Suttons Bay is a charming village located on the western shore of Leelanau County. Surrounded by vineyards, orchards, and farms, Suttons Bay’s unique charm reflects these surroundings. In 1854 Harry C. Sutton settled in the area with a crew of woodsmen and soon began supplying fuel to the passing wood-burning steamboats. In January of 1866 […]
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 because of […]
“Pleasantly situated on a safe and capacious harbor of the bay,” Northport is located near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. The surrounding area is filled with cherry and apple orchards, as well as many terrific vineyards. Northport was one of the earliest settlements in Leelanau County. In 1849 Reverend George N. Smith, a minister […]
The Tree of Life Starts Friday, Sept 9 Rated PG-13 Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950’s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he […]
The Help Rated PG-13 146 min Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard Based on The Sensational Bestselling Novel Now through Sept 8 Thurs, Sept 1 – 4:00 & 7:30 Fri, Sept 2 – 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Sat, Sept 3 – 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Sun, Sept 4 – 1:00, 4:30, 8:00 Mon, […]
When I saw this photo of a tent under the stars on North Manitou Island by Chris Arace, my second thought – right after Wow! – was “Hey, didn’t Cody write some stories about Ghost Towns of Leelanau?” Sure enough, she had… The Manitou Islands were the first places in Leelanau County to become settled. […]
The Polish community in Leelanau County originally consisted of four small settlements one or two miles apart. These settlements, Shomberg, Bodus, Cedar and Isadore began in 1868 when Polish families first started arriving in the county. The first wave of Poles in the county came to scout out the area. In the 1870s a large […]
Maple City is nestled in the heart of Leelanau County in a grove of grand maples trees. The countryside around Maple City is hilly with many farms, orchards, and lakes. Many Maple City settlers came to the area because of the Homestead Act of 1862 which “allowed anyone to file for a quarter-section of free […]
The town of Lake Leelanau is located where Lake Leelanau itself narrows. The Native Americans who lived in the area called the lake “lee-lan-au” which means “delight of life.” French settlers were the first to arrive in the area, coming from Canada, in the mid 1900s. They called the settlement Le Naro. The early white […]
Peshawbestown is located just a few miles south of Omena and is part of the Grand Traverse Indian Reservation, which is owned by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. The village is composed of a community center, Indian art store, medicine lodge, governmental center, Strongheart Civic Center, Fire/Rescue/Police departments, and the historic […]
Omena is a small community in Leelanau County located between Suttons Bay and Northport. Omena began in 1852 when Reverend Peter Daugherty brought a band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians from Old Mission and settled in what is now Omena. In 1858 the Protestant Church was dedicated, and today is the oldest in Leelanau County. […]
Suttons Bay is a charming village located on the western shore of Leelanau County. Surrounded by vineyards, orchards, and farms, Suttons Bay’s unique charm reflects these surroundings. In 1854 Harry C. Sutton settled in the area with a crew of woodsmen and soon began supplying fuel to the passing wood-burning steamboats. In January of 1866 […]