The Fishing Village of Leland Michigan: One of The Last Commercial Fisheries on Lake Michigan
About this episode
This episode explores the history and significance of Leland, Michigan, as one of the last commercial fishing villages on Lake Michigan.
The Fishing Village of Leland Michigan: One of the Last Commercial Fisheries on Lake Michigan tells the story of Fishtown, a rare working waterfront that grew from Native fishing grounds, sawmill power, iron smoke and Lake Michigan commercial fishing. This episode of End of the Road in Michigan follows Leland from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s, when fish tugs, smokehouses, net racks and weathered shanties lined the Leland River. Before it became one of Michigan’s best-known travel stops, Leland was a hard-working harbor where families made a living from whitefish, trout, ciscoes and lake winds. The story also covers Leland’s surprising industrial past, including its charcoal iron furnace and the origin of Leland Blue stone. By the 1900s, tourism began to rise, but commercial fishing stayed at the center of the village’s identity. Leland’s story is not just about nostalgia. It is about labor, water, family businesses and the fight to keep one of Lake Michigan’s last traditional fishing districts in public memory. The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications
Topics covered
- commercial fishing
- Leland history
- tourism
- labor
- family businesses
- waterfront
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Thumbwind Publications
Places: Leland Michigan, Lake Michigan, Michigan
More episodes of The End of the Road in Michigan
- Trucks, Sugar & Survival: The World War I History of Alma Michigan.
- The Hotel Ojibway: Luxury, Legends, and Life Along the Soo Locks
- Michigan's Little Known Ghost Towns - Lost Ports, Mining Camps And Vanished Company Towns
- Pere Marquette Docks Show How Arcadia Served The Great Lakes
- Ora Labora: Michigan’s Lost Colony on Wild Fowl Bay
- Hillman, Michigan: Fire, Rails and Lake Avalon in a Northern Village
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The End of the Road in Michigan podcast page.