NRHP Reference # 75000946 Area 4 ha Nearest city Lake Linden | Designated MSHS February 21, 1975 Added to NRHP 20 November 1975 | |
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The Big Traverse Bay Historic District is a historic district located east of Lake Linden, Michigan at the mouth of the Traverse River. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in and designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1975.
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History
The site on which the Big Traverse Bay Historic District now stands was originally a logging camp owned by the Hebard Lumber Company, dating from the last two decades of the 19th century. A substantial number of Finnish emigres moved into the area, working in the lumber, mining, or fishing industries. By 1920, Big Traverse Bay had developed into a primarily fishing community. in the 1950s, construction of a breakwater and changes to the harbor resulted in the demolition of a number of houses, as well as a footbridge across the river. The community remains an active, and relatively isolated, fishing community.
Description
Big Traverse Bay is a small Finnish fishing community located on a peninsula and adjacent mainland at the mouth of the Traverse River on Lake Superior. The community includes approximately 40 small, single-story, gable-roofed houses with aluminum siding an undeveloped yards. Vintage gasoline pumps, net reels, cedar shake-covered fishing buildings, ice houses and saunas are still in use.