Old Mission, Grand Traverse County and the “Golden Tower”

Old Mission in Grand Traverse County started out as an actual mission, founded by the Reverend Peter Dougherty in 1839. All he had in the beginning was a log cabin home and a mission church. His original name for the settlement was ‘Grand Traverse’, which received a post office by that name in 1850.

In 1852, the Indians were transplanted to Omena, which was re-named ‘New Mission’ - and the settlement name ‘Grand Traverse’ was changed to Old Mission. In 1869, the post office followed suit and was re-named ‘Old Mission’ which it remains to this day.

Nearby was Old Mission Harbor, which had a minor attempt at becoming a village when it was platted in 1879-1880, but it became relegated to being a resort community.

Get our free mobile app

One of the things Old Mission once had was the ‘Golden Tower’ tourist attraction. Originally called the Friedrich Observation Tower, it was built in May 1923, giving visitors a 35-mile view of the area: Omena Harbor, Northport, and Suttons Bay wexre all visible from the tower. The tower was dedicated on August 23, 1923, and was a point of destination for many travelers through the Old Mission Peninsula.

Scroll down to the image gallery below to see a few photos of the tower, as well as some old images of Old Mission...!