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Leland, Michigan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Historic Fishtown along theLeland River | |
| Nickname: Fishtown | |
 Location withinLeelanau County | |
  Leland Location within the state of Michigan Show map of Michigan Leland Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Coordinates:45°01′28″N85°45′45″W / 45.02444°N 85.76250°W /45.02444; -85.76250 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| County |  Leelanau |
| Township | Leland |
| Settled | 1853 |
| Area | |
• Total | 1.00 sq mi (2.58 km2) |
| • Land | 0.98 sq mi (2.53 km2) |
| • Water | 0.02 sq mi (0.06 km2) |
| Elevation | 581 ft (177 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 410 |
| • Density | 420.08/sq mi (162.26/km2) |
| ZIP code(s) | 49654 |
| Area code | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-46800 |
Leland (/ˈliːlənd/LEE-lənd) is anunincorporated community andcensus-designated place (CDP) in theU.S. state ofMichigan. It is located inLeelanau County, part of thenorthwestern Lower Peninsula of the state. As of the2020 census it had a population of 410. From 1883 to 2004, Leland was thecounty seat of Leelanau County,[2] which has since moved toSuttons Bay Township.
Part ofLeland Township, Leland is situated on anisthmus betweenLake Leelanau andLake Michigan, and is bisected by theLeland River, flowing from the former to the latter. Leland is a significanttourism destination andsummer colony, and is located nearbySleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Leland also serves as the departure point for ferry service toNorth andSouth Manitou Islands, both of which are wholly included in the National Lakeshore.
Leland is built on the site of one of the oldest and largestOttawa villages on theLeelanau Peninsula. Where the Leland (Carp) River flows into Lake Michigan, there was a naturalfish ladder (which was a traditionalNative American fishing grounds). The settlement was calledMishi-me-go-bing, meaning "the place where canoes run up into the river to land, because they have no harbor", or alternativelyChe-ma-go-bing orChi-mak-a-ping.
White settlers, who began arriving in the 1830s, also took advantage of the location as a fishing settlement. White settlement increased after Antoine Manseau, with his son Antoine Jr., and John Miller, built a dam and sawmill on the river in 1854. Construction of the dam raised the water level 12 feet (3.7 m), and what had been three natural lakes in the river all became a single lake now known asLake Leelanau (and is navigable all the way to the community of Cedar, about 13 miles (21 km) inland). The settlers built wooden docks, which allowed steamers and schooners to transport new settlers and supplies.
From 1870 to 1884, the Leland Lake Superior Iron Co. operated an ironsmelter north of the river mouth, supplied with ore from theUpper Peninsula andcharcoal made from local maple and beech timber; the charcoal was produced in fourteen beehive kilns near the smelting furnace, which produced up to 40 tons of iron per day. In 1884, the plant was sold to the Leland Lumber Co., which operated a sawmill on the site. Other sawmills and shingle mills operated in Leland during the years 1885–1900.[3]
As early as 1880, commercial fishermen sailed out of the harbor to catch trout and whitefish, building wooden shacks where they processed their catch and serviced their fleet. Up to eight powered tugs once sailed out of "Fishtown", as the buildings came to be known. Today, the historic fishing settlement and twofish tugs,Joy andJanice Sue, are owned by a non-profit organization, the Fishtown Preservation Society.[4] Fishtown is home to a working fishery and a thriving charter fishing business. The riverfront is lined by a boardwalk and quaint shacks that have been converted into tourist shops.
Around 1900, wealthy individuals from Chicago, Detroit, and other Midwestern industrial centers began to visit Leland and build summer cottages, arriving by Lake Michigan passenger steamer or by Lake Leelanau steamer from the railhead near Traverse City. This led to the construction of resort hotels, and the growth of Leland as a summer resort town.
Leland is in northern Leelanau County, on the west side of the Leelanau Peninsula. It is bordered to the west by Lake Michigan and to the east by the northern section of Lake Leelanau. The Leland River runs through the center of the community, connecting the two lakes. According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the Leland CDP has a total area of 1.00 square mile (2.58 km2), of which 0.98 square miles (2.53 km2) are land and 0.02 square miles (0.06 km2), or 2.22%, are water.[5]
Leland lies just north of the45th parallel. A sign onM-22 south of Leland reads "45th Parallel Halfway BetweenEquator &North Pole".
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 377 | — | |
| 2020 | 410 | 8.8% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[6] | |||
M-22, the only road connecting Leland to the rest of the county. It leads northeast 11 miles (18 km) toNorthport and southwest 18 miles (29 km) toGlen Arbor.
Municipalities and communities ofLeelanau County, Michigan,United States | ||
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| Villages | ||
| Charter township | ||
| Civil townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Ghost towns | ||
| Indian reservation | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
| International | |
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| National | |
