Williams Landing

Grand Island ferry

Here at the small visitor center by the ferry dock in the Murray Bay Area, excellent panels give a good overview of the island's thousands of years of use. There's a picnic area by the dock. This was the hub of island activity when Abraham Williams, trader and tourist guide, had his trading post, farm, overnight lodging, and fueling station here. From Williams Landing,l it's a scenic hike or bike ride, less than two miles, to Murray Bay Beach.

North of Williams Landing, the Murray Bay Road goes past the site of the Grand Island Resort. The big hotel is gone, but the tennis courts and white hotel annex, now privately owned, can be seen from the road. About a mile and a half north of the ferry, well beyond the private cottages, the road passes the Stone Quarry Cottage, circa 1847. It is one of the oldest buildings still standing on Lake Superior's shore. The Forest Service has rehabbed it and installed exhibits about its presumed history, as ascertained through archaeological analysis of discarded junk.

North of the cottage is the Williams-Powell family's cemetery. It's near the Murray Bay Beach, where there are individual and group campsites and a picnic area.

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