Lake Leelanau, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Lake Leelanau is an unincorporated community in Bingham Township, Leelanau County
, Michigan
, near the lake of the same name
. It is situated along M-204
at the "narrows" that separate North & South Lake Leelanau.
who first inhabited the area called this land "ke-ski-bi-ag," which means "narrow body of water," and called the lake itself "lee-lan-au," which means "delight of life." Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an Indian agent
for the territory, was credited with formally naming the county, and was said to use Leelinau as a character in his writing. See Leelanau County
for a more complete discussion of the etymology of the name.
Scholars have established that Leelinau was first one of the pen names used by his wife Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
, in writings for The Literary Voyager, a family magazine which she and her husband wrote together and circulated among friends in the 1820s. Jane Johnston was of Ojibwa
and Scots-Irish descent, and wrote in Ojibwe and English. While her writing was not published formally in her lifetime (except as Schoolcraft appropriated it under his own name), Jane Johnston Schoolcraft has been recognized as "the first Native American literary writer, the first known Indian woman writer, the first known Indian poet, the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language, and the first known American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories." In 2008 Jane Johnston Schoolcraft was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
As French
settlers began arriving from Canada
in the middle of the nineteenth century, the settlement became known as "Le Naro," owing to its location near the narrows. The narrows connect North and South Lake Leelanau. The early settlers called the river and the lake "Carp Lake", a term still used by some locals.
In 1854, a dam was built on the Leland River
, near the northwest end of Lake Leelanau, raising the water 12 feet and increasing the size of the lakes.
The Schaub family came in 1855 and took up farming; they planted the first vineyard in Leelanau County, and wine was sold locally and shipped to other markets such as Detroit
and Ohio
.
In 1867, a fur trader named Andre de Beloit tried in vain to drill for oil. He hit an artesian spring which still gushes today at nearby Fountain Point
resort.
In 1871, the first post office was established as "Provement", believed to be shortened from "improvement." By 1924, the post office was renamed as Lake Leelanau.
In 1887, a Catholic school
was built named St. Mary of the Assumption
. The original two-story wooden building later burned down, and a brick building was erected in 1928 next to where the former building had stood.
, vacationers flock to the area to enjoy its scenic beauty, boating, fishing, friendly restaurants, quaint shops and quiet charm along the narrows. This tranquill life was celebrated in a series of essays written by Kathleen Stocking.
In the surrounding area, sightseers can make short trips to Leland
, Suttons Bay
, Glen Arbor, Northport
and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
. This areas' soils support several orchards and wineries nearby available for agri-tourism.
Each year, Lake Leelanau plays host to a number of unique activities and celebrations. For example, Labor Day weekend the community hosts an annual blues
music festival; in mid-May, it hosts an annual Walleye Festival and Car Show.
The community has been part to substantial efforts to protect the area from growth, and to foster a nature conservancy.
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, near the lake of the same name
Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau lies in the Leelanau Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. The entire lake -- which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau -- covers about and lies within Leelanau County...
. It is situated along M-204
M-204 (Michigan highway)
M-204 runs across the Leelanau Peninsula between Leland and Suttons Bay in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. Originally a gravel road, it was later paved, and still later was relocated in Lake Leelanau...
at the "narrows" that separate North & South Lake Leelanau.
History
Native AmericansIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
who first inhabited the area called this land "ke-ski-bi-ag," which means "narrow body of water," and called the lake itself "lee-lan-au," which means "delight of life." Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an Indian agent
Indian agent
In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with Native American tribes on behalf of the U.S. government.-Indian agents:*Leander Clark was agent for the Sac and Fox in Iowa beginning in 1866....
for the territory, was credited with formally naming the county, and was said to use Leelinau as a character in his writing. See Leelanau County
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
for a more complete discussion of the etymology of the name.
Scholars have established that Leelinau was first one of the pen names used by his wife Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish ancestry...
, in writings for The Literary Voyager, a family magazine which she and her husband wrote together and circulated among friends in the 1820s. Jane Johnston was of Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
and Scots-Irish descent, and wrote in Ojibwe and English. While her writing was not published formally in her lifetime (except as Schoolcraft appropriated it under his own name), Jane Johnston Schoolcraft has been recognized as "the first Native American literary writer, the first known Indian woman writer, the first known Indian poet, the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language, and the first known American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories." In 2008 Jane Johnston Schoolcraft was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
As French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
settlers began arriving from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the middle of the nineteenth century, the settlement became known as "Le Naro," owing to its location near the narrows. The narrows connect North and South Lake Leelanau. The early settlers called the river and the lake "Carp Lake", a term still used by some locals.
In 1854, a dam was built on the Leland River
Leland River
The Leland River is a short river in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the unincorporated community of Leland, the river is about one-mile long and connects Lake Leelanau with Lake Michigan, winding past historic Fishtown, a dam and two restaurants. The dam was built in 1854 and it raised...
, near the northwest end of Lake Leelanau, raising the water 12 feet and increasing the size of the lakes.
The Schaub family came in 1855 and took up farming; they planted the first vineyard in Leelanau County, and wine was sold locally and shipped to other markets such as Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
and Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
.
In 1867, a fur trader named Andre de Beloit tried in vain to drill for oil. He hit an artesian spring which still gushes today at nearby Fountain Point
Fountain Point
Fountain Point is an historic landmark located in Suttons Bay Township, Michigan, which is part of Leelanau County and the Leelanau Peninsula. Its name is derived from a fountain of sparkling artesian spring water, situated on a large point on Lake Leelanau, which has been continuously gushing...
resort.
In 1871, the first post office was established as "Provement", believed to be shortened from "improvement." By 1924, the post office was renamed as Lake Leelanau.
In 1887, a Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
was built named St. Mary of the Assumption
St. Mary High School (Lake Leelanau, Michigan)
St. Mary School is a co-educational private, Roman Catholic high school in Lake Leelanau, Michigan. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Gaylord.- School history :1887 – Mother Benedicta from Chicago Illinois, a cousin of the Schaub’s, sent Fr...
. The original two-story wooden building later burned down, and a brick building was erected in 1928 next to where the former building had stood.
Community today
The village of Lake Leelanau includes its hearty year-round residents; however, as summer comes to the Leelanau PeninsulaLeelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
, vacationers flock to the area to enjoy its scenic beauty, boating, fishing, friendly restaurants, quaint shops and quiet charm along the narrows. This tranquill life was celebrated in a series of essays written by Kathleen Stocking.
In the surrounding area, sightseers can make short trips to Leland
Leland, Michigan
Leland is an unincorporated community in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was the county seat of Leelanau County from 1883 to 2008, when a new government center was completed in Suttons Bay Township, closer to the county's geographic center....
, Suttons Bay
Suttons Bay, Michigan
Suttons Bay is a village in Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 589 at the 2000 census. The village was incorporated in 1898 and is located within Suttons Bay Township....
, Glen Arbor, Northport
Northport, Michigan
Northport is a village in Leelanau Township, Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 648 at the 2000 census. When Leelanau County was formed in 1863, Northport served as the first county seat from 1863 to 1883.-Geography:...
and Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a United States National Lakeshore located along the northwest coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan in Leelanau County and Benzie County....
. This areas' soils support several orchards and wineries nearby available for agri-tourism.
Each year, Lake Leelanau plays host to a number of unique activities and celebrations. For example, Labor Day weekend the community hosts an annual blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
music festival; in mid-May, it hosts an annual Walleye Festival and Car Show.
The community has been part to substantial efforts to protect the area from growth, and to foster a nature conservancy.