Power Island (formerly Marion Island) is an

island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

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 depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. Part of Grand Traverse County, Power Island is located in the west arm of

Grand Traverse Bay Grand Traverse Bay ( ) is an arm of Lake Michigan, located along the west coast of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan. The bay is separated from the rest of Lake Michigan by the Leelanau Peninsula. The bay is some long, ranges from wide, and up ...

, between the

Leelanau Peninsula The Leelanau Peninsula ( ) is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the western side of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan, forming Grand Traverse Bay. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of ...

(west) and

Old Mission Peninsula Old or OLD may refer to: Places *Old, Baranya, Hungary *Old, Northamptonshire, England * Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD) *OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, M ...

(east). The island was once owned and operated by

Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American Technological and industrial history of the United States, industrialist and business magnate. As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automob ...

History

Early history

The first recorded mention of Power Island was by Andrew Blackbird. In the late 1800s, Blackbird wrote that there was a small island to the west of the

. He wrote that the island was originally under the territory of the

Odawa The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ) are an Indigenous North American people who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, now in jurisdictions of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Their territory long prec ...

, but was later handed over to the

Ojibwe The Ojibwe (; Ojibwe writing systems#Ojibwe syllabics, syll.: ᐅᒋᐺ; plural: ''Ojibweg'' ᐅᒋᐺᒃ) are an Anishinaabe people whose homeland (''Ojibwewaki'' ᐅᒋᐺᐘᑭ) covers much of the Great Lakes region and the Great Plains, n ...

to settle a conflict. Another early mention of the island was by

Henry Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi ...

, who visited the region in 1837, and noted Power Island, as well as Bowers Harbor. In 1850, the island came to be known as Island No. 10 on official maps of the region. In 1852, the island was surveyed by Orange Risdon, who described it as "handsomely situated for a retired farm". Later, a man named McKinley Wilson became the first European resident of the island, sometime in the early 1850s. However, he only stayed for two years, and left the island. In 1854,

James Strang James Jesse Strang (March 21, 1813 – July 9, 1856) was an American religious leader, politician and self-proclaimed monarch. He served as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1853 until his assassination. In 1844, he said he ...

, self-proclaimed " King of Beaver Island', noted that the island was "beautiful" and "large enough for a settlement". After Strang's death, a number of Mormons from Beaver Island took Strang's word and moved to Bowers Harbor, the nearest settlement to the island. As more settlers visited the island, it soon became colloquially known as Hawk Island or Eagle Island owing to the number of

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche ...

s and

crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

s inhabiting the island. In the 1860s, the United States Government renamed the island to Harbor Island. Locals began to also term the island Hog Island, due to the number of hogs from the mainland that were taken to the island to feast on local flora.

Later history

In 1872, the Hall family of

Ionia Ionia ( ) was an ancient region encompassing the central part of the western coast of Anatolia. It consisted of the northernmost territories of the Ionian League of Greek settlements. Never a unified state, it was named after the Ionians who ...

had purchased the island from its previous owners. The family disliked the name Hog Island, and opted to change it, honoring their youngest daughter with the new name Marion Island. At age 38, Marion Hall Fowler became owner of the island herself. In 1917,

bought the island from Hall, and thus changed the name again to Ford Island. Henry Ford reportedly brought close friends to vacation on his island, including Harvey S. Firestone,

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February11, 1847October18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, ...

Babe Ruth George Herman "Babe" Ruth (February 6, 1895 – August 16, 1948) was an American professional Baseball in the United States, baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball (MLB) spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935. Nickna ...

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

, and

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

. In 1944, the island was sold to the Rennies of the Rennie Oil Company, and was thusly renamed to Rennie Island. Locally, though, the island was still referred to as "Marion Island". In 1987, the island was given to Grand Traverse County, and became a public park. The island was named to Power Island after

Eugene Power Eugene Barnum Power (June 4, 1905 – December 6, 1993) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist, founder of the modern microfilm industry, and pioneer in the use of microfilm for the reproduction of scholarly publications. Life and care ...

, a Traverse City native and frequent visitor to the island. Power Island is home to a sole resident, Fred Tank, who serves as the "keeper" of Power Island in summer.

Geography

The approximately 200-acre Power Island is known for being a roughly shaped island. On all sides there is a flatter beach, but there is a larger hill in the island's center. The land is covered in a

maple ''Acer'' is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the soapberry family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated si ...

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

forest. Power Island is part of the greater landmass of the

Bassett Island

Bassett Island is a small island just a few meters north of Power Island, connected during periods of low lake levels by a small

isthmus An isthmus (; : isthmuses or isthmi) is a narrow piece of land connecting two larger areas across an expanse of water by which they are otherwise separated. A tombolo is an isthmus that consists of a spit or bar, and a strait is the sea count ...

. Today, some small campsites are on the island. In its past, the island has been known as Squaw Island and the Island of Dread, in reference to a local myth about it being haunted by a Native American spirit.

Recreation

The waters surrounding are known for being a clear, Caribbean blue. These make the island a popular

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

kayaking Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving over water. It is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle. A kayak is a low-to-the-water, canoe-like boat in which the paddler sits fac ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

, and

boating Boating is the leisurely activity of travelling by boat, or the recreational use of a boat whether powerboats, sailboats, or man-powered vessels (such as rowing and paddle boats), focused on the travel itself, as well as sports activities, suc ...

destination. The central hill of the island boasts a hiking and walking path. The island

campsite Campsite, campground, and camping pitch are all related terms regarding a place used for camping (an overnight stay in an outdoor area). The usage differs between British English and American English. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an ...

is a popular summer activity. Other popular activities include birding,

hunting Hunting is the Human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products (fur/hide (sk ...

, nature watching, dog walking, and picnicking. Boats travelling to the island typically leave from either Bower Harbor Marina (in Bowers Harbor, east) or Clinch Park Marina (in Traverse City, south).

References

Sources

* Kathleen Craker Firestone, ''An Island in Grand Traverse Bay'' {{Authority control Islands of Lake Michigan in Michigan Geography of Grand Traverse County, Michigan Protected areas of Grand Traverse County, Michigan Tourist attractions in Grand Traverse County, Michigan