Historic Leelanau newspapers now available online

Photo: Executive director Kim Kelderhouse (r) poses with development director Francie Gits (l) at the Leelanau Historical Society & Museum.

From staff reports

Kim Kelderhouse, executive director of the Leelanau Historical Society & Museum reports that historic Leelanau newspapers dating back more than 150 years are now accessible online at digmichnews.cmich.edu. This momentous accomplishment has been the dedicated effort of the Leelanau Historical Society since 2017.

This easy to use resource is free to the public thanks to the generosity of Leelanau Historical Society members and donors who funded this $100,000 project. The newspapers provide a fascinating glimpse into the past and help to answer previously unknown historical mysteries.

The public can keyword search 11 different Leelanau County papers spanning from 1875-1997. Still in the project cue is the digitization of the Grand Traverse Herald 1858-1910, a Traverse City-based paper that covered many early Leelanau happenings and predated the Leelanau Enterprise.