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History · Suttons Bay

Suttons Bay’s history is
mostly unwritten

The public archives hold no old photos of Suttons Bay. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.

1898established
0old images & papers
12recent photos

The story

from WikipediaRead it all ↗

The community is named for one of the first settlers of European descent, Harry C. Sutton, who arrived in 1854. He arrived with a crew of woodsmen to supply fuel for passing wood steamboats.

In 1903 the Traverse City, Leelanau, and Manistique Railroad began a route between Traverse City to the South and Northport to the North, stopping at Suttons Bay, as well as Hatch's Crossing, Fountain Point, Bingham, Keswick, and Omena.

Before the turn of the 20th century, four churches had been established—two Lutheran, one Roman Catholic, and one Congregational.

In 1920, Leelanau County voters approved moving the county seat to Suttons Bay, but the move never took place.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

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Start Suttons Bay’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Suttons Bay’s history is told.

0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Famous people from Suttons Bay

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Willard J. SmithWillard J. SmithMilitaryJPJeannie PetersonWriting & Arts
By decade

Suttons Bay, decade by decade

Before
2000
No old photos in the archives yetWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
📷 Add from your album
Today12 photos
Suttons Bay village hall (Michigan)CommonsSuttons Bay village hall (Michigan)2020Suttons Bay downtown M-22CommonsSuttons Bay downtown M-222020Suttons BayCommonsSuttons Bay2019Suttons Bay SchoolsCommonsSuttons Bay Schools2019Suttons Bay Marina and village beachCommonsSuttons Bay Marina and village beach2019Sutton ParkCommonsSutton Park2019Herman Community ParkCommonsHerman Community Park2019Bay TheatreCommonsBay Theatre2019Suttons Bay Michigan Sign M-22CommonsSuttons Bay Michigan Sign M-222011Suttons Bay Michigan Post OfficeCommonsSuttons Bay Michigan Post Office2011Suttons Bay Downtown Looking South M-22CommonsSuttons Bay Downtown Looking South M-222011MIMap-doton-SuttonsBayCommonsMIMap-doton-SuttonsBay2005
National Register of Historic Places

Nothing in Suttons Bay is on the National Register yet

That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Suttons Bay has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Leelanau Transit Company Suttons Bay Depot in Suttons Bay, 0.4 miles away.

Suttons Bay and the nearest listed places

Dashed line = Suttons Bay. Tap a dot.
Leelanau Transit Company Suttons Bay DepotFountain PointLake Leelanau Narrows BridgeRiverside InnWilliam and Margaret McFarland Core FarmFishtown Historic District (Additional Documentation)

Closest to Suttons Bay

Leelanau Transit Company Suttons Bay DepotSuttons Bay · Building0.4miFountain PointSuttons Bay · Late Victorian2.8miLake Leelanau Narrows BridgeLeland · Structure3miRiverside InnLeland · Bungalow/Craftsman6miWilliam and Margaret McFarland Core FarmBingham · Greek Revival6.1mi

How a place gets listed

1Talk to the stateEvery nomination goes through the State Historic Preservation Office. Owners, towns and historical societies can start one.
2Try a local or state list firstMany states keep their own register with a shorter form, a common first step for old barns, halls and schoolhouses.
3Write it upA nomination covers the history, photos and a map. Leelanau Transit Company Suttons Bay Depot’s page links to a real one.
Know an old place in Suttons Bay?A mill, a schoolhouse, a cellar hole, a church: add a photo of it to Suttons Bay’s story, or a memory of it.
📷 Add a photo of an old place
National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places · photos from Wikimedia Commons

Then & now

When neighbors add old photos, retakes from the same spot appear here side by side.

Stories next door

nearby towns’ history
📜 Suttons Bay📜 Bingham📜 Centerville📜 Peninsula

From Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.

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Boundary source: https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer/18 · 2025-01-01
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