CHAPTER 3
Land Use Survey:
Analysis of the land use survey (See Figure 14 & Pages 31-33) shows
that North Main Street is dominated by offices, particularly between Division
Street and Locust Street. The majority of the office space found above
shops or restaurants was either associated with the business below or was
unidentifiable. The remaining office space was occupied by banks and
other financial services, the medical and dental professions, lawyers, surveyors
and real estate agents. Residential buildings account for 22.5% of the
land used and are mainly located on the east side of Main Street between Pine
and Nelson Street.
The majority of shops, restaurants and bars are found between Elm Street
and West State Street. There are seven units directly associated with
tourism. Six of the units are gift shops, whilst the seventh is a hotel.
All of the gift shops are located between Elm Street and West State Street,
near the shops and restaurants. There are four vacant lots along North
Main Street, the largest being at the corner of Backus. Recreational
facilities are limited, with only the Kingston Cinema and a paintball suppliers
located along the street. Community buildings include the Post Office
and the Chamber of Commerce Building. Figure 15 shows a Thrift Store
(B9), Gift Shop (F2) and Camera Store (B8) on the west side of North Main
Street between Elm Street and Division Street.
The survey and the analysis also show that the majority of shops, bars and
restaurants along North Main Street are located north of Elm Street.
Figure 16, taken on the corner of Backus looking south, shows a gift shop
(F2) and a Delicatessen (C3) on the right. The blue building on the
left is a jewellery shop (B7). South of Elm Street there are more residential
and office buildings and fewer shops and restaurants. The vast majority
of offices in this part of North Main Street house professional or financial
services. This is in contrast to the offices north of Elm Street, which
are predominantly associated with the businesses below.
Historical Documents:
The information gained from Chamber of Commerce records, the local newspaper,
Hare’s The Centennial History of Cheboygan County (Historical Society of Cheboygan
County, 1996) and Cheboygan Centennial 1889-1989 (Olson & Turner, 1989)
falls into two categories. Firstly, through comparison with the land
use survey, they have provided evidence of change on Main Street since 1850,
when it was laid out, until the present day. Secondly, the historical
documents have provided clues as to how and why Cheboygan has developed in
the way that it has and perhaps more interestingly, given an insight into
how the people of Cheboygan felt about their city in the past.
Main Street
Main Street’s physical development started in 1850 when it was first laid
out as shown in the 1851 Plat (See Figure 10). Fifteen kerosene street
lamps were erected in 1876, but Main Street remained a dirt road until 1886
when a Cedar block pavement was laid. In 1926, Main Street was widened
by narrowing the sidewalks and laying cement in the resulting gap (Turner,
2000; Trahan, 1999; Historical Society of Cheboygan, 1996). Today, Main
Street is being given a facelift and a Victorian Theme (See Figure 17).
Hare’s history of Cheboygan County shows that there were approximately fifty
businesses in and around Cheboygan Village in 1876 (Historical Society of
Cheboygan County, 1996), although Hare’s figure excludes the 42 saloons that
Turner (2000) suggests existed at the time. This omission may be because Hare
was a clergyman. Today, the Cheboygan Area Chamber of Commerce is supported
by over 450 businesses. Figure 18 shows the variety of businesses at
the time of Cheboygan Village’s centenary in 1876 using evidence from several
sources.
Category
|
No.of Businesses
|
Saloons
|
42
|
Shops
|
25
|
Other Mills
|
8
|
Professionals
|
6
|
Hotels
|
6
|
Lumber Mills
|
6
|
Real Estate Agents
|
4
|
Community Buildngs
|
3
|
Newspapers
|
1
|
[Figure 18: Businesses in Cheboygan, circa. 1876.
After Historical Society of Cheboygan, 1996; Turner, 2000 & Olson &
Turner, 1989]
Cheboygan’s first hotel was built in 1851 on Main Street. By 1876,
three more hotels, the Spencer, Heatherington and Ontario Houses, were located
on Main Street (Historical Society of Cheboygan County, 1996; See Figure 19).
Today, none of these hotels survive and there is only one modern motel, located
on the corner of North Main Street and US-23. In the County as a whole
there are now 30 lodging houses or hotels and 3 campgrounds. The 25
shops in Cheboygan included 18 grocers, a baker, 2 drug stores, 2 hardware
stores and 2 booksellers (Historical Society of Cheboygan County, 1996).
The land use survey shows that these types of shop are not found on the Main
Street today. Instead they are located at the out of town Malls and
in some cases, have been replaced by large superstores such as Wal-Mart.
Fire has destroyed many buildings on Main Street, including JC Penny &
Co at 313 North Main Street in 1975. The Fashion Nook now stands in
its place. Other buildings that no longer exist on Main Street include
the former Armoury and Gymnasium on Pine and Main Streets and the Telephone
Building at the corner of Backus and Main Street, which is now Rivertown Cargo.
The Board of Education Offices on Main Street and Mackinaw Avenue, which
were later converted to a cigar factory, have also been replaced (Turner,
2000; Trahan, 1999). Some buildings have survived, however, particularly
those from the 1920s and 1930s. The Carnation Rest and the Loft, which
was advertised in the Cheboygan Daily Tribune in 1926, can still be found
on North Main Street today (Trahan, 1999; See Figure 20).
Cheboygan River & Inland Waterways
The development of the Cheboygan River and the inland waterways has played
an important part in Cheboygan’s history with Olson (in Olson & Turner,
1989) suggesting that it not only gave the city access to the outside world,
but was also behind its growth and survival. A canal and lock were built
on the river in 1867 and its shallow depth was overcome by dredging in 1871
when it was widened and deepened to accommodate larger vessels. In
1939, a turning basin was added near the river mouth to provide access for
large lake vessels (Olson, in Olson & Turner, 1989). Olson (n.d.)
also notes the importance of the river in attracting industry to Cheboygan
and suggests that the river’s clean water helped to bring papermaking to the
city in 1903. Lake fishing also created lots of work in Cheboygan and
in the 1920s, the city shipped “thousands of tons of fish” (Olson & Turner,
1989: p15).
Tourism
The importance of tourism to Cheboygan was noted in 1876, when Hare wrote
to A M Gerow, MD (1876, in Historical Society of Cheboygan, 1996) for his
opinion on Cheboygan as a health resort. Gerow replied by suggesting
that the climate was well suited for the relief of hay fever, consumption,
asthma, bowel complaint and general debility and described Cheboygan as:
“most delightful as well as the
most healthful localities on the continent” (Gerow, ibid: p7)
He also suggested that Cheboygan was well adapted for the:
“overworked professional or businessman
to recuperate his vital powers” (Gerow, ibid: p7)
Since then, Cheboygan has attempted to attract tourists or resorters to
the area, although the emphasis has changed from health resort to fishing,
boating, hunting and other outdoor pursuits. The importance of tourism
to Cheboygan after the decline of the lumber industry is shown by coverage
in the local newspaper. In 1936, the Cheboygan Daily Tribune not only
reported “Resorters Arriving” (See Appendix 6), but that the “Beach &
Park Signs Are Up” for “the convenience of Cheboygan’s summer visitors” (See
Appendix 6). In June 1939, a similar story ran about resorters coming
from Leeland, Mississippi to “spend the summer at their home on Cuyler Street”
(See Appendix 6). In 1957, the opening of the Mackinac Bridge was seen
as good news for the tourist industry (Trahan, 1999). Winter sports
were also important to Cheboygan and the 4 January 1960 edition of the Cheboygan
Daily Tribune reported “New Camp Owners bring ski groups to Long Lake” (See
Appendix 6). In the same edition the effect of nearby tourist attractions
was noted:
“due to be of immeasurable importance
to the Cheboygan County tourist industry, a 31 ft bronze statue of Christ
was raised on the largest wooden cross at the Indian River Catholic Shrine
and a program was began to rebuild the Mackinaw City fort” ( p1)
In the 1960s, Jane Minsky, the Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, described
Cheboygan as “one of the most progressive and most advantageously located
cities in the upper part of the lower peninsula” (Turner, 2000: p7).
She also noted that Cheboygan not only had a greater acreage of inland lakes
than any other county in Michigan, but also hundreds of miles of trout streams
(Turner, ibid). Such statements were not only designed to attract tourists,
but the growing number of people wanting to buy lakefront holiday cottages
(Turner, 2000). Today, tourism remains an important part of Cheboygan’s
economy. The Cheboygan Daily Tribune reported in 2001 that “this year’s
tourist season in Cheboygan County appears to be as strong as that of 2000”
(Adams, 2001: p1) despite the decline in manufacturing and automotive industries
in the southern part of the State.
Interviews:
The information gained from the interviews can be compared to the literature
review, the land use survey and the historical research results. The
local historian and former Mayor (See Appendix 7) identifies the major events
that have effected Cheboygan and suggests how and why Cheboygan has changed,
whilst the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce (See Appendix 8)
and the City’s Chief Executive (See Appendix 9) provide a more contemporary
perspective on change in the City.
The local historian identified the area’s rivers, lakes, and the potential
for the lumbering industry as the reasons for Cheboygan’s initial settlement:
“He settled on the Cheboygan River
because in those days rivers and lakes were the major form of transportation”
“This man brought his family to the
area and then others and the area became more attractive for prospecting in
the lumbering industry”
He also noted that the lumber industry’s success brought connected activities
to Cheboygan, and eventually, the railroad:
“It was a good time for the lumber
industry and side industries grew up; like the wood working industries, shipbuilding
industries and so on”
“In 1904, the Detroit and Mackinac
Railroad came to Cheboygan with the same prospect of taking advantage of the
lumbering industry”
The dredging of the Cheboygan River was seen as essential to the city’s
survival and later development. The former mayor suggested that the
growth of Cheboygan as a port took both trade and importance away from Duncan
City and led to the diversification of industry away from lumber:
“This brought people into Cheboygan
and it became a service community”
The later decline of the lumber industry meant that tourism became increasingly
important to Cheboygan and to the railroad companies. One of the reasons
for the growth of tourism in Cheboygan was that it already had the infrastructure
and communications to support the new industry:
“It was said that we had the freshest
air in the world; the nicest climate in the world and this encouraged these
people to move up here”
“Cheboygan was already a Mecca for
weekenders from the lumbering fields and they had hotels, more bars than you
could care to imagine”
However, tourism was not the only reason for Cheboygan’s survival and growth.
The fact that it had good rail and ferry links south made it a service and
agricultural centre for the northern Lower Peninsula:
“The railroads would bring in supplies
and Cheboygan was the centre of operations. People came to the city to buy
provisions”
“Cheboygan was the local agricultural
centre, farmers would come into town to sell their grain and the railroads
would haul their products out as well”
The importance of Cheboygan’s transport links and their effect on the tourist
industry is also noted, particularly with reference to Interstate 75 and the
Mackinac Bridge:
“The northern part of the State
and Mackinaw City were trying to attract people for the beauty and history
of the area and of course, for the type of service we could provide these
people by selling them land at very cheap prices to build homes on the lakes”
In terms of the Main Street, the local historian suggested that during World
War 2, the shops were individual specialty businesses, which included grocers,
a shoe store, a butchers and a dime store. By the late 1980s,
however, these had been replaced by K-Mart and a supermarket, located at an
out of town mall. Unable to compete with these larger shops, many of
the Main Street businesses closed down:
“… this caused some of the stores
downtown to close down, and the property to be converted to some other utility.
Some were bought and converted to restaurants, others to dollar (thrift) stores,
some to special types of clothing shop. The movie theatre is still
here and there was a donut shop. The major hotel shut right down as
did many of the bars. A couple of hardware stores have survived, but
they are chain stores, such as Ace Hardware”
The coming of K-Mart, and later Wal-Mart, has not necessarily been bad for
Cheboygan and may have improved the local economy:
“Now, we’re beginning to see new
stores. We have the book store down there now”
“It affects our economy because the
tax base has changed. They pay more tax to support the community and
they employ young people”
The local historian saw the recreational potential of the area as the greatest
influence for change in Cheboygan today. However, he was keen to differentiate
between a recreational community and a place of recreation. Cheboygan,
he argued, remained a service centre with a diversified industrial base:
“The greatest influence?
Well, I think it was that the people in the major cities have come up here
and discovered our area as a place of recreation - we are not a recreational
community - but as a place of recreation for themselves privately. We
are close to the major highways but we are isolated. Some people built
their homes way back and can’t be seen at all – they don’t want to be seen
by anybody – and boating is a major recreation in Cheboygan”
Similarly, the Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce (See Appendix
8) saw Cheboygan as a service community and not just a seasonal tourist town.
Big employers include the local hospital, Wal-Mart, Great Lakes Tissue and
Cheboygan Cement. Tourism is, however, an important part of Cheboygan’s
economy:
· Few
of Cheboygan’s businesses closed during the winter and it was the County
seat. She described Cheboygan as a family community and pointed out
that the major grocery stores were located in the City too.
· People
visiting Cheboygan tended to be campers, outdoor enthusiasts or interested
in winter sports.
As for the future, Cheboygan may again be affected by its transport infrastructure
and tourist potential. A second airline using Pellston Regional Airport
could mean increased and cheaper business travel, whilst the Casino planned
for Vanderbilt (south of Indian River) will have a positive impact on Cheboygan
hotels. However, Cheboygan is not the only City in the north that benefits
from good communications:
· A Mall
is being built in Gaylord. This may have a negative affect on Cheboygan
because Gaylord has access to Interstate 75.
The Chamber of Commerce is confident that Cheboygan will prosper and believes
that it has many advantages, including low land prices and an attractive environment.
The Streetscape project in which the Main Street is being given a Victorian
theme is one way in which Cheboygan is hoping to attract visitors, residents
and businesses to Cheboygan:
· Although
many single people leave Cheboygan to find employment and to go to University,
they come back to Cheboygan with their families to start businesses.
· NL described
the Streetscape Project, which is designed to boost the City’s self-esteem
and pride. It is designed to attract new businesses and people to the
area and involves the beautification of the Main Street as well as other projects.
The Cheboygan River and the lakes will also play an important roll in Cheboygan’s
future success:
· Cheboygan
is also building a new marina to attract boaters to the area during the summer.
Leisure and tourism are growing areas of interest for Cheboygan, particularly
Lighthouse tourism and Bois Blanc Island.
The City of Cheboygan’s Chief Executive (See Appendix
9) also saw recreation and tourism as important to the city, with the river
and lakes providing the main attraction:
· Recreation
is of growing importance to Cheboygan and a high priority.
· People
want to visit the rivers and lakes nearby.
Cheboygan has responded to these demands by revitalising Main Street through
infrastructure development and storefront renovation. The street has
been given a Victorian theme not only to attract visitors, but also to improve
the quality of life in Cheboygan for its residents:
· The
aim is to make Cheboygan an even nicer place to live, improve the quality
of life in the area and to attract business.
The City Manager was also aware of the importance of maintaining and improving
the city’s recreational attractions to achieve these aims:
· The
City is improving recreational opportunities through the development of a
marina and the building of a footbridge and walkways along the riverbank.
The results from the land use survey, documentary research and interviews
show that Cheboygan and the Main Street have changed since 1850. In
the past, a changing economy, fire and the growth of the out of town malls
influenced the change along Main Street. Today, Main Street is being
renovated to meet the demands of the tourist industry and to attract new business
to the area. The key themes identified as reasons for change in Cheboygan
were the lumber industry, rail and road communications and the tourism potential
of the area. Behind all of these, however, were the Cheboygan River
and the system of inland waterways, which provided the initial reason for
settlement, power for the lumber industry’s sawmills, a means of transportation
and more recently, tourist activities such as fishing and boating.
![[Figure 15: West side of North Main Street between Elm Street and Division Streets. Photo: Author]](image10.jpg){kind=link}
![[Figure 16: Looking South along N Main Street from Backus. Photo: Author]](image11.jpg){kind=link}
![[Figure 17: Main Street Redevelopment. Photo: Author]](image12.jpg){kind=link}
![[Figure 19: The Spencer House Hotel Advertisement. Historical Society of Cheboygan County, 1996]](image13.jpg){kind=link}
![[Figure 20: The Carnation & The Loft. Source: Author]](image14.jpg){kind=link}