Vintage Photos of Lake Ann: Benzie County, Michigan 1900-1920

The village of Lake Ann sits in Benzie County's Almira Township, was settled in the 1860s, and suffered through three major town fires. Yet it hangs in there and is now one of Michigan's resort areas.

The township was platted in 1860 and it wasn't until 1865 when settlers began to move in. John and Alec Heather are believed to be the first to settle (no proof, however) and the first family to actually make themselves a dwelling was the Andrew Burrell clan. Early dwellings were usually imperfect shacks, using any growth they could find, and using bark to cover the roofs.

Seeing as this new township had no name, it was christened after Andrew's wife, Almiral, and named “Almira”.

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The lake that sat in the area was named after another settler's wife. A.P. Wheelock and his family arrived next and the lake was named after his wife Ann – 'Ann Lake' it was originally called until the names later flip-flopped.

FAST FACTS:
1862: First school
1892: The first railroad comes through
1893: Lake Ann organized
1914: Incorporated as a village

By 1897, Lake Ann had a depot, drug store, general store, hotel, livery stable, meat market, post office, restaurant, saloon, and school. The population was up to 800 and there were over 100 structures.....then they were hit by a plague of devastating fires.

The first happened on the 4th of July, 1897. At the time there was a competition between Lake Ann and Traverse City as to which would become the main metropolis of the area. The fire broke out, destroying many homes, over twelve businesses, the depot, railroad freight, and more. Speculation arose as to how it started: in the sawmill engine room, maybe? Or started by a spark from a tugboat that was anchored on shore? Some felt it had something to do with the above-mentioned competition, but no proof was ever found.

After re-building just about everything, a second fire broke out in 1902. All businesses that had been rebuilt were once again burned to the ground.

In 1918, the third fire hit, burning homes and shops again...but this time the re-building was kept to a minimum and Lake Ann took its time growing. Now in the 2020s, Lake Ann has numerous homes surrounding the lake but the downtown has way less buildings that it did over 100 years ago. The village has kept its historic charm, and there are a couple of places where you can get some good home cookin'.

Here's a look at how Lake Ann looked over 100 years ago...