Manitou Islands

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What’s in a name? Truths and mistruths behind Leelanau’s names

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So said Juliet in the Bard’s most famous work. But would Leelanau really be such a land of delight if that’s not what its name really meant? Spoiler alert: The name Leelanau doesn’t come from any Native American source. That’s despite the stories that have sprung up around it, some of which were spread by the person who came up with the name. Many of the county’s locations have stories surrounding their names. Start with Sleeping Bear Dunes, the story of which is well-known. Mama bear and her cubs swam across Lake Michigan to escape a forest fire. When Mama reached shore, she looked back, waiting for her cubs. She eventually became the sand dunes, while the cubs became the Manitou Islands.

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A North Manitou Memoir: Women, Magic, and Place

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“When an opportunity arose to create my ideal North Manitou Island backpacking excursion seven years ago, I reached out to some female friends and acquaintances,” writes Abby Chatfield in this first installment reflecting on the Manitou Islands that are all but closed to visitors this year (unless you have a private boat)—as the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore rebuilds the docks. “Outdoor adventures with fellow women are some of the most rewarding experiences for me. There is no hierarchy or alpha in the group, but instead genuine camaraderie and a supportive dynamic that allows everyone to connect with and learn from their surroundings. Women work together, teach each other, and address challenges as a team in the outdoors.”

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Manitou Island Transit family legacy in jeopardy: Grosvenor-Munozes sue National Park over dock closures

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Manitou Island Transit, a 108-year-old family-owned company that ferries customers from Leland’s historic Fishtown to South and North Manitou Islands, is struggling to survive due to forces beyond its control. The Grosvenor-Munoz family, owners of Manitou Island Transit, filed a federal lawsuit against the National Park Service in early February accusing the agency of breach of contract and mismanagement during dock reconstruction projects on North and South Manitou Islands. The National Park Service has closed North Manitou Island to visitors in order to replace and relocate the docks due to sediment shoaling which has created access issues. North Manitou hasn’t had regular ferry service since 2022. South Manitou will be inaccessible in 2026 while a new dock is being built. Captain Jimmy Munoz, who helms the ferry, warns that the closure could be the end of an era. “If they shut us down—which they’re doing right now—there will never be a ferry boat back there again out of Leland.”

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Enhanced island access, Sleeping Bear Dunes seeks public input for Manitou Islands dock project

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is inviting the public to comment on a project to improve safe and reliable boat access to the Manitou Islands. The approximately $32 million project, funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA) Legacy Restoration Fund, will address the impact of natural processes, such as littoral drift (shifting sands) and high-water levels, on the islands’ docks. The Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Manitou Islands dock project will be open for a 30-day public comment period until May 15.

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North Manitou Light Keepers announce final capital campaign to complete restoration of “The Crib”

North Manitou Light Keepers (NMLK) have announced the launch of the final phase of the Campaign for the Crib. This capital campaign supports restoration of the North Manitou Shoal Light. The goal of this phase is to raise the $300,000 needed to complete major restoration of the historic offshore lighthouse in the Manitou Passage. With this funding, NMLK will install new electrical and plumbing systems, as well as new interior fixtures and finishes. This work will complete the major restoration of the Crib and could be done by the end of 2025. Overnight stays and other experiences, in addition to currently offered day tours, can then be possible for members and the public.

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Through first four months, Sleeping Bear Dunes on pace for another record

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore attracted a whopping 126,797 visitors during the first four months of 2021, which have typically been a quiet time for tourists in Leelanau and Benzie counties. By comparison, the Park received 93,729 visitors between January-April of 2020. That early number suggests another record-breaking year for visitation to the National Lakeshore. Sleeping Bear drew more than 1.7 million visitors for the first time in 2020, as Americans flocked to rural national parks during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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High water levels hit locals in the wallet

June swelled Lake Michigan by another 4 inches which is bad news for Megan Grosvenor Munoz, whose family owns and operates Manitou Island Transit. The company ferries passengers on pleasure tours to the Manitou Islands out of Leland. This spring and summer, they’ve had to cancel four or five trips, Munoz says, “because we can’t get people on South [Manitou] safely” due to water splashing over the dock on the island.”

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National Lakeshore holds book signing with author Anna Egan Smucker

The National Park Service at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore will host a book signing with Anna Egan Smucker, author of the children’s book To Keep The South Manitou Light, at the Philip A. Hart Visitor Center on Tuesday, July 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

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Port Oneida Historic Landscape Plan raises question of preservation vs. recreation

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This summer, the National Park Service (NPS) unveiled its options for the Historic Landscape Management Plan of the Port Oneida Rural Historic District. Some four miles east of Glen Arbor, the shoreline settlement was founded as a logging community, with subsistence (family) farming and fishing, in the early 1860s by immigrant pioneers from Prussia and Hanover (now parts of modern Germany), and lived in continuously until the 1970s. It is defined as a “historic vernacular landscape … that has evolved through use by ordinary people” over a “period of significance of 1870-1945,” in the Plan’s Executive Summary, and it is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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How Sleeping Bear was voted America’s most beautiful place

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Ever since Wednesday, August 17, Northern Michiganders have both embraced and grappled with the news that the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and surrounding region are considered the “most beautiful place in America” — at least according to 22 percent of 100,000 voters who participated in the ABC show Good Morning America’s online competition the second week of August.

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