Canoeing the Crystal River in the 20’s and 30’s

By William H. Peppler
Sun contributor

Seventy-five years ago Leelanau County was a very different place than it is today. Logging left the hills bare of trees. Electricity, running water, and the telephone were luxuries. Water levels in the lakes and rivers fluctuated with the weather. Water levels in Glen Lake and the Crystal River were especially affected then because there was no dam to control the water flow.
Back then, a canoe trip cown the Crystal was an all day trip, an annual trip that our family looked forward to. We rented canoes from Krull’s Marina on Glen Lake, located on the south end of Lake Street. The marina is still in operation and is now known as Glen Craft Marina.
The trip across the north shore of Glen Lake to the headwaters of Fisher Lake is about two miles. Back then there were only five or six summer homes on the north shore of the lake. Arriving at the mouth of Fisher Lake required the first portage of the day. A sand bar separated the two lakes.
This natural sand bar controlled water flow down the river. It was dug out by hand to increase water flow when necessary to operate the Fisher Sawmill and the Brammer Grist Mill, both of which were downriver. The Fisher mill was located at the current location of the Crystal Harbor Marina at the corner of Fisher Road and Dunn’s Farm Road. The Brammer Grist Mill was located next to the M-22 bridge east of Glen Arbor.
After paddling across the Fisher Lakes, we entered the Crystal River. About a quarter mile later came the second portage, the short portage around the Fisher Sawmill. After this portage, it was under the Fisher Road bridge and on down the river.
The river from the Fisher Mill to Lake Michigan was crisscrossed with endless fallen trees. We spent a good share of the trip moving logs, climbing over logs, portaging around log jambs, and pushing the canoes. The trip was more physically demanding then than it is today. Now, one needs only to paddle and to keep in the middle of the river.
Culverts were utilized then to allow water to flow under Crystal River Road. They were in the same locations they are today. Usually we could canoe through the tubes, but if the water was low we would need to portage across the road.
After passing the flats along Crystal River Road, we would reach the Brammer Grist Mill. This mill was of the turbine type. Water poured through it from the top of a spillway that ran under the bridge on M-22. There was a coffer dam to control the water at this point. You can see some of the remains of this dam today.
The trip around the Glen Arbor loop of the river varied from year to year. There were years that the river was almost dry for the whole loop. You could literally walk across the river bed and not get your shoes wet. When these conditions were present, we would portage to a point downstream of the Brammer mill and continue on to Lake Michigan.
After arriving at Lake Michigan, usually by mid-afternoon, the decision to canoe to Glen Arbor was made. If the wind was favorable and the waves were friendly we would canoe. If the waves were threatening, we would walk back to the marina, then drive back to retrieve the canoes. This annual trip was always a highlight of our vacation and is still bright in my memory.