Area History
We are grateful to the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society for the following history of Harbor Springs.
Harbor Springs, nestled between high wooded bluffs and the deepest natural harbor in the Great Lakes, is a charming town full of quaint shops and distinctive architecture dating from the late 1800's to the present. This area abounds in colorful history, with its strong Woodland Indian heritage, its economic footings in the fishing and lumbering eras, and its fme resort offerings continuing through today.
During the 17th Century, the country from Harbor Springs north through Middle Village and Good Hart was known as L'Arbre Croche. From an Indian settlement here on the shore of Little Traverse Bay, the present community grew. Father Peter DeJean formed the area's first Indian mission and in 1889 Holy Childhood Catholic Church was built on the local mission site.
Continuous business operations began in 1858 in Little Traverse, as the village was called. Previously, fur traders from Mackinac Island came to barter with the Indians, but soon occupants were primarily fishermen and coopers.
Small trading posts flourished and the land boom of 1875 opened the way for more settlers and businesses.
In 1861 a post office was established with Indian Chief Andrew J. Blackbird as the community's first postmaster. The first newspaper, the Harbor Springs Republican, published in 1876. In 1881 Little Traverse changed its name and became Harbor Springs, an incorporated village. The 1891 census shows the population numbers 1,000 with 200 students enrolled in the circa 1877 school building. By the turn of the century, during its lumbering heydays, the town had 3,000 year-round residents. By the 1950's the population had leveled off, close to its current 1, 600 citizens.
Beginning in 1877, religious and business groups began searching northern Michigan for sites for recreational and health resorts. Socialites of large cities sought escape from dust, hay fever, and the bustle and heat of metropolitan summertime. Hotels and boarding houses were constructed in town and at the new associations, Wequetonsing and Harbor Point. During the next decade individual Victorian cottages were built, as well as large clubhouses at the resorts. Many were designed by Earl H. Mead of Lansing.
The railroad reached town in 1882. Summer residents and guests arrived daily by train and by giant steamship from Petoskey, Detroit, Chicago and Wisconsin. "The Pointer" provided ferry service to the resorts. Ephraim Shay's narrow gauge railroad, "Hemlock Central", hauled logs during the week and picnickers on weekends to lumber camp sites at Stutsmanville and Weimer's Lake. However, after World War II the resort season became shorter and automobiles drastically changed transportation and the hospitality industry.
As lumbering died off and Harbor Springs lost its few manufacturing businesses, the town became totally dedicated to providing care and comfort for its returning resort families. Today the summer resorts, ski areas, tourism and the service industry form the basis for business in the area. Although there is little local lumbering, builders are still constructing large Victorian-styled vacation homes and "cottages" that take advantage of Northern Michigan's clear vistas and soothing breezes.
As you tour the area, look for these sites that remain as symbols of local history:
- Holy Childhood Catholic Church
- Ephraim Shay Hexagon House
- City Hall (Harbor Springs Area Historical Society)
- Andrew J. Blackbird Museum
- Ottawa Stadium
- The Depot
- Stafford's Pointer Boat
- Stafford's Pier Restaurant
- Juillerett's Restaurant
*Compiled by the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society from information in the Harbor Springs Centennial Program and Walking Tour by Suzanne Johnson and Harbor Springs - A collection of Historical Essays.