Over Yonder

The quaint town of Harbor Springs is over the bay from Petoskey. It doesn't seem too far, but it is actually 7 miles across the bay. In the 1900's, there were ferry lines that shuttled passengers across the bay from Petoskey to Harbor Springs. Now ferries only operate once in a while during the summer for special events, but it is still nice to be out on the water and see the two cities from the water view.

Off the Track -- Now

This building is now part of Penn Plaza, but in a former life, it was Penn Plaza Station. Trains from the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad would come here and drop off passengers for a refreshing vacation in the clean air. The tracks are still here, though not used anymore, but a great reminder of how people used to come here to enjoy the beauties of Northern Michigan. It has since been converted into an office building with many different businesses located there. I'm so glad that it can still be used and be a part of Petoskey's landscape.

..And the Rest of the Wheelway Mural

After the wooden wheelway, came the railroad that wound around the coastline, providing great views for the passengers. Next, came the area around the waterfall that was beautified and the wheelway (now a bicycle path again) is a great place to go for family fun. The Present is the last part of the wheelway. The Bay Harbor Tunnel (which I have yet to go through) connects Petoskey with points west, including Bay Harbor and Charlevoix. If you rode the length of the wheelway, it is about 25 miles or so from Charlevoix to Harbor Springs, mostly along the bay or Lake Michigan. I have heard that there is a man and his wife who ride it every day--during the non-snow season, of course! (which lasts about 7 months usually)

What is Normal?

I love this building downtown, with the Normal Business College still on the building from sometime in the late 1800's or early 1900's. I don't know much about the college, just that it was a "Graves school". I'll have to find out more just to satisfy my curiosity. I just love that they have preserved the history of this building.

A visit to the History Museum

Today was rainy so the kids and I went to the History Museum. It was, in my daughter's words, "Great!" They had a lot of fun exploring and finding out new things about our town. This is a photograph of Ignatius Petoskey and his Native American headdress and moccasins. It is very intricate in its beading and feathers and it quite beautiful.

One wing of the museum is about the early days of Petoskey and the other wing is about the Victorian age in Petoskey. I think the kids liked the Victorian side the most as there was a working telegraph code machine they could practice on. A very nice place to visit!!

Small town, lots of history.

Petoskey's history museum is located at the waterfront and overlooks the marina. It is an old train station with some of the tracks still in front of the building. I haven't been here in a few years (not the best place to take really young children) but my kids are old enough to read now and they have been asking to go and visit next week. From what I remember, there are quite a few artifacts from the time when Petoskey was a health resort favored by people from Chicago and Detroit. They would come for a few weeks to take the "cure" of fresh air and long walks along the bay. Hopefully more on this later!