to the area, many of whom were from Hanover or Prussia. According to the 1880 census 74 adults were working in the Port Oneida area. Port Oneida was soon a thriving town with a blacksmith shop, a boarding house, a general store and post office. At that time Thomas Kelderhouse owned mot of the buildings and almost half of the land on Pyramid Point. Just ten years later, in the 1890s most of the timber had been harvested and the Great Lakes steamships were burning coal. Competition with the much larger logging operations in the county forced the Port Oneida mill to close. The dock and mill were both sold. By 1908 all the buildings at the town site of Port Oneida had been abandoned, except for the the Kelderhouse residence. Families living on surrounding farms stayed in the area until the 1940s. In 1970 the Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore was founded by an act of Congress. The National Lakeshore included Port Oneida, and the first offical survey of historic buildings was completed in 1988.
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
