Leland, Michigan
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Leland, Michigan | ||
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FIPS code 26-46800 | |
Leland (/ˈliːlənd/ LEE-lənd) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Leelanau County, part of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the state. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 410. From 1883 to 2004, Leland was the county seat of Leelanau County,[2] which has since moved to Suttons Bay Township.
Part of
History
Leland is built on the site of one of the oldest and largest
White settlers, who began arriving in the 1830s, also took advantage of the location as a fishing settlement. White settlement increased after Antoine Manseau, with his son Antoine Jr., and John Miller, built a dam and sawmill on the river in 1854. Construction of the dam raised the water level 12 feet (3.7 m), and what had been three natural lakes in the river all became a single lake now known as Lake Leelanau (and is navigable all the way to the community of Cedar, about 13 miles (21 km) inland). The settlers built wooden docks, which allowed steamers and schooners to transport new settlers and supplies.
From 1870 to 1884, the Leland Lake Superior Iron Co. operated an iron
As early as 1880, commercial fishermen sailed out of the harbor to catch trout and whitefish, building wooden shacks where they processed their catch and serviced their fleet. Up to eight powered tugs once sailed out of "Fishtown", as the buildings came to be known. Today, the historic fishing settlement and two fish tugs, Joy and Janice Sue, are owned by a non-profit organization, the Fishtown Preservation Society.[4] Fishtown is home to a working fishery and a thriving charter fishing business. The riverfront is lined by a boardwalk and quaint shacks that have been converted into tourist shops.
Around 1900, wealthy individuals from Chicago, Detroit, and other Midwestern industrial centers began to visit Leland and build summer cottages, arriving by Lake Michigan passenger steamer or by Lake Leelanau steamer from the railhead near Traverse City. This led to the construction of resort hotels, and the growth of Leland as a summer resort town.
Geography
Leland is in northern Leelanau County, on the west side of the Leelanau Peninsula. It is bordered to the west by Lake Michigan and to the east by the northern section of Lake Leelanau. The Leland River runs through the center of the community, connecting the two lakes. According to the
Leland lies just north of the 45th parallel. A sign on M-22 south of Leland reads "45th Parallel Halfway Between Equator & North Pole".
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
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2010 | 377 | — | |
2020 | 410 | 8.8% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[6] |
Transportation
- M-22, the only road connecting Leland to the rest of the county. It leads northeast 11 miles (18 km) to Northport and southwest 18 miles (29 km) to Glen Arbor.
- Manitou Island Transit, ferry service to North and South Manitou Island
Cultural institutions
- Leelanau Historical Society and Museum, 203 East Cedar Street
- Leland Township Library, 203 East Cedar Street
Michigan historical sites
- Walter Best Women's Club (Old Art Building), 1125 Main Street
- Riverside Inn, 302 East River Street
- Leelanau County Jail, 106 Chandler Street
- Leland Historic District (Fishtown)
- Greycote Cottage, 110 Pearl Street
- W. K. Hatt Cottage, 410 North Main Street[7]
Gallery
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Sign on M-22
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Downtown Leland on M-22
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Aerial view of Leland Harbor and Lake Michigan
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Buildings along the Leland River
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The former Leelanau County jail
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Walter T. Best Women's Club House
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Greycote Cottage
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W.K. Hatt Cottage
Notable people
- Tim Allen (born 1953), comedian, actor
- Thomas W. L. Ashley(1923-2010), U.S. representative (Ohio)
- The Ball Brothers, industrialists and philanthropists
- Charles E. Bennison (born 1943), Episcopal bishop of Pennsylvania
- Barbara Ninde Byfield (1930-1988), author, illustrator
- Citadelpresident
- John J. Gilligan (1921-2013), U.S. representative, governor of Ohio
- Alisha Glass (born 1988), Olympic volleyball player [8]
- Jim Harrison (1937-2016), author, township resident from 1968-2002
- Harlan Hatcher (1898-1998), University of Michigan president
- Arthur F. Lederle (1887–1972), U.S. federal judge
- Alvin Mansfield Owsley(1888-1967), attorney, diplomat
- Keewaydinoquay Peschel (ca. 1919-1999), ethnobotanist, herbalist, educator
- Emelia Schaub (1891-1995), county prosecutor, first female attorney in Michigan
- Kathleen Sebelius (born 1948), U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, governor of Kansas, daughter of John J. Gilligan
- Tobin Sprout (born 1955), songwriter, guitarist (Guided by Voices)
References
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
- ^ Littell, E.M., 100 Years in Leelanau, pp. 38-40.
- ^ "Fishtown Preservation". www.preservingfishtown.org. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: Places: Michigan". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
- ^ M. Christine Byron and Thomas R. Wilson. "Historic Leelanau: Recognized Sites and Places of Historical Significance. Glen Arbor, Michigan, Leelanau Press, 2019
- ^ "USA Volleyball - Features, Events, Results". Retrieved May 18, 2017.
Further reading
- Clarke Historical Library, Central, Michigan University, Bibliography for Leelanau County
- Bogue, Margaret. Around the Shores of Lake Michigan: A Guide to Historic Sites. Madison, WI: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985.
- Byron, M. Christine, and Thomas R. Wilson. Vintage Views of Leelanau County. Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2002.
- Dickinson, Frederick W. A Short History of the Leland Iron Works. Annotated by Harley W. Rhodehamel. Leland, MI: Leelanau Historical Society, 1996.
- Littell, Edmund M. 100 Years in Leelanau. Leland: The Print Shop, 1965.
- Littell, Joseph. Leland: An Historical Sketch. [Indianapolis, IN: Indianapolis Printing Co., 1920], reprinted 1959.
- Mitchell, John C. Wood Boats of Leelanau: A Photographic Journal. Leland, MI: Leelanau Historical Society, 2007.
- Reed, Earl H. The Dune Country. Berrien Springs, MI: Hardscrabble Books, 1979. [Reprint of 1916 Edition].
- Ruchhoft, Robert H. Exploring North Manitou, South Manitou, High and Garden Islands of the Lake Michigan Archipelago. Cincinnati, OH: Pucelle Press, 1991.
- Sommers, Laurie Kay. Fishtown: Leland, Michigan's Historic Fishery. Traverse City, MI: Arbutus Press, 2012.
- Wood, Mable C. Scooterville, U.S.A. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1962.