A breathtaking jewel in Michigan's crown, Up North is a place like no other. Water is everywhere and water defines it. Michigan boasts more than 3,000 miles of fresh-water shore - line, more than any other state in the U.S.
The Tip of the Mitt, as it is sometimes called, brims with pristine lakes, rolling hills, wildflower-dotted forests and charming towns. Three of them—Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix—are featured in this book, as well as the lakeside resort communities of Harbor Point, Bay View, Bay Harbor and Walloon Lake. It is a treasured destination for people from around the globe.
Odawa and Ojibwe Native Americans first settled here in lake - side fishing villages. They bent young saplings to mark trails and provide direction, especially in deep winter snows. This practice gave rise to the name Crooked Tree (L’Arbre Croche), currently found on Petoskey’s arts center, a well-known bakery and a resort nestled in the curve of Little Traverse Bay. European settlers arrived in 1715 and built a fort where Mackinaw City now stands. French trappers, hunters and missionaries followed and the fur trade and farming flourished.
Workers felled vast northern forests as growing cities whetted the Midwest’s insatiable appetite for lumber. In 1873, the advent of railroad and steamships forever changed Up North’s face. People arriving by train and boat escaped oppressive summers in Detroit, Chicago and other cities. Notable among them was renowned author Ernest Hemingway and his family, who summered on Walloon Lake.
In 1876, local Methodists organized the Bay View Association— a chautauqua, or church camp—on Little Traverse Bay. It prospers to this day with colorful Victorian-era homes and a vibrant arts scene. Industrialists and lumber barons built fancy lakeside homes, ironically calling them cottages. Many still stand, the water their sparkling front yard.
From its million-dollar sunsets, brilliant fall colors and heavy snowfall to a wealth of outdoor activities, rich culture, trendy shops and restaurants, Up North enchants all who visit and live here. Photographer and Walloon Lake resident Tom Barrat captures Up North’s splendor and spirit that I, as a fellow Walloon Laker, have come to know and love so well.
— Sarah Moran Martin
The Tip of the Mitt, as it is sometimes called, brims with pristine lakes, rolling hills, wildflower-dotted forests and charming towns. Three of them—Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Charlevoix—are featured in this book, as well as the lakeside resort communities of Harbor Point, Bay View, Bay Harbor and Walloon Lake. It is a treasured destination for people from around the globe.
Odawa and Ojibwe Native Americans first settled here in lake - side fishing villages. They bent young saplings to mark trails and provide direction, especially in deep winter snows. This practice gave rise to the name Crooked Tree (L’Arbre Croche), currently found on Petoskey’s arts center, a well-known bakery and a resort nestled in the curve of Little Traverse Bay. European settlers arrived in 1715 and built a fort where Mackinaw City now stands. French trappers, hunters and missionaries followed and the fur trade and farming flourished.
Workers felled vast northern forests as growing cities whetted the Midwest’s insatiable appetite for lumber. In 1873, the advent of railroad and steamships forever changed Up North’s face. People arriving by train and boat escaped oppressive summers in Detroit, Chicago and other cities. Notable among them was renowned author Ernest Hemingway and his family, who summered on Walloon Lake.
In 1876, local Methodists organized the Bay View Association— a chautauqua, or church camp—on Little Traverse Bay. It prospers to this day with colorful Victorian-era homes and a vibrant arts scene. Industrialists and lumber barons built fancy lakeside homes, ironically calling them cottages. Many still stand, the water their sparkling front yard.
From its million-dollar sunsets, brilliant fall colors and heavy snowfall to a wealth of outdoor activities, rich culture, trendy shops and restaurants, Up North enchants all who visit and live here. Photographer and Walloon Lake resident Tom Barrat captures Up North’s splendor and spirit that I, as a fellow Walloon Laker, have come to know and love so well.
— Sarah Moran Martin
Thomas Barrat