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
Since the 1800s this island has been a popular harbor and fueling station. By the late 1840s there were piers on both the eastern and western sides of the island. The steamers traveling to and from Chicago and the Straits of Mackinac stopped at these piers to refuel. The island was inhabited for a time. Today North Manitou Island (like South Manitou Island) is an uninhabited island just off the coast of western Leelanau County. Since the mid 1800s families have lived on the island, remnants of their farms still survive and there is a cemetery at the southeast edge of the island. The village is composed of houses which were summer houses or hunting lodges. There are many miles of trail over the island and wilderness camping is allowed on the island.
Cool things to do: hike, swim, fish, check out the abandoned buildings - they are dangerous to go in.
Watch out for Poison Ivy! 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 will be fine.
How to reach the island: you can take a personal boat or take the Manitou Transit, Manitou Transit only drops people off and picks them up, they do not stay at the island in order to pick passengers up later that day, if you go to the island plan on camping.
Thanks everyone for telling me that the annual Glen Arbor Winterfest already happened. It had been added to our calendar by someone with the wrong date - my apologies! Here's the report on the event from the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce:
2008 Chili Cook-Off Winners (There were about 400 chili tasters)
Traditional Chili
1st place-Peace Pole Makers
2nd place-Glen Lake Schools
Non-Traditional Chili
1st place-Bear Paw
2nd place-LaBecasse
Fishing results
1st. Jeremy Plamondon 13.25 in. 16 oz.
2nd. Tim Egeler 13.25 in. 15 oz.
The event was sponsored by the Glen Lake Chamber of Commerce and all net proceeds benefited the scholarship fund at the Glen Lake School.The photo is Chili cook off Glen Arbor Days 08 by 1Cher.
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!
I've had this Enterprise article kicking around for just about ever. Since I can find absolutely nothing of interest about Leelanau on the entire internet, it finally gets to see the light of day!
Manitou lakes share tranquility is a detailed feature that looks at Florence Lake on South Manitou, which is home to just 4 species of fish: northern pike, perch, smallmouth bass and the Iowa darter and Manitou Lake on North Manitou that is teeming with fish and bald eagles pursuing all those fish.
Both are longer than they are wide, with Manitou Lake decidedly the larger of the two. On a plat map Manitou Lake appears to occupy about one-half of Section 32, located halfway between east and west Lake Michigan shorelines on North Manitou closer to the north than the south shore.
Lakeshore biologist Ken Hyde puts the lake’s actual size at 256 acres. Florence Lake on South Manitou, found just one-half a mile from the southern edge of the island, is just 78 acres.
Check out the pages for Lake Manitou and Florence Lake from the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Photo credit: Lake Manitou by mollypitcher. Check out her cool set of photos from North Manitou Island.
