A historic journey through Leland’s Fishtown

The Grosvenors, who own the Manitou Island Transit, trace their genealogy back to the islands, and they have operated both mail and passenger boats between Leland and the Manitou Islands since 1917. Photo by Raquel Jackson

By Sandra Serra Bradshaw

Sun contributor

Leland was established on the site of one of the oldest and largest Ottawa villages. These peoples migrated to the Great Lakes region around 1200 CE. Today, this charming town is a top tourist destination and has been for many years. Leland is located on the west side of the Leelanau peninsula, and is bordered to the west by wondrous Lake Michigan, and to the east by North Lake Leelanau. The Leland (aka Carp) River runs through the center of the village, connecting both North and South Lake Leelanau, draining the Lake Leelanau watershed into Lake Michigan. The river flows through the heart of historic Fishtown, and it is barely 4,000 feet in length.

Fishtown is located where there once was a natural fish ladder on these traditional Native American fishing grounds. It is one of only few commercial fishing villages still operating today in Michigan. The Native Americans called this spot Mishi-me-go-bing, or alternatively Che-ma-go-bing or Chi-mak-a-ping, meaning “the place where canoes run up into the river to land, because they have no harbor.”

French Canadian millwright, Antoine Manseau, along with his family, are thought to be among some of the first whites to settle here. They came from North Manitou Island in 1853. The following year Manseau and his family, along with John Miller, built the dam at Fishtown. It raised the water level in the river and in Lake Leelanau by as much as an astonishing 12 feet. Since the dam prevented boat traffic from going back and forth in their daily business, launches were, and still are provided on both sides of the dam.

Next to the dam the new settlers erected a water-powered sawmill, quite a necessity for providing building materials from the great forest for this growing new community. Other families soon joined, and docks—wooding stations—were built. Steamers and schooners soon tied up at these docks, bringing more and more families and carrying wood and other goods back to the various cities scattered across the Great Lakes region. By 1867, around 200 residents made it their home.  

Sometime around 1900, as more people started to learn about Leland and its charms, they began flocking from many Midwestern cities to escape the heat and congestion and to enjoy the cool breezes off Lake Michigan. Many visited for a time as guests, others built summer cottages, while others decided to settle permanently. Soon Leelanau County registered a population of more than 10,500. Leland was designated as the official county seat (in 2004 it was moved to Suttons Bay at the Leelanau County Courthouse).

Also in the early 1900s, fishermen began enclosing their open boats and adding gasoline engines which increased the scale—and profitability—of fishing operations. In 1937, two breakwaters were constructed in the waters of Leland’s Lake Michigan harbor, which also facilitated the rise of the local fishing industry. However, by the 1940s, the whitefish and trout populations in the lake were decimated by an invasive species known as the sea lampreys. Although commercial fishing operations continued, the area began to rely more heavily on tourism and charter operations. Today, Leland and Fishtown offer a delightful mix of both commercial fishing, shops, restaurants, galleries, and museums.

The Manitou Island Transit in Fishtown is one means of transportation to reach the islands, as well as the charter boats that are available. The Grosvenor family owns the Manitou Island Transit. Their genealogy traces right back to the islands, and they have operated both mail and passenger boats between Leland and the Manitou Islands since 1917.

Another original Manitou Island family is the Telgards. Martin Telgard built boats in Northport before coming to Leland. He and his wife, Leone (Carlson), built the Blue Bird restaurant in 1927. Here, besides people flocking for their fabulous whitefish dinners and other dining delights, many come to view the historic maritime photos which are displayed on the inside walls of the establishment, reminding us of the deep maritime heritage the area represents.

Carlson’s Fisheries supplies whitefish and other fish to the local restaurants and to the public. Racks of fish are removed from the smokers and then offered for sale in the building where the family bases its historic fishing tradition. “There are lots of stories of the old days, some not printable,” laughed Bill Carlson, who owns the fishery. “My great-grandfather Nels moved the family from North Manitou to Leland in the winter of 1906 by oxen and sleigh over the ice. During the trip the ice started to break up and they had to board some cracks. They landed in the evening and by the next morning there was no ice in sight. We are lucky to be here. There are a lot of stories!”

Between the years of 1870 to 1884, the Leland Lake Superior Iron Company operated an iron smelter north of the mouth of the river. They supplied the voracious furnace with ore from the Upper Peninsula. The charcoal they needed was made from local maple and beech timber that was produced in 14 beehive kilns that were kept near the smelting furnace. It produced up to an amazing 40 tons of iron per day. In 1884, the plant was sold to the Leland Lumber Co., which operated a sawmill on the site. Other sawmills and shingle mills operated in Leland during the years between 1885 through 1900.

Back then Leland was a smog-filled industrial town, the main industry of which was anchored by the iron company. The smelting industry failed because of large overhead costs and the lack of a good harbor in Leland. Interestingly, the remains of the industry, including heaps of slag, were dumped into the harbor and today, that has resulted in something as a precious collectible for many. As raw ore was heated, the desired iron ore was separated from various natural impurities. When those impurities cooled, it resulted in a stone-like slag. Hence the Leland Blue Stones were born!

The Leland Blue is a bit of a misleading title to this little man-made gem as it is the mix of blue glass with other chemicals — but this varying chemical medley can also cause the slag to appear in colors of purple, gray, or in shades of green. Today, people relish finding this slag material on the shores of Leland’s beaches. It is not only collectible as a stone, but also sought for as jewelry.

Many steamers arrived in Leland including the Buffalo, Lawrence, Champlain, City of Traverse City, Illinois, Rising Sun, Manitou, Puritan, Spirit, Michigan, Alleghany, Fountain City, and Idaho Schooners also paid their visits, as well as the Hiram Merrill, Cora A., Lucky; the sloop Defiance and many others. They brought passengers and their homesteading supplies from all over the Midwest. Soon the Leland area became more civilized, bringing resorters on the Lake Michigan vessels. Some returned, summer after summer, and many others decided to make Leland their permanent year-round home.

As early as 1880, commercial fishermen sailed out of the harbor to catch trout and whitefish. They built wooden shacks where they processed their catch and serviced their fleet of ships. Up to eight power engine tug boats once sailed out of Fishtown, and thus was the birth of this well-loved spot of both the locals and the tourists. “We are awaiting Federal Recognition to designate the entire area of Fishtown as a National Historic Place,” says Summer Meyer, of the Fishtown Preservation Society. State level recognition has already been granted. Leland was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975. The Society is dedicated to “Preserving the past, present and future of Fishtown.”

This summer and through mid-October you can visit the Fishtown Art Shanty 2021 located in the lower level of the Ice House. It is a pop-up space where artists, craftsmen and makers are a part of the Fishtown experience. For more information, please visit FishTownMI.org.

Another place not to miss when in Leland is the Old Art Building. “We have lots of great classes, for both kids and adults,” said Abby Chatfied wo works at the Old Art Building, “We are coming up on our centennial,” she explained. “Starting in January 2022 we will have a whole series of events in honor of this.”

Today, Fishtown has two active commercial fish tugs in the river, Joy and Janice Sue. They are owned by the nonprofit Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS). The vessels are a forever ongoing maintenance project as anyone who has ever owned a boat can testify. According to the FPS, They need to be both functional and safe for the fishermen who operate them. Joy has had more changes over the years than Janice Sue, mainly because she’s been, since her creation, something of an experiment.”

Ross Lang, along with his father, Fred, are both commercial fishermen in Fishtown since the late 1960s. They did their fishing from the Frances Clark, a gill net type boat. By 1980, however, Ross faced a tough decision; he could begin fishing with different nets, or get out of the fishing business. He chose to fish with the then-new trap-style nets. This fundamentally different system required acquiring a new vessel—or building one. Ross chose the latter and with the help of a friend, experienced craftsman George Stevens.

They built Joy at George’s farm in East Leland. Jane Lang, Ross’s daughter who has worked at Community Chiropractic in nearby Lake Leelanau for many years, said—without hesitation—that her father’s favorite saying was: “Every day is a boat ride and a picnic.”

Having a fast vessel on the water was what mattered most to Ross as more speed meant more efficiency, and along with that the ability to raise more nets each hour on the water— so he kept Joy as light as possible. He was able to do this by compromising the interior structural supports to the bare minimum. It did keep the weight down—but the boat “twisted and bent on rough water.” It made walking on Joy like “walking on a giant metal drum where, at each step, the deck flexed down and then boomed back into place,” sailors aboard would report.

In 2008, Geoff Niessink, a grandson to Captain George Grosvenor, and Joel Petersen, a commercial fisherman and the captain of the Joy—both skilled boatsmen and masters of welding—added additional structural supports. They also replaced sections of the 1/8-inch steel that had rusted through. They also wanted to raise the sides of the Joy, enabling an increasingly stability, as well as to make standing on Joy’s deck less precarious when lifting fish or just walking on her deck. Raising her sides however had to remain on their “wish list.” The next time she was out of the water, they had hoped, they’d have a chance to do the sides.

Their wish came through eight long years later. When Joy came out of the water for a fresh coat of paint, they not only raised her sides—and that by nearly a foot, they also replaced her worn-out motor for the net-lifting hydraulics. They also outfitted her with a new propeller. The work in 2008, for both Joy and Janice Sue, took place at the Northport Bay Boat yard, where a lack of indoor space meant they had to build a temporary shelter, rigged with utilities. Other work was done at Nick Lederle’s well-equipped machine shop, located near Stander Marine.