~ THE FOOT ~
OF
WALLOON LAKE MICHIGAN
_________________________________________________________________________________
OF
WALLOON LAKE MICHIGAN
_________________________________________________________________________________
Photo Below: Compare this 2018 winter perspectives of The Foot
with the (perhaps 1960-61) perspective in the header photo above.
with the (perhaps 1960-61) perspective in the header photo above.
Photo Above: Alex Childress' additional work also may be viewed at Alex Childress Photo.
Compare the changes in this above photo of The Foot taken 18 May 2015
to the old undated (perhaps 1960-61) photo in the header above.
More of Charles Dawley's remarkable videos and photography can be viewed on his
Drone Photography from Charles Dawley facebook page.
to the old undated (perhaps 1960-61) photo in the header above.
More of Charles Dawley's remarkable videos and photography can be viewed on his
Drone Photography from Charles Dawley facebook page.
TRANSFORMATION OF THE FOOT
1979 > 2024
1979 > 2024
1979 Photo Below with 2024 Red Building Names:
Long-time Walloon Lake resident Lauren Macintyre added the red text to illustrate the massive "Transformation of The Foot" businesses over the years from 1979 to 2024.
Back L>R: Lofts Condos, Vintage Mercantile, Sweet Shop, Talcott, Redwood, Renwick
Front L>R: Hotel, Barrel Back, Circle Park, Shores Condos
Long-time Walloon Lake resident Lauren Macintyre added the red text to illustrate the massive "Transformation of The Foot" businesses over the years from 1979 to 2024.
Back L>R: Lofts Condos, Vintage Mercantile, Sweet Shop, Talcott, Redwood, Renwick
Front L>R: Hotel, Barrel Back, Circle Park, Shores Condos
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just come back and visit the site often to view the photos.
The design and compilation of the text and photos on this site are copyrighted 2014.
Most posted items will enlarge by "clicking" on them.
"Clicking" on some color highlighted words may access additional information.
just come back and visit the site often to view the photos.
The design and compilation of the text and photos on this site are copyrighted 2014.
Most posted items will enlarge by "clicking" on them.
"Clicking" on some color highlighted words may access additional information.
The Foot of Walloon Lake ~ EARLY YEARS
The Foot of Walloon Lake 1901 – 1903
Map Section shown above is part of the entire 1907 map of Walloon Lake which may be accessed by clicking HERE.
"The Foot" of Walloon Lake includes Walloon Lake Village and is located in Melrose Township.
Photo Below: View of The Foot from up on a hill...
Photo Below: View of The Foot from up on a hill...
The photo below was taken from the vantage of Moira Hill, the Cawthra Property...
showing "The Foot" of Walloon Lake looking at the North Shore.
showing "The Foot" of Walloon Lake looking at the North Shore.
Photo Below: Accompanying text stated: "Someone said, in viewing this picture of Walloon Lake about the turn of the century, that it hasn't changed much. This view shows some of the then downtown area in the wintertime after all of the tourists and resorters had long gone home to the big cities. The main street must have been a dirt road back then, just look at the wagon tracks in the snow." (Compare this photo below top, with the 2014 directly below it, for a similar photo perspective.)
Photo Below: Heading into the Village of Walloon Lake in the Winter
(very similar perspective as the photo above which probably was taken BEFORE cars)
(very similar perspective as the photo above which probably was taken BEFORE cars)
Photo Below: Heading into the Village of Walloon Lake with the new streetscape
and curbing outlining the main street by the new Hotel Walloon
and curbing outlining the main street by the new Hotel Walloon
1904
"Michigan in Summer" Issued by the General Passenger Department Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway
"Michigan in Summer" Issued by the General Passenger Department Grand Rapids & Indiana Railway
1907 ~ FIERCE FIRE AT WALLOON LAKE
"1907 marked disaster for the village. Fire swept through the main street and wiped-out the Grund store, the railroad station, Ransom’s store (on which the insurance had lapsed but the day before), Shepard’s Delicatessen, and the post office. Mr. Ransom bought the Koneta from Mr. Hass and moved it to its present site. The Renwick store." ~ Mildred Burns, longtime Walloon Lake resident
The Citizen
Boyne City Semi-Weekly Newspaper of Tuesday, 6 August 1907
FIERCE FIRE AT WALLOON LAKE
The Resort Town Suffers Damage to Over $25,000 by the Fiery Demon
_____
Most of the Business District
In Ruins, But Hotels
Saved
__
Boyne City Semi-Weekly Newspaper of Tuesday, 6 August 1907
FIERCE FIRE AT WALLOON LAKE
The Resort Town Suffers Damage to Over $25,000 by the Fiery Demon
_____
Most of the Business District
In Ruins, But Hotels
Saved
__
"Monday morning at two o'clock fire started in the rear of William H. Ransom's place of business at Walloon Lake, which proved to be the most disastrous catastrophe of its kind ever known in the history of that beautiful resort. Starting in the rear of the post office building it consumed and absolutely destroyed everything in its fiery grasp. Soon after the post office had start upon its flaming career, Grund's large department store caught, and like a cinder box, it rose in a mass of flames and sank to a lump of ashes. From Grund's the demon fire leaped to the depot, then the grist mill, which lies in the rear of Grund's. Simultaneous with the terrible disaster of the postoffice, the confectionery store belonging to Fred Shepard became a victim of the ever-consuming flames, it burning to the very ground. Not satisfied with the destruction of that splendid edifice the flames swept across the dock, scorching it as they went, to the several buildings owned and occupied by T.L. Belding, among which were a restaurant, a boat house and a temporal home. Thus in but a few brief hours the red brand of fire claimed as its victims the entire business district of Walloon Lake, leaving nothing but smoking ashes.
Sunset Lodge, which was separated only seven feet from the center of the conflagration did not catch also an exceedingly fortunate thing that the large gasoline tank belonging to R.T. Merrill remained untouched had the flames reached that, an explosion so terrific and death-dealing would have invariably ensued that Walloon Lake would have been a thing of the past.
Fred Shepard and B.H. Grund carried considerable insurance, probably $12,000, but the total loss was about $25,0000. Wm. Ransom places his loss at about $6,000, with no insurance.
The editor of The Citizen with a party of business men visited the scene of the conflagration before the fire was even out. Had the gasoline ? igniting ? been in working condition then something might possibly have been saved, but as it was nothing remained once touched by the seething flames.
All northern Michigan extend to the unfortunate resort their right hand in sympathy."
Sunset Lodge, which was separated only seven feet from the center of the conflagration did not catch also an exceedingly fortunate thing that the large gasoline tank belonging to R.T. Merrill remained untouched had the flames reached that, an explosion so terrific and death-dealing would have invariably ensued that Walloon Lake would have been a thing of the past.
Fred Shepard and B.H. Grund carried considerable insurance, probably $12,000, but the total loss was about $25,0000. Wm. Ransom places his loss at about $6,000, with no insurance.
The editor of The Citizen with a party of business men visited the scene of the conflagration before the fire was even out. Had the gasoline ? igniting ? been in working condition then something might possibly have been saved, but as it was nothing remained once touched by the seething flames.
All northern Michigan extend to the unfortunate resort their right hand in sympathy."
The postcard photo below was dated Aug. 5.07,
the actual date of the horrific Walloon Lake Village Fire written about in the news articles above.
the actual date of the horrific Walloon Lake Village Fire written about in the news articles above.
Photo Below: Same photo as used in the above clipping.
Picturesque Walloon published 1911 described on page 12, THE VILLAGE:
"A quiet little hamlet surrounding the G.R. & I. station and steamboat landing, consists of three stores, a bowling, bath house, boat livery, boat factory, four hotels, two churches and post office. A beautiful spring of pure, cold water, one hundred feet above the village, has recently been tapped and piped to the business portion.
We do not boast of electric cars, paved streets and patrol wagons; we have nature's highways and byways leading through the quiet woods, or by the lake---a perfect body of water on which public or private boats may be run whither they will. No dust, no smoke, no noise---just nature's paradise."
"A quiet little hamlet surrounding the G.R. & I. station and steamboat landing, consists of three stores, a bowling, bath house, boat livery, boat factory, four hotels, two churches and post office. A beautiful spring of pure, cold water, one hundred feet above the village, has recently been tapped and piped to the business portion.
We do not boast of electric cars, paved streets and patrol wagons; we have nature's highways and byways leading through the quiet woods, or by the lake---a perfect body of water on which public or private boats may be run whither they will. No dust, no smoke, no noise---just nature's paradise."
Photo Above: The Walloon Lake Public Beach was behind, and next to the trees on the right.
The big letter "M" on the side of the building is the last letter in the owner's name ~ RANSOM.
The big letter "M" on the side of the building is the last letter in the owner's name ~ RANSOM.
Below: 30 August 1912
Photo Below: 1950's of Walloon Lake taken from near the dam at "The Foot"
Photo Below: Remember when roadsides were saturated with billboards? This 1952 article/photo shows specifically US-31 entering Petoskey from the North. About where the car is shown is where M119 branches off toward Harbor Springs. The text does say that "Charles Hayner of the Hayner Service station said that he has ordered removal of a sign on US-131 near the Walloon Lake junction and is taking down two other signs at his station on Spring street near Charlevoix Road.
Walloon Village Blaze Threatened Shopping District
1956
~ The Foot ~
Beachside L>R:
Sail Inn Grill (Starr’s) Later The Keyhole (Now The Shores condominiums); McCutcheon’s Quonset Hut where 17s were built; Brower’s General Store (Mudd’s Day Camp); Master’s Boat Works (Now Circle Park); Si’s Marina > Triton Marina (Now Barrel Back); vacant mucky property became condos or apartments which were razed to now become Hotel Walloon.
To Date the Photo Above:
* Ted McCutcheon’s quonset hut was built in 1946 so after 1946.
* The Starr's Sail Inn Grill building very close to the beach… later the Keyhole is still in the above photo. The present day condos The Shores were going up in 2006, so before 2006.
Brower’s general store, between McCutcheon’s and Master’s boat works, was still standing in the photo.
* A 2 August 1990 newspaper photo/text clipping with both the quonset and Brower’s in the photo… so at least taken after 1990.
* Another photo taken 6 July 2003 shows Brower’s still standing, not sure about the quonset hut still standing then.
* Another 20 April 2007 photo shows Masters and Brower’s were both GONE. so the photo above was taken before 2007… so, close to 2003, probably before 2003.
* The little point-roofed building that had housed MANY businesses, and even the post office is not visible. It was moved farther up around the corner in 1996, so sometime after 1996.
Sail Inn Grill (Starr’s) Later The Keyhole (Now The Shores condominiums); McCutcheon’s Quonset Hut where 17s were built; Brower’s General Store (Mudd’s Day Camp); Master’s Boat Works (Now Circle Park); Si’s Marina > Triton Marina (Now Barrel Back); vacant mucky property became condos or apartments which were razed to now become Hotel Walloon.
To Date the Photo Above:
* Ted McCutcheon’s quonset hut was built in 1946 so after 1946.
* The Starr's Sail Inn Grill building very close to the beach… later the Keyhole is still in the above photo. The present day condos The Shores were going up in 2006, so before 2006.
Brower’s general store, between McCutcheon’s and Master’s boat works, was still standing in the photo.
* A 2 August 1990 newspaper photo/text clipping with both the quonset and Brower’s in the photo… so at least taken after 1990.
* Another photo taken 6 July 2003 shows Brower’s still standing, not sure about the quonset hut still standing then.
* Another 20 April 2007 photo shows Masters and Brower’s were both GONE. so the photo above was taken before 2007… so, close to 2003, probably before 2003.
* The little point-roofed building that had housed MANY businesses, and even the post office is not visible. It was moved farther up around the corner in 1996, so sometime after 1996.
Photo Below:
The Village of Walloon actually has several buildings and businesses with sidewalks to walk...
thanks to Jonathan and Matt Borisch who have been working to rejuvenate
"The Foot" section of the Village of Walloon Lake.
The Village of Walloon actually has several buildings and businesses with sidewalks to walk...
thanks to Jonathan and Matt Borisch who have been working to rejuvenate
"The Foot" section of the Village of Walloon Lake.
Photo Below:
The streetscape includes parking spaces with bump-outs on the main street
(compare to the 2013 photo above).
The streetscape includes parking spaces with bump-outs on the main street
(compare to the 2013 photo above).
Panorama photo below presents a unique surrounding view... standing in front of the Barrel Back Restaurant,
from one end of the main street to the other toward the general store, around, and back to the Barrel Back...
Photo Below: The Foot
The Foot from the panoramic perspective of a bobbing putt putt
The Foot from the panoramic perspective of a bobbing putt putt
Photo Below: The Foot at a distance...
Photos Above and Below:
More of Charles Dawley's remarkable videos and photography can be viewed on his
Drone Photography from Charles Dawley facebook page.
More of Charles Dawley's remarkable videos and photography can be viewed on his
Drone Photography from Charles Dawley facebook page.
So many beautiful views exist of The Foot of Walloon Lake...
this view is from the hillside up behind North Shore Drive (some ice still on the lake)
this view is from the hillside up behind North Shore Drive (some ice still on the lake)
Memories of the Foot ~ by Lauren Macintyre