Leelanau's History, Collected and Kept in Leland

The Leelanau Historical Society started in 1957, when local residents decided this peninsula deserved a real home for its stories. The museum moved into a purpose-built building in 1985 and expanded again in 2015. Today it sits on the banks of the Leland River, just two blocks from Fishtown and Lake Michigan — a pretty great spot.

Inside, two permanent exhibits are worth the trip. One brings together black ash baskets and quillwork made by Odawa and other Anishinaabek artists — a collection built over more than twenty years of study, donations, and careful work. The other takes you to the Manitou Passage, which the museum calls one of the most dangerous waterways in the Great Lakes. Divers and archaeologists help tell the stories of the ships that went down there.

There’s a general admission fee, but members and kids under 18 get in free. In 2014, the society earned the State History Award for Outstanding Local Society — a good sign they take this work seriously.