Lake Leelanau
Encyclopedia
Lake Leelanau lies in the Leelanau Peninsula
of the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The entire lake -- which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau -- covers about 8608 acres (35 km²) and lies within Leelanau County
. The lake is also sometimes known as Carp Lake.
, which runs for one mile (1.6 km) to Lake Michigan
. Between North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau the water narrows for about a mile near the unincorporated community of Lake Leelanau
.
A bridge crosses the narrows on M-204
. Just south of the bridge is Fountain Point
, an historic and scenic landmark as well as a popular summer resort.
On the southern end, South Lake Leelanau ends in a marshy area fed by several small creeks, and the waters access the community of Cedar in Solon Township
.
Lake Leelanau runs 21 miles (34 km) through the middle of the Leelanau Peninsula; it is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) at its widest. The south lake includes 5693 acres (23 km²), the north lake includes 2914 acres (12 km²), and the lakes have a total shoreline of about 41.2 miles (66.3 km). The south lake has an average depth of 24 feet (7.3 m), and a maximum depth of 62 feet (18.9 m); the north lake has an average depth of 40 feet (12.2 m) and a maximum depth of 121 feet (36.9 m).
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an Indian agent for the territory, was credited with formally naming the county, and was said to use Leelinau as a character in his writing. See Leelanau County
for a more complete discussion of the etymology of the name.
Scholars have established, however, that Leelinau was first used as a pen name by Schoolcraft's wife Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
, in writings for The Literary Voyager, a family magazine which she and her husband wrote together in the 1820s. Jane Johnston was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish descent, and wrote in Ojibwe and English. While her writing was not published formally in her lifetime (except as Schoolcraft appropriated it under his own name), Jane Johnston Schoolcraft has been recognized as "the first Native American literary writer, the first known Indian woman writer, the first known Indian poet, the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language, and the first known American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories." In 2008 Jane Johnston Schoolcraft was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
Leelanau Peninsula
The Leelanau Peninsula is a peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan that extends about from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan into Lake Michigan. Leelanau County encompasses the entire peninsula. It is often referred to as the "little finger" of the mitten-shaped lower peninsula.Sleeping Bear Dunes...
of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The entire lake -- which includes two bodies of water, usually referred to as North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau -- covers about 8608 acres (35 km²) and lies within Leelanau County
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
. The lake is also sometimes known as Carp Lake.
Location
Lake Leelanau connects on the northwest to the Leland RiverLeland River
The Leland River is a short river in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in the unincorporated community of Leland, the river is about one-mile long and connects Lake Leelanau with Lake Michigan, winding past historic Fishtown, a dam and two restaurants. The dam was built in 1854 and it raised...
, which runs for one mile (1.6 km) to Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. Between North Lake Leelanau and South Lake Leelanau the water narrows for about a mile near the unincorporated community of Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau, Michigan
Lake Leelanau is an unincorporated community in Bingham Township, Leelanau County, Michigan, near the lake of the same name. It is situated along M-204 at the "narrows" that separate North & South Lake Leelanau.-History:...
.
A bridge crosses the narrows on M-204
M-204 (Michigan highway)
M-204 runs across the Leelanau Peninsula between Leland and Suttons Bay in the northwestern Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. Originally a gravel road, it was later paved, and still later was relocated in Lake Leelanau...
. Just south of the bridge is Fountain Point
Fountain Point
Fountain Point is an historic landmark located in Suttons Bay Township, Michigan, which is part of Leelanau County and the Leelanau Peninsula. Its name is derived from a fountain of sparkling artesian spring water, situated on a large point on Lake Leelanau, which has been continuously gushing...
, an historic and scenic landmark as well as a popular summer resort.
On the southern end, South Lake Leelanau ends in a marshy area fed by several small creeks, and the waters access the community of Cedar in Solon Township
Solon Township, Leelanau County, Michigan
Solon Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,542 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
.
Lake Leelanau runs 21 miles (34 km) through the middle of the Leelanau Peninsula; it is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) at its widest. The south lake includes 5693 acres (23 km²), the north lake includes 2914 acres (12 km²), and the lakes have a total shoreline of about 41.2 miles (66.3 km). The south lake has an average depth of 24 feet (7.3 m), and a maximum depth of 62 feet (18.9 m); the north lake has an average depth of 40 feet (12.2 m) and a maximum depth of 121 feet (36.9 m).
History
Native Americans who first inhabited the area called this land "ke-ski-bi-ag," which means "narrow body of water," and called the lake itself "lee-lan-au," which means "delight of life."Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, an Indian agent for the territory, was credited with formally naming the county, and was said to use Leelinau as a character in his writing. See Leelanau County
Leelanau County, Michigan
-History:The county's name is said to be a Native American word meaning "delight of life", but it is a neologism made up by Indian agent and ethnographer Henry Schoolcraft, who sometimes gave the name "Leelinau" to Native American women in his tales. He created many faux Indian place names in...
for a more complete discussion of the etymology of the name.
Scholars have established, however, that Leelinau was first used as a pen name by Schoolcraft's wife Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft
Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, also known as Bamewawagezhikaquay is the first known American Indian literary writer. She was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish ancestry...
, in writings for The Literary Voyager, a family magazine which she and her husband wrote together in the 1820s. Jane Johnston was of Ojibwa and Scots-Irish descent, and wrote in Ojibwe and English. While her writing was not published formally in her lifetime (except as Schoolcraft appropriated it under his own name), Jane Johnston Schoolcraft has been recognized as "the first Native American literary writer, the first known Indian woman writer, the first known Indian poet, the first known poet to write poems in a Native American language, and the first known American Indian to write out traditional Indian stories." In 2008 Jane Johnston Schoolcraft was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.