More than 100 Years of local history

Fog Bell on Harbor Point

- about 1900

In Tranquil Refuge

The Story Of
Harbor Point
By Mary Ann Voorheis

This report is here republished from

the account prin ted inthe Harbor Light
newspap e r, is s ue dated August 12. 1971.
The author , at th.:: time a teacher here
based her re por t on research compiled
for an advanc ed untversity degree.
All photographs depicting life long ago
are from the collecte d historic
ph otos provided by Josephine Ford.

Reprinte d from the Harbor Light n e w s paper

by North Country Publishing Corporatio n,
Harbor Springs, Michigan

Fro1n

Indian Times
T be Early Years -

The earliest mention of Harbor Point is found

in Ottawa legend. Me-ne-sha-ing (later to become
Harbor Point)was seen as an island separated from
the mainland by a great expanse of water. Because
of this barrier, the island was seldom visited by
man and abounded in wild life.
During this period the Ottawas were ruled by a
Great Spirt, Potch-i-nong, possessor of awesome
"magic" and power. From the Isle of Mackinac,
a land where "fairy-beings" dwelled, he presided
over his mortal subjects as well as many unearthly
beings.
Potch-i-nong's greatest treasure was the benutlful
Wa-ka-sa-mo-qua his only daughter. But from his
greatest source of pleasure sprung deep pain; Waka-sa-mo-qua was not contented with her immortal
companions and against her father's wishes chose
to mingle with mortals. It was not long before
she fell in love with a mortal chief, Wen-de-bajig.
Poreh-i-nong, not wanting his name disgraced,
pleaded with his daughter to abandon her foolishness and marry the person of his chosing, a wealthy and powerful Southern Motchimanitou. His attempts were unsuccessful. Tiring of his headstrong

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daughter P otch-i-nong s ecretly made plans to have

Wen-de-be-jig put to death.
When Wa-ka.- sa-mo-qua learned of her father 's
plans, she left the F ai ry Island to be with her lover.
She encased him in a cloud making him both invis ible and immortal. They t ravelled by canoe to
Me-ne-sha-ing small island in Little T raverse
Bay.
They lived there for many months, undis turbed.
Their happiness was shattered when Wen-de- ba-jig
returned from a flsj!Jng trip to find Wa-ka.-sa-moqua missing and a deep pool where his lodge had
been.
Before him stood the Motchi manltou who
told him that he had taken his wife to dwell with
him beneath the waves. He mockingly added he
would return her when the island and mainland we r e
connected by solid ground.
Knowing a Great Spirit never breaks his word,
the grief-stricken, but detf'rmined, young Ottawa set
out to accomplish this fete. He worked dlllgently
for many centuries carrying sawdust from a local
m111 and dumping 1 into the pooL He had succeded
in joining the island to the mainland, except the spot
where the pool stood, which was beyond his power.
Wen-de-ba-jig was pleased with his success and
summoned the Motchimanitou, only to hear him shout
demoniacally that until the pond was filled he would
never s ee his wife. The task proved too great for
him and he was never re-united with Wa-ka.-sa-moqua.
The pool that separated these two lovers was
named by the Ottawas Devns Pond, and the island
kaown to them as Me-ne-sha-ing, through the tireless work or Wen-de-ba-jig, became an arm of
Little Traverse Bay, known today as Harbor Point.
Harbor Point was owned by the Ottawas until
the early 1800's when Fathe r Welka.mp, a catholic
priest, bought the property for $100, intending it
to be the site for a mission. However, the r eligious activity outgrew the small peninsula and the
priest moved his mission to a larger t ract of land
in Cross Village.

Association
Purchased
The Point
In 1878

Father

Establishing the resort -

In 1878, a group of Lansing business men, tired

of the monotonous routine of city life, started for

the woods of Northern Michigan, They pitched their

tents on what is now known as Harbor Point. The
men remained several weeks, enjoying the beauty of the
scenery. They fished in the clear waters of the
bay and slept under the tall trees that formed a
natural park.
When the men returned to their homes in Lansing they described their refreshing sojourn in
Northern Michigan to others, and suggested buying
the tract of land on which they had camped. Their
enthusiasm spread. The land was soon purchased
from :"'ather Weikamp for $12,000,
This group decided to form a stock company for
the care and improvement of the property. On
Angust 28th 1878, the Harbor Point Association
was formally organized under the statutes of Michigan, with a capital stock of $2:)00 and the power
to increase it to $10,000. The stock was divided
into shares of $25. Each stockholder was required
to own at least four shares. He was then entitled

to the use of a lot for a tent or cottage site, or he

could board at the hotel which was soon to be constructed on the Point. Annual dues were established,
to be paid by each stockholder, L'ld by 1879 the
first nineteen shares of stock were sold.
It was further decided to establish a Board of
Directors to manage all affairs of the Association.
The board was to consist of five directors, to be
elected annually, the first Monday in August, at a
meeting of the Association. The first board included: B.F.Simons, President; Eugene Angell, treasurer;
N.B. Jones, secretary; A. Beamer and
S.D. Bingham-all residents of Lansing. The board
selected August Melching to serve as superintendent
of Harbor Point.
In early spring of 1879, the work of improvements
on the grounds began. A landscape gardener was
employed and the property soon laid out in lots
and parks, through which circled walks and drives.
A hotel was built and later enlarged in 1882, to
meet the needs of increasing membership. Ground
for cottages or tents was leased "upon application
to the president; and to those availing themselves
of this; board at reduced rates" was furnished
at the hotel.
Several cottages were soon built.
The early resort was described by a guide to
Northern Michigan in 1879:
"Four miles from P etoskey, across the bay, aresort recently laid out by an association of Lansing gentlemen, is found. It consists of a finelyshaded park of fifty ac res, situated on the cape
stretching southeast of the Indian village of Little
Traverse (soon to be changed to Harbor Springs).
The land is high and rolling, descending to the water
on the one side gradually and on the other abruptly,
and c ommanding the magnificent view in one direction of Little Traverse Bay and in the other of
the circling hills from Petoskey around to Little
Traverse. On one side the calm waters, sheltered

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upon the sandy beach, afford not only a wild and
beautiful view,
but surfbathing unsurpassed anywhere on the lakes. The best of fishing abounds
in the bay."
Se;reral external factors were working with the
newly-formed association to make possible its early
poi)ularity and growth. In 1875 and 1876, much of
the land of Harbor Springs was thrown open for
settlement, bringing a great influx of people. By
1881 the population was great enough to warrant
incorporation as a village government. In 1880
the railroad connected with Petoskey, enabling vacationers to travel to Petoskey directly by train, and
from there to travel to Harbor Springs, and later
to Harbor Point by steamer or carriage.
With the growing number of vacationers to Harbor Springs and the increase of traffic in Little
Traverse Bay, came the need for a harbor light
to direct steamships. Thus, a lighthouse was erected
at the tip of Harbor Point in 1884 and the beacon
was officially turned on September 25, 1884.
Coast Guard records described it as a "harbor
light of the fourth order, with a classical 1ens.. a fixed
red beam visible for 13 statute miles.''
M.rs. Daniel Williams, a Nidow,

Dressed in their boating best, ev'!n

the ladies bad a turn at the oars.

was employed

as light house keeper and resided in living quarters

in the light.house. She occupied this posltio!l
for
thirty years, retiring in 1913.

from the winds and waves, offer the greatest inducements to the lovers of boating; on the other,
waves rolling in an unbroken sweep from Lake Michigan, capped with white and breaking ceaselessly

In 1886 the hotel which was privately leased by

a Mr. Campbell for several years,beeame the source
of great dissatisfaction among the stockholders and
their guests, concerning the service and the charges.
One woman who had stayed at the hotel a week with
her two children and a maid complained she had
been charged the ex,J!'blta.'lt sum of $50 for her stay.

50 Room Club House

the Association for operating

Cost Only $20,000

the hotel:

Accept no guests ''of questionable moral

character or anyone possessing peculiarities of race
or religion".

The growing number of complaints caused the Ass<Y.:iation to formulate plans to build a club house
that they would operate themselves.
In the years that followed, plans were drawn up
for the club house. On September 14, 1895, the
building contract went to John Jackson who had bid
$13,000 to erect the structure, promising June 1,
1896 as the completion date. By May of that year,
Jackson found the cost and work so much greater
than he had estimated, he soon fell behind in his
work. The Association found it necessary to make
other arrangements for the completion of the club
house.
On June 10, 1897, Harbo-:- Pomts Club House was
finished and a formal opening was held. The final
expanses totaled over $20,000.
There were 50
rooms in the original building, which later expanded
to 150.
In that same year, J.H.Holmes of Pasadena, California was hired from among fifteen applicants to
be the first club house manager at $1200 per season.
He took with him a ~hef and waiter, paying the che~
$500 a season, the waite:-, $25, including meals but not
board.
Mr. Holmes received the

following rules from

Bellhops at Harbor Point club house.

-About 1901

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The club house rates were posted byHarborPoint's

Board of Directors, with General G. S. Wormer of

Detroit serving as chairman. stockholders could

take meals in the dlnlng room for $8 a week and
guests of stockholders, $10.50 a week. Maids and
children were to be charged $6. Lodgers were to
pay $2.50 to $4.00 a day, which included meals.
The growth in Harbor Point and other summer
resorts of Little Traverse Bay brought a greater
need for transportation to the area. By 1897 the
Harbor Springs area was highly favorable, both
by rail and water.

T he steamer ferry traveled from Harbor Spring s to Harbor

Point, Wequetons ing, Roaring Brook, Bay View and Petoskey.

The steamers of Northern Michigan Transportation Co. and of the L.M.&L.'S.

Transportation
Co., made regular calls at Harbor Springs, and the
G.R. and L Railway Company r&:l several trains
dally to the village throughout the year. During
the season, three ferry steamers ply the bay between Petoskey and Harbor Springs.
Three times each week a steel steam ship, the
Manitou of the Lake Michigan and Lake SUperior
Transportation Company arrived at Harbor Springs
from Chicago, going from Harbor Springs to Mackinac Island and back over the route to Chicago. Harbor Point residents could land at Harbor Springs
and transfer by ferry to Harbor Point, less than
a mlle's distance.
A ferry service was also available to provide
transportation to resort residents throughout the
season.
A ferry service was maintained between the resorts
at the head of Little Traverse Bay the steamers
Ha~l and Adrienne making frequent trips between
Petoskey and Harbor Springs, touching at Bay View,
Roaring Broot. Wequetonsing, and Harbor Point.

These vess els gr eatly reduced the r unning time between Harbor Springs, Harbor Point and the other
resorts on the bay to 45 minutes so that in 1897
a boat left each terminal every 45 minutes . Resorters were offered commutation tickets is sued in
connection with the G.R. & I. Railway, giving forty
rides by boat or rail fo r $2. 50. Fare between
points was 15~ and r ound trip fare was 25~. Anothe r
steamer, the Friant, r an a ferry line between Petos key, Bay VieN, Ro'lring Brook, Harbo r Point
and Harbor Springs.

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Before the buildup

Harbor Springs and Harbor Point circa 18 27 - 1830 .

This photo
predates a lighthouse or any building on Harbor Point. The town,
th en known as Little Traverse, re veals littl e enough building itself.
The church was built of logs and covered with bark.

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C. R. Wright possibly sold
Editors note: Although there are no deeds, there
is so me indication that F ather Weikamp was not the
fi r st white man to own Ha r bor P oint. C.R. Wright
moved to the P oint f r om Beaver Island in 1852,
and r eturned there in 1855, after the tyrant King
Strang was killed. Father Weikamp a rrived here
in 1855, so it is possible that Mr. Wright bought
it from the Indians in 1852 or before, and then sold it
to Father Weikamp when he left in 1855.
Mrs. J .M. Root of Bluff Drive in Ha rbor Springs,
and granddaughter of C.R. Wright, recalls hearing
when she was young that her grandfather owned it.
She satd,"When I was growing up I always heard that
he had been the first one to own Harbor Point,
and had sold it to a Catholic Priest for $150."
The"Emmet Co:mty Graphic's" obituary of Mrs.
Root's mother in 1936 started this way, "Mrs. May
At kinson pass ed away at Detroit Tuesday night afte r
s uffering fr om an illness for several yea rs. Mrs.
Atkinson was born on August 1, 1856 on Harbor
Point, the first white child born on the Point, and at
that time her father owned Harbor Point ."
The "Chicago T r ibune's" obituary of C. R. Wright
tells of how he came to own Harbor Point .
"The death of Charles R. Wright a pioneer of the
Little T raverse bay region, ends the career of a
unique figure in the history of northern Michigan
He was born in New York state in 1825, but before
he was of age struck out for the newer count ry with
grit and the c opper trade as his resources. Landing
At Mackinac Island in 1846 he took a partner and
soon found himself among the Indian and half breed
fishermen on Beaver Island in Lake Michigan.
Here he was later ma rried to an Ohio girl and continued working at his trade until the ascendency and
disturbance of the mormons under King Strang, in
1852, at which time he purchas ed and moved his family to what is now Harbor Point.
"At this place he occupied the present s ite of
the Goodrich cottage and finally sold the whole point
for $150, many years before it was drea med of as
a popular and wealthy summer resort . In 1855

Harbor Point to Weikamp

be returned to Beaver Island and engaged in the

mercantile business with considerable success unttl

1881, when he opened a general store at Little
Traverse - now Harbor Springs where he has Uved
a busy and useful life since that time. He had
always been active in political and rellgious work.
He was president of the v1llage in 1883 and 1884
clerk of the county two years and postmaster in
1884-1888.
Out of 14 children 9 survive him7 sons and 2 daughters, one of whom is Mrs. H.J.
Atkinson, the first child born of Harbor Point, now
residing at Harbor Springs"
Elizabeth Whitney W1111ams, who was a long time
resident of Beaver Island, then Ught keeper at
Harhor Point for many years, and probably knew
C.R. Wright, traces him throughout her book, Child
of the SeaJ published in 1905e Excerpts follow:

Mr. CR. Wright, also another man from New York

State, settled at Cable's dock and carried on a
large c ooper shop to supply the barrels for the
fishermen, which became a great industry.
p.153
Mr. Alva Cable, Wrights and many other fam1lies
went to Little Traverse, no Harbor Springs, my
two brothers going with them. p. 184 Mr. C.R.
Wright and famlly had returned to the island, starting a large cooper shop and employing a number
of workmen. p. 187 Later George Peckham sold his
interest to Mr. Wright and then the firm was known
as C.R. Wright & Son. The business grew, as thousands of barrels of fish were caught and shipped
every season. It soon became equal to the fish market at Mackinac Island, It being nearer to most of
the fishing .grotmd5.. p. 210 Mr. C.R. Wright was
elected to the state Legislature at Lansing that winter
in Fairport, Ohio. p. 220 Later Mr. C.R. Wright
and son, also one of the old pioneers of the island
who had carried on the fish business so many years,
sold his dock property
and
building, moving to
Harbor Springs, still continuing in the dry goods
business.

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McDuffie Cottage
Boas ted A Graceful
rrBridgeway''
Harbor Point became a JX>pular resort as early
as the latter part of the nineteenth century, drawing
enthusiasts from Louisville, Chicago, St. Louis,
Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Detroit, Grand Rapids and
other u.s. cities. Among these was Mrs.John McDuffie who, at the age of four, vacationed with her
family at a Point Cottage in 1895.
Mrs.
McDuffie's earliest recollection of life on
the Point was that renters had to take their meals
at the hotel, and that'' .... children, ten years and under
had to have their meals with their nurses in what
was termed the Ordinary.".
Mrs. McDuffie's family was so charmed with
the Point that the following year they purchased a
cottage, which she later described :
Number nineteen was called the Bridgeway Cottage, because a bridge-like walk extended from the
front porch, high ove r the boardwalk below and end-

ing in>platform with benches, out at the edge of the

water. ''Mother thought it ugly, so It was later removed. The cottage was on high ground, the steps
going up from the side. Before we arrived, every
spring a gardener planted the hillside in alternating
rows of fern and bright red geraniums.
"There was no electricity then, and there was a
lovely custom of all the "cottages", every evening
ha_1ging oil lanterns, with different colored glass
sides, between each column of their porches, the
effect from the harbor was jewel-like and gay, adding
to the glory of the stars, so brilliant in the northern sky."
The life of Harbor Point residents was filled
.with bustling activity. Mrs. McDuffie recalled.
Many beautiful yachts :anchored; in the harbo r in
those days and there were gay dinner parties aboard
for friends ashore. Also, there were three very
large passenger ships. The Northland, the Northwest and the Manitou came up from Chicago every
week. "We would watch the horizon from the bay
s td~ of the Point and when the first faint plume of
smoke showro, we prepared to walk to Harbor Springs and be on the wharf when the great ship docked.
It was a gay scene, all the girls in their summer
dresses and parasols-gay young blades in striped
blazers and white flannel pants, greeting guests as
they arrived from Chicago and whirling them away
to their cottages in surreys, over roads, ankle deep
in sweet smelUng tanbark. "
Adcling to the traffic in the bay was a side-wheeler,
the Michigan, which anchored in the bay several
days each summer. It was the training ship for the
cadets at the Great Lakes Training station and was
"literally teeming with white-clad gobs.''
By 1899 the cottage Mrs. McDuffie's family occupied like many others on the Point, was equipped

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19
with electricity and modf'rn hath ro,,m facilit iPs . With
these new c onveniencf.'s, thf' fa mil y s till kt-rt a rain
barr el, cover ed "'ith c hf'es f'-clot h, for fa milY shampoos when the hair dressf.'r w0uld comf.' onr from
Harbor Springs.
In further recollections, \Irs. \lcDuffie recallf.'d
the domestic situation of the Point:
"Our dear old Irish cook. Bridget ~olan. still had
to prepare food for twelve or fourteen people (we
a.ways had guests) on an old wood-burner stove.
Her corn puddings were famous, and we thought
everything was good. Her :1tece, \Iamie ~olan, was
our housemaid and the washing was taken to Harbor
Sp:-ings by an Indian woman. I can see her now
bringing the big baskets up the boardwalk, heapf.'d
high with starched petticoats. She always wore a
sedate,long , black taffeta skirt-a high collarf.'d white
blouse and a sailor hat, and was accompanlf.'d by one
or more little Indians to help pull the expressw a~ons and baskets. "

gami ng for money is prohibited on the g rounds of the

assoc ia tion.

No cotta g e to be built of less value than $300

No dogs wm be allowed on the grounds of the ass ociation during the resort season .
No c otta ges shall be erected on the grounds of the
a s sociation of a less value than three hundred dollars,
nor shall any building be erected theron without the
consent of the Board of Directors.

The beach a t Harbor Point, west of the

ferry dock; th e boat shelters colorfully decorated

.\o Ga mblin g on the Grounds

In the early 1900's, the Harbor Point As sociation
was made up of 67 stockholders. The increasing
number of summer vacationers made it necessary
fo r the Board of Directors to set bylaws. They
were statf.'d : No fishing will be permitted in the
waters surrounding ground of the association, nor
will the playing of games, such as cards, billiards,
teo p:ns, ball, croquet, etc., be permitted on the
grounds of the association on the first day of the
week, commonly called Sunday,
No bathing without proper clothing will be permitted in the waters surrounding the grounds of the
association. Any person violating this law will be
dealt with to the fullest extent of the statute.
The sale or use of intoxicating liquors and all

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Harbor Point residents enjoyed a further increase

in transportation means in the 1900's. By the
early 1900's a privately owned taxi service was in
operation, with a station near the hotel on Harbor
Point and one in Harbor Springs. More than ten
horsedrawn carriages accommodated s ummer res idents who wished transportation to and from town.
In 1907 Bill Perry operated the carriage service
which was later extended to include a delive r y
service for the resorters. The carriage would pick
up luggage at the train terminal or boat dock in
Harbor Springs and deliver it to the Point. Perry
recalled that the average family travelled with at
least five trunks.
August Melching, who had been superintendent since
the origin of the Point, r etired in the early 1900's
followed by a Mr. Bar ton and next, Percy Blaisdell,
each serving short ter ms. Jesse Hill, who had been
employed as an agent for one of the lar ge steamship
compani es , was made superintendent of Harbor Point,
He retir ed in 1924 and was r eplaced by Vern Cummings.
In 1910 an ice s ervice was made available to
Harbor Point. It was operated by Guy Ingalls, and continued thr ough the late 1940's when electric r efrigeration came into existence. Ingall' s crew would cut
large c hunks of ice from the f rozen wate r s of Lake
Michigan and store them in an icehous e on the bay,
using large quantities of sawdust from local lumber
mills to keep the ice frozen until the s umer. When
summer came, the crew delivered the lee by horse
and carriage to resorters on the Point.
The lighthouse of Harbor Point, which had been
built in 1884, became the source of debate in the
1920's when the officers of several lumber schooners
advised the citizens of Harbor Springs that the
red light should actually be white because white

Lightho use Beacon

Irritated Co ttager
was t he color used for lighthouses on the port s ide
of ships ente ring the ha rbor, and r ed was for starboard s ide beacons . It was 1932 before this mistake
was discovered in Washington. The lighthouse keepe r,
then A.C. Eric kson, was soon o rdered to remove the
red s hade and let t he white light serve to wa rn of
the r ocky point.
The sum mer afte r the ad justment wa s made, Pointers returned for the s eason, distr essed to find
the white light flooding their cottages all night long.
They c i rc ulated petitions, requesting a shade of a
more delicate hue, and sent them to Washington.
Washington was s y mpa~ hetic and allowed Erickson
to purchase a green shade. Later, in 1949, the first
U. S. Coas t Guard lighthous e require ments were established. Har bor Point's green beacon met the requirements, but it was necessary for " a boatswa in' s
mate 1/c and a seaman to operate it. Erickson
let t the pos t and was replaced by sea man Roswell
Thomas a;1d his fa mily who mo ved into t he living
quarters beneath the light tower.
In 1929, the Harbor Point Association strengthened
the vital link between the Point and Ha r bor Springs
when it contracted the P hister Brothers Company to
build a ferr y, the Pointer, to transport the c ottage

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dwellef s to and from town. The ferry was built
in Harbor Springs, and began its rounds the nex:t year.
It would stop at two docks on the Point, taxi the
passenge rs to the main dock in Ha rbor Springs
and then make a r eturn t rip to the Point, completing
nume r ous runs da ily.

Chan ges In More R ecent Ye ars

More recent years have brought many c hanges to
the appearance of Harbor Point.
In 1960, due
to a personnel shortage in the Coast Guard, it was
necessary to replace the manually operated light with
a rotating, automatic green beacon, placed closer to
the end of the Point. In 1963 the government sold
the lighthouse and its property to the Association,
who in turn sold back a small portion of ground to
the government for the construction of the new light.
Since October 23, 1963 the lighthouse has served
a;; t he home of the Point's caretaker, Fenton Rhine
and his family. In 1962, because of the popularity
and increase of boats in the harbor, the Association
discontinued the use of the Pointer and sold it to
private owners. In 1964 the Association purchased
horses and carriages and presently operates the few
carriages that are left on the Point. Bill Perry,
operator of the service since
1907 retired, cormmenting, '' I guess people just don't wear as many
clothes. Nowadays, they a rrive by auto~and carry
clothes in a small suitcase."
P e rhaps the greatest change that occurred on the
Point was in 1963, when the hotel, which had operated
continuously for 65 years, was torn down, signalling
the end of a resort era. The club house had been
like many of the ea rly resort hotels, offering a grand

style of living that wealthy res ort families were

used to. Besides lodging and dining facUlties, the
hotel bad housed a library, barber shop, a beauty
salon, a nurse's station, U.S. P ost Office and other
conveniences. T he hotel' s last manager, O.E. P a rker,
gave as the reason the lack of rail facUlties to the
North, since trains no longer we re the main means
of transportation. The Acme Wr ecking Company of
Saginaw razed the structure in September of that
year and grass was planted.
Still other changes were noted by two earlier
Point residents. Vern Cummings, former superintendent for ~ the Association, mentioned. the installation
of garage stalls at the entrance for the r esorters'
automobiles, the black-topping of many of the Point's
trails, and addition of a sewage disposal system.
Mrs. McDuffie returned to the resort in 1965 after
a lapse of some years, noting cement walks had
replaced the boardwalks she travelled as a girl, and
Guy Ingall's ice bouse near the entrance to the
Point was gone, as well as the house of Percy Blaisdell, onetime superintendent for the Association.

Harbor Point Today

Although many changes have taken place at Har bor
Point, an atmosphere of the last century is still
maintained there, today. The cottages are in keeping
with a Hth -century theme, and only horse-drawn
vehicles are allowed on the resort during the season.
Residents of the Point enjoy recreational facilities
unsurpassed in the North. On the grounds are:
clay tennis courts, lawn courts, archery targets,
boat docks, and a putting course. A two-story recreation hall on the Point provides a large dance
floor, a billiard roo m, gym facilities and four bowling
alleys. The Association also owns and maintains
a well-kept golf course on the outskirts of Harbor
Springs. Adjoining the course is a clubhouse which

contains members and their guests. The course

as well as Harbor Point is managed by superintendent, James Kilborn .
Edward Kelbel is the
resident golf pro for the links.
The children on the Point participate in a recreation program which operates six days a week
in July and August. The program is run by Barry
Aspenleiter and his wife. Lessons in tennis, golf,
archery and other spo r ts are offered as well as
supervised swimming, tea m s ports, games, and arts
and crafts .
Further recreation is available to Point r esidents
and those of other resorts through the Little Harbor
Club. The private club has an outdoor swimming
pool, ~ ennis courts, dining facilities and much more,
ma.king it a center for summer social activities.
The Little Harbor Club is adjacent to the Point on
the bay, but is not connected with the Association.
Why does Harbor Point continue to attract the
elite families of America? Upon pondering this
question, Vern Cumming answered, Most of these
people have seen the world, but they tell me they
return to Harbor Springs for three reasons. First
they like the summer climate. Second, they say the
s-: :enery is unmatchable anywhere in the world. And
third, they enjoy being with people they have known
for years.

And the story continues each summer