7 Towns In Michigan With Rich History
Those who have been there know Michigan has exceptional beauty, fascinating history, and a culture shaped by the commerce and creativity of the Great Lakes region. With three of North America's five Great Lakes at its sides and bordered by the states of Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin (not to mention Canada), Michigan stretches across two territories, the mainland and the Upper Peninsula. Michigan's history-rich towns spread statewide, and visitors will find in them worthwhile places to visit for the first time — or on an often-repeated itinerary.
Frankenmuth
Known as "Little Bavaria," Frankenmuth, with 5,200 inhabitants, calls to mind a Europe of bygone days. The east-central town's moniker is due to the many immigrants from southern Germany, among other places, who settled here, initially as a Lutheran missionary settlement, and built a legacy that endures today. The Frankenmuth Historical Museum is a great spot for history students of all ages. Tourists in the autumn can catch Oktoberfest, a tradition since 1990, while those passing through town in winter can take in Bronner's Christmas Wonderland. For year-round fun with children, the town is building an indoor water park, an $80 million expansion at the Bavarian Inn Lodge, which is estimated to become the fourth-largest such park in the world.
Houghton
Houghton, population 8,000, is a classic Michigan college town. Home of Michigan Technological University, the town, propped up on the northern tip of the Upper Peninsula, has welcomed students in engineering and other fields since 1885. More recently, and as stamp collectors may already know, the town has gained notoriety for its association with the study of snowflakes, a research area later celebrated through a series of US postage stamps. The photographs were taken by physicist Kenneth Libbrecht, and unveiled his series of snowflake photographs from around the world (which later became stamps) in Houghton in 2006.
The town's setting on the Keweenaw Peninsula provides ample opportunity to get outdoors. Portage Lake — actually more like a river, which connects with Lake Superior on either side of Keweenaw, brings all the opportunities for boating, fishing, and on-the-water fun for which this part of Michigan is famous.
Charlevoix
Tucked between Lake Michigan and Lake Charlevoix, the town named Charlevoix, with just 2,400 inhabitants, is well-known for its lovely scenery and upscale homes. Its name reflects the historic presence of a famous French explorer who spent years in the region. Charlevoix town was incorporated in 1879. For modern travelers, the Charlevoix South Pier Lighthouse is a beloved historic site that provides a peaceful setting for lakeside walks and views. The town enjoyed prominence as a historic resort town, and elements of that legacy, like the prestigious Chicago Club, endure today.
For more local history, seek out the Charlevoix Historical Society, whose museum on the local past operates inside a former rail depot. The Society likewise organizes tours of local homes, including examples of the "mushroom house," a local trend and quirky style of round-stone construction that is said to resemble, well, mushrooms.
Marquette
Marquette, population 20,800, is the largest town on Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Sitting at the meeting point of the Dead River (real name) and Lake Superior's southern end, the town was and remains today an economic center as a lake port, supporting the nearby Marquette Iron Range and other industries. The town, incorporated in 1849, is another university setting: it is home to Northern Michigan University, bringing a college-town feeling to Marquette, as in Houghton.
Presque Isle Park ranks among Marquette's best-known features. The Park, set under protection in 1886, remained undeveloped after an 1891 decision by Frederick Law Olmsted — the same man who designed New York City's Central Park. In an early sign of environmentalism, Olmsted decided the land should stay as it is and "should not be marred by the intrusion of artificial objects." Presque Isle Park is known in its local shorthand as simply "The Island," though it is actually a peninsula.
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island, on Lake Huron, has 600 people and precisely zero cars. The town has chosen to outlaw automobiles as a way to preserve its unique character. Set in the waters between Lake Superior and Lake Michigan — called, naturally, the Straits of Mackinac — the island offers the visitor an impression of going back in time. Even its name harkens to older days: the name is derived from a term in the language of the Ojibwe, a Native American tribe, which means "Big Turtle."
Museum connoisseurs on Mackinac Island will want to seek out the Stuart House Museum as well as the Grand Hotel Stable & Carriage Museum. The town's Grand Hotel provides a beautiful example of local Victorian architecture and has, in the past, welcomed no fewer than five US presidents as guests. In another nod to the small town's outsized history, the local museum on the fur trade, in which the island formed a strategic part, sits in a former customs house of the American Fur Company.
Leland
Leland, with 2,200 souls, lies along Lake Michigan and is a longtime fishing hotspot. The site, between Lake Leelanau and its flow into Lake Michigan, was long a natural "fish ladder," or place where fish migrated, which attracted Native American fishermen. Settled in 1853, the town grew so well-known for its fishing that it garnered the nickname "Fishtown" along the way. The term is the name of a neighborhood within Leland, as well as an occasionally used term for the town as a whole.
Leland has evolved into a resort destination today, though local charter fishing and related activities continue. Fishtown forms one part of Leland's historic district, which honors its commercial past as well as a number of surviving Gothic Revival buildings, some of them built by wealthy Midwestern vacationers who helped make Leland a trendy destination from about 1900. More fascinating history is available at the Leland Historic Society and Museum in town.
Harbor Springs
Harbor Springs, with just 1,300 inhabitants, sits on Little Traverse Bay, a part of Lake Michigan. Inhabited in past centuries by the Odawa tribe, Harbor Springs has evolved, like Leland, as a vacation destination. Long a place of respite for wealthy travelers, that part of the town's past is on display at the hexagon-shaped Shay House, built by the railroad industrialist Ephraim Shay, and which today is included on the National Register of Historic Places. Its draws include the Little Traverse Lighthouse, which guides boats to nearby Harbor Point — the deepest natural harbor among all of North America's Great Lakes. The town's historic summer resorts are worth seeking out, notably Wequetonsing, which is famous for its upscale service and clientele.
The Best Of Michigan's History Hides In Its Small Towns
As this list suggests, Michigan's greatest appeal may be in its smaller, history-packed towns. From college towns like Houghton and Marquette to quaint lakeside destinations Like Mackinac Island and Leland, Michigan's finest features remain on vivid display in these and other towns. Charlevoix and Harbor Springs may have attracted deep-pocketed visitors through the years, but their historical interest can be enjoyed at much smaller budgets, too. For beauty, charm, and fascinating history, above all, Michigan's small towns will fuel the imaginations of curious travelers from everywhere.
