Organization Works to Preserve, Promote Fishtown History

On your standard Michigan summer day, Fishtown is flooded with visitors. Teenagers dive in and out of each wooden, weather-beaten shanty. Families parade outside of the ice cream shop, bellies full, and a father and son make memories fishing off the dock. Although thousands of people visit Fishtown each year, few are aware of the rich history and stories those shanties could tell. “The first time I had gone down there, I had the feeling it was supposed to be really important and I didn’t know why,” admits Amanda Holmes, executive director of the Fishtown Preservation Society (FPS). “People need to know this present place has an important past.” Through a $15,000 major grant from the Michigan Humanities Council, FPS hopes to increase public knowledge and awareness of Fishtown’s rich history, a hub for commercial fishing operations in Leland since the 1870s.

Components covered under the grant include an interpretive tabletop display, a book on Fishtown and its stories, and signage to be placed throughout Fishtown. The signage will be interchangeable, allowing different histories to be featured throughout each year.

The largest part of the grant has been its speaker series. Six speakers were scheduled to present on topics ranging from invasive species, commercial fishing, folklore and tribal history.

Most recently, Tom Kelly presented “My Life on the Lakes: 40 Years of Changes.” His two, one-hour sessions covered a variety of topics related to Fishtown and his history in the area.

Kelly, the executive director of the Inland Seas Education Association in Suttons Bay, shared his work in the 1970s with the Michigan Sea Grant program through the University of Michigan, and its work to develop a selective fishing net. The net commonly used at the time, Gill Nets, would injure captured fish. Kelly and his coworkers worked to promote a Purse Seine net, which could be used to catch certain types of fish and release the others unharmed.

Through this venture, he had the opportunity to work with numerous commercial fishermen and believes it was “probably one of the best things I ever did.”

“I really enjoyed getting to know those guys,” Kelly said. “I think there’s a (strong) mentality of people that are in the basic production of food or raw materials, whether they’re fishermen, farmers, or miners. Those people working with the Earth to produce something. It was really a pleasure to work with those guys; they became my lifelong friends.”

Kelly also touched on the tumultuous times of the late ’60s and early ’70s when an emphasis changed from commercial to sport fishing and many commercial fishermen lost their licenses. FPS has two of the few State Commercial Fishing Licenses available, one for chub and the other for whitefish.

On Aug. 9 Laurie Sommers will be presenting “Shanty Stories: Fishtown in the Era of Wooden Boats and Iron Men.” There will be two presentations, at 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Sommers has been conducting research on behalf of FPS since April 2010 for an extensive Historic Structure Report investigating the complex history of Fishtown’s shanties and landscape. She will use this presentation to share her favorite findings.

Hank Bailey, Fish and Wildlife technician for the Grand Traverse Bay of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians for the Natural Resources Department, will wrap up the series on Aug. 11 with his presentation on “Tribal History in Leelanau County.” These presentations will be held at 1:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m.

Changing Perceptions

FPS is determined to expand public understanding of Fishtown and its fascinating history, no matter the battle. Recently there has been discussion regarding the power lines hanging over the shanties. Although they may not be aesthetically pleasing, they tell a story as much as any other component of Fishtown. So while some continue to digitally remove them from photos, others see a story of fishermen excitement when electricity was first-made available.

“There’s a sense of how do you meet the needs of visitors versus what the needs are of the place,” Holmes said. “That is one of the key challenges that faces FPS; finding the balance between enjoying and providing for the incredible number of visitors who explore Fishtown all year round and protecting Fishtown as a historic site.”

For now, Fishtown remains a true treasure and perfect vacation spot for those looking to escape to the pure waters and history of northern Michigan.

“It’s not to say this is what you want everywhere, but this is what belongs here. It’s good that we can look forward to having this for generations to come,” Kelly said.

FPS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that owns the Fishtown property, acquired in 2007. FPS seeks to preserve the historical integrity of Leland, Michigan’s Fishtown property and ensure that it continues as a publicly accessible and authentic connection to local and regional history, Great Lakes commercial fishing, and maritime traditions and experiences.

For questions or more information on FPS or attending a speaker series, please call (231) 256-8878 or visit www.fishtownmi.org.

The next Council major grant deadline is coming up; applications must be postmarked no later than Sept. 15. For more information on our grants, visit www.michiganhumanities.org or call (517) 372-7770.