Little Traverse Bay
For centuries this region has been the home of Ottawa Indians, whose warriors and orators fought bravely to retain their land. Around 1700 a mission was built by French Jesuits at the famous L’Arbre Croche villages which stretched from Cross Village to Harbor Springs. Petoskey, named for Chief Petosega of the Bear River Band, was first settled in 1852 by Andrew Porter, a Presbyterian missionary. With the coming of the railroad in 1873 it changed rapidly from primitive settlement to one of America’s leading summer resort cities. Bay View, the adjoining summer colony, was established in 1875.
Plaque via Michigan History Center