Grand Traverse Bay is a deep bay of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

formed by the Leelanau Peninsula in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

. The bay is long, wide, and up to deep in spots. It is further divided into two east and west arms by the Old Mission Peninsula. The entire bay is conterminous with the Grand Traverse Bay Bottomland Preserve. It should not be confused with Grand Traverse Bay of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

, located on the

Keweenaw Peninsula The Keweenaw Peninsula ( , sometimes locally ) is the northernmost part of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It projects into Lake Superior and was the site of the first copper boom in the United States, leading to its moniker of " Copper Country." A ...

Grand Traverse Bay 432 pan crop 15 (32648536332)

Etymology

Grand Traverse Bay earned its name from 18th-century French

voyageurs The voyageurs (; ) were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who engaged in the transporting of furs via canoe during the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including th ...

who made ', or "the long crossing", across the mouth of bay. The area was owned by the French, followed by

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It ...

as the

Province of Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirteen ...

. After 1776, the area was owned by the Americans. On Old Mission peninsula, Rev Peter Doughtery started the first permanent settlement in 1839. This was called "Grand Traverse", but was later renamed to Old Mission.

Geography

Traverse City is situated at the south end of the bay where the Boardman River empties into the west arm. Cherry orchards line the bay region, giving rise to Traverse City's claim to be the ''Cherry Capital of the World''. Several nationally known companies offer cherry-based products made with Northern Michigan tart cherries including Traverse Bay Farms, Cherry Central, Fruit Advantage, American Spoon, Cherry Republic and Old Mission Traders (formerly Cherry Stop). The region is the center of cherry production in Michigan. The most notable feature of the bay is that it is bisected into East and West arms by the Old Mission Peninsula. In addition, Grand Traverse is divided further into several important smaller bays, including Northport Bay, Suttons Bay, Omena Bay, Bowers Harbor, and Old Mission Bay. Northport Bay, located at the northwest corner of Grand Traverse Bay is about long and wide. Northport Bay open to the east, except inside the arms at each end, with the Leelanau Peninsula on the West side. There are several shoals in Northport Bay marked by buoys. Bellow Island, a low gravel island covered by shrubs and located near the middle of Northport Bay, is owned by the Nature Conservancy; it is primarily known as a bird rookery, and is sometimes locally called ''Gull Island''. There are several marinas on the bay, including the large marinas in Northport, Greilickville, Traverse City, and Elk Rapids.

Communities

Antrim County

* Antrim City * Eastport * Elk Rapids * Torch Lake

Charlevoix County

* Norwood

Grand Traverse County Grand Traverse County ( ) is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,238, making it the largest county in Northern Michigan. Its county seat is Traverse City. The county is part of the Tra ...

Acme Acme is Ancient Greek (ακμή; English transliteration: ''akmē'') for "the peak", "zenith" or "prime". It may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Acme'' (album), an album by the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion * Acme and Septimius, a fictional ...

* Old Mission * Traverse City * Yuba

Leelanau County

* Greilickville * Northport * Northport Point * Omena * Suttons Bay

Islands

*Bassett Island * Bellow Island (colloquially known as Gull Island) *

Power Island Power Island is a medium-sized island in Lake Michigan, and it is by far the largest island in Grand Traverse Bay. It is under the jurisdiction of Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan. A small island sits a few meters to the nort ...

(largest island in the bay)

Culture

Besides

cherries A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus '' Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The ...

, the surrounding countryside produces

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

s and is one of the centers of the Michigan wine industry. Known for its shimmering blue water and golden sand beaches, the Grand Traverse Bay region is a popular vacation destination. In September 2007, Mark Holley, an underwater

archeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

with the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve Council who teaches at

Northwestern Michigan College Northwestern Michigan College (NMC) is a public community college in Traverse City, Michigan. Founded in 1951, it enrolls nearly 4,000 students. NMC offers associate degrees and professional certificates, bachelor's degrees through the Great La ...

in Traverse City, said that they might have discovered a boulder high by long) with a prehistoric carving in the Grand Traverse Bay. The granite rock has markings that resemble a

mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

with a spear in its side. Confirmation that the markings are an ancient petroglyph will require more evidence. The stone can bee seen in a TV documentary, and is pictured on page 9 of ''New Scientist Magazine'' of July 19, 2008. File:Grand Traverse Bay.jpg, The East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay from the east, with the

Old Mission Peninsula Peninsula Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 6,068, up from 5,433 at the 2010 census. The township is coterminous with the Old Mission Peninsul ...

in the background. Hills of the Leelanau Peninsula are faintly visible on the horizon. File:Old Mission Peninsula.jpg, The West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay, seen from

Chateau Chantal Chateau Chantal is a winery located on the Old Mission Peninsula, only a few miles north of Traverse City, in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. The chateau sits atop one of the highest points on the Old Mission Peninsula and has views of both ...

on the

Shipwrecks

The Grand Traverse Bay is home to the following shipwrecks: *A.J. Rogers * Metropolis * Shale Scow * Yuba Wreck * Tramp * Elmwood * Nyord * Barge

Notes

References

External links

Michigan Wines WebsiteWineries of Old MissionLeelanau Peninsula Wine TrailSouthwest Michigan Wine TrailList of cherry farms located in the Traverse Bay RegionUnderwater photographs of Grand Traverse Bay's West armWatershed Center Grand Traverse BayInland Seas Education Association
{{Authority control Bodies of water of Antrim County, Michigan Bodies of water of Charlevoix County, Michigan Bodies of water of Grand Traverse County, Michigan Bodies of water of Leelanau County, Michigan Bays of Michigan Bays of Lake Michigan