The Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore is rich in history from early Native American
cultures to the shipping, logging, and agricultural heritage of the area.
Even the name of the area comes from the Native American
Legend of Sleeping Bear.
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Many projects funded by Friends
of Sleeping Bear Dunes are to help preserve and interpret historic sites and
cultural traditions of the Manitou Passage. We've published a number of
Visitor Guides which describe the maritime,
logging and agricultural history of the area. These booklets can be
downloaded free from our web site or may be picked up for a donation at the
Visitor Center, Platte River Campground, or the Cannery. |
| Additional information about the
Port Oneida Rural Historic District is
available on our web site. Each year we work with several other community
groups to plan and sponsor the Port Oneida Fair which is always the second
Friday and Saturday of August. The Fair highlights the 1860 - 1945
agricultural heritage of Northern Michigan. Five historic farms and a
one-room schoolhouse provide the venue for the Fair and visitors can walk,
drive, or ride a horse-drawn wagon or shuttle bus between sites. There are
plenty of hands-on activities for the kids to learn how things used to be
done on the farm. See pictures of past Port Oneida
Fairs on our web site. |
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Glen Haven General Store in 1920s |
The little historic logging
village of Glen Haven was a fueling stop for
the Great Lakes Steamships carrying cargo and passengers from Buffalo, NY to
Chicago and Milwaukee. The local loggers and sawmill provided cord wood to
fire the boilers on the ships. Horse-drawn rail cars brought the wood from
the sawmill on Glen Lake to the dock at Glen Haven. Visit the working
blacksmith shop that is open each day in the summer staffed by volunteers.
An exhibit describing of the life of D.H. Day will be open in the General
Store in May, 2008. The exhibit was funded by the Friends and several
members worked on its development. Day was the owner of much of the land
around Glen Haven and entrepreneur owner of several businesses in the area
from 1878 through 1917. |
| The
Maritime
Museum is located in the old US Life-Saving Service (US Coast Guard)
buildings near Glen Haven. The Life-Saving Service opened at Sleeping Bear
Point in 1901 and was moved to its present location in 1931 due to the
drifting sand encroaching on the grounds and buildings at Sleeping Bear
Point. One of the most popular activities in the summer is to watch the
Life-Saving crew practice firing the Lyle Gun
cannon to get a rescue line to a sinking ship. A ranger will also get the
kids involved in a rescue using the breeches buoy. The Friends have
supported the development of these interpretive activities through
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| More historic
information is available at the
Sleeping Bear
Dunes National Lakeshore history web page.
Links to Related Historical Information
Historic Images and Recollections from the
Sleeping Bear Dunes Area
www.vzoralhistory.com
NPS Historical Research Projects
A Nationalized Lakeshore
http://www.lulu.com/content/4141623
A Garden Apart
http://www.lulu.com/content/4121088
Farming at the Water's
Edge
http://www.lulu.com/content/4264716
Coming Through with Rye
http://www.lulu.com/content/4128577
Tending a Comfortable
Wilderness
http://www.lulu.com/content/4812070
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