Bay Mills - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Bay Mills - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Profile of Bay Mills, with candid descriptions of attractions, recommended restaurants, lodgings, campgrounds."> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">  <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16592122-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script>  <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="45%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left" class="tinyfont"> We welcome your feedback & experiences.<br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> </b> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="63%" height=82 bgcolor="#306799" align="center" valign="top"> <table cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="/images/online_words.gif" width=386 height=13 alt="The online version of the popular regional travel book""><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=2 alt="---"><br> <nobr><font color="#FFFFFF" size="+2" face="Georgia,Times New Roman,Times"><b>Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA</b></font></nobr><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=7 alt="---"><br> <img src="/images/candid_words.gif" width=391 height=13 alt="A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P."> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" rowspan=3>  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=9 height=25 alt="|"></td> <td width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#99CCFF" cellpadding=6 width=160 height=209 style="border: 3px solid #000000; " > <tr> <td valign="top"> <B> JUST OUT!</B> A new edition of <I>Hunts' Mapguide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula</I>. Over 300 entries, all conveniently located on maps and chosen because we think they are the coolest things to do in the U.P. (No ad tie-ins!) Great choices for restaurants, hikes, shops, adventures, museums, boat trips, waterfalls, vistas, road trips, and much more! To learn more click <A HREF="http://www.hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html">UP MAP GUIDE</a> </td> </tr> </table> <br> <p>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Back to Sault Ste. Marie</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>BAY MILLS<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e974"><b>Mission Hill/Spectacle Lake Overlook.</b></a> A delightful, easily missed spot with memorable scenic panoramas of the Point Iroquois Light, occasional freighters, and the Soo Locks. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_mission_hill_spectacle_lake_overlook.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e975"><b>Monocle Lake.</b></a> A well-stocked 172-acre lake with a beach, floating fishing dock, and 2-mile hiking trail ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_monocle_lake.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e976"><b>Point Iroquois Light Station & Museum.</b></a> Memorable 1870 lighthouse museum with furnished keeper's quarters, displays on lighthouse technology, navigational aids. Up from a beautiful beach. Climb the lighthouse tower for a great view of lake, shipping. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_point_iroquois_light_station___museum.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e977"><b>Big Pine Picnic Area.</b></a> A local favorite picnic site with huge pines, a fine <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a> beach with colorful stones ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_big_pine_picnic_area.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e978"><b>Bay View Beach and Campground.</b></a> You'll often have the sandy <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a> beach here to yourself ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_bay_view_beach_and_campground.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e979"><b>Pendills Creek National Fish Hatchery.</b></a> See the hundreds of thousands of lake trout growing to 5" to 8" when they are released in Lake Michigan and Huron ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_pendills_creek_national_fish_hatchery.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e980"><b>Indian Fishing Historical Marker & roadside park.</b></a> On a site with a sweeping <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/munising_lake_superior.html" target="_top">Lake Superior</a> beach, a marker tells the story of a Bay Mills fishing case ruling on the the U.S. Supreme Court decided that Indians never signed away their right to fish for a living. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_indian_fishing_historical_marker___roadside_park.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e981"><b>North Country Trail Segment.</b></a> Enjoy a short walk on the multi-state hiking trail, traversing a swinging bridge and reaching Tahquamenon Bay ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/bay_mills_north_country_trail_segment.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">  <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Region: Sault Ste. Marie</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>BAY MILLS</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <table align="right" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=250> <tr> <td> <a href="bay_mills_map.html" target="_top"><img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/145.gif" width=250 height=120 alt="Bay Mills minimap" border=0></a> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <a href="bay_mills_map.html" target="_top"><b>Click to enlarge</b></a> </font> </td> </tr> </table> Once Bay Mills was a bustling, smoky factory village of 1,200 at the tip of the long point extending out into Waishkey Bay. Around 1900 it handled huge amounts of timber, turning logs into boards, doors, and boxes. By the 1920s the timber was exhausted and the town had pretty much shut down. (Incidentally, the Dollarville place name down the road was for a lumberman named Dollar who was active in the area, and not named for American currency.) <br><br>Today the town of Bay Mills no longer exists, though the much <B>older historic center</b> of the Bay Mills <B>Ojibwa community </B>can still be seen. It's <B>at the Mission Church </B>and<B> Bay Mills Indian Cemetery</B> on Lake Shore Drive, right at the base of Bay Mills Point and not far from the small King's Club Casino, now a kind of branch casino. The tribe's illustrated history, <I>Place of the Pike</I>, by Michigan State anthropology professor Charles Cleland ($19) is sold at the Bay Mills Community College store.<br><br>The township of Bay Mills, home of the <B>Bay Mills Indian Community of Chippewas</B>, is thriving. In 2000 its population almost doubled from that of 1990, to over 1,200 residents. The tribe's resident population has grown to over 400 when its lucrative casino provided jobs for younger tribal members. The <B>Bay Mills Casino and Resort</B> (888-422-9645), on the shore of Waishkey Bay, has taken the lead among Michigan tribes in developing its casino complex as a destination for non-gamblers, too. Its 18-hole championship golf course, Wild Bluff (888-44BAY MILLS) has distant lake views and a beautiful clubhouse and lounge. The 144-room casino hotel has views of Waiskey Bay from many rooms and from its popular Sacy's restaurant. It's the only hotel with a restaurant between Sault Ste. Marie and Grand Marais, and the only one on the water as well.<br> <br>As in Sault Ste. Marie, gambling revenues have fueled tribal self-sufficiency, with social services and a community college that are tribally funded and controlled. "Gambling today is our whitefish," comments one tribal member.<br><br>The two-year <B>Bay Mills Community College</B> (906-248-3354) serves tribal members and others. It has an open admissions policy and about 400 students, about 60% tribal members. It offers courses in applied fields like accounting, computer graphics, and medical billing. Its <B>native studies</b> classes include Ojibwa language</B>, tribal government and economic issues, and Native American art. (Mackinac Island's chamber of commerce director Mary McGuire raves over the Ojibwa culture distance learning course she took here. It's only offered occasionally, and it's free to Native Americans wherever they are.) A multi-million-dollar building now provides more courses in skilled trades like construction and auto maintenance. Students who complete two years at tribal colleges like Bay Mills have a 90% completion rate at four-year colleges, compared to 10% who don't receive this initial preparation.<br>The <B>college library</B> houses James O'Keene's outstanding collection of <B>vintage beadwork</B>, buckskin clothing, headdresses, and other <B>traditional art</B> from many Indian cultures from the Pacific Northwest and Great Plains to the Eastern Woodlands. <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <p align="right"><a href="sault_ste__marie.html" target="_top">Back to Sault Ste. Marie</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> BAY MILLS<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>BAY MILLS<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> Because Bay Mills and Brimley are so close together and so small, we have combined their listings. See under <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/brimley.html" target="_top">Brimley</a>.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>BAY MILLS<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> Because Bay Mills and Brimley are so close together and so small, we have combined their listings. See under <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/brimley.html" target="_top">Brimley</a>.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>BAY MILLS<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> Because Bay Mills and Brimley are so close together and so small, we have combined their listings. See under <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/brimley.html" target="_top">Brimley</a>.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 2010 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>