August 17, 2014 – Good Hart – Cross Village – Petoskey

Heading north along Michigan Route 119 we drove through the beautiful lakeside community of Harbor Springs (although, unfortunately, time did not allow us to spend any time here).
North of there, the road Harbor Springs becomes a narrow, sinuous road that snakes around some 137 curves over 20 miles … including especially sharp twists at Devil’s Elbow (reputed to be haunted by an evil spirit and voices after dark) and at Horseshoe Curve or Bend … and has become known as the “Tunnel of Trees”.

Nestled about halfway between Harbor Springs and Cross Village (our ultimate destination) the once thriving resort area of Good Hart; which also has a history rich in Native American lore and local legend. Among the half-dozen shops is the quaint Good Hart General Store,

which also houses the community’s post office.

A gravel road branching off M-119 leads to St. Ignatius Church
The Indian name for the Village, called by the French, L’Abre Croce (Crooked Tree) The first Native American settlement near here began in the spring of 1741. The Jesuit mission of St. Ignace moved to the area the same summer to the current location of Cross Village. However, it was abandoned by the Jesuits in 1776 … but reopened my American missionaries in 1799. After both the first church and its successor (erected in 1823) were both destroyed by fire, the current church was built in 1889.

Note the birch bark canoe hanging from the balcony

Adjacent to the church is the Middle Village Cemetery where row after row of white crosses mark the graves of Odawa Indians.

We’ve been unable to learn the purpose of the wreaths around certain of the grave crosses

a recognizable structure behind the church,
an “abandoned” and decaying house,
and a short distance away to the Middle Village Park, home to one of the area’s finest public beaches.

Our main reason for traveling to Cross Village was to visit the historic

Built in the 1920s by Polish immigrant Stanley Smolak, the Legs Inn is known as a “monument to nature” … as Smolak wanted to capture a sense of history and an appreciation of nature in the elements throughout the building.

The façade of this architectural marvel is made entirely of local fieldstone
and the roof line is adorned with a row of inverted cast iron stove legs
hence the inn’s famous name.

The interior is filled with hand carved furniture and features two sets of massive doors crafted from giant pint knots that have been painstakingly pieced together

Our lunch was fantastic …

And, although I did have an incredible blackened whitefish sandwich first, I did take one of the inn’s signs seriously …

A Szarlotka … a Polish crumb cake with assorted berries topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream

After lunch we wandered about the the Inn’s gardens

which faced Lake Michigan.  Through a mounted telescope we could see four lighthouses six to eight miles off shore (admittedly hard to see in our photographs).

We noticed one arcade “game” in the lobby … one featured in Ton Hank’s movie, “Big”.

After lunch Debbie and LaDonna conscientiously worked each of several gift shops. We were also interested in the Redpath Memorial Presbyterian Church

The Church was organized in February, 1888 and dedicated in 1890. It was destroyed by fire in 1918, to be rebuilt in 1921, through the efforts of The Rev. John Redpath, for whom the church is named. For many years the church stood empty and unused. Through the efforts of two young couples the church reopened in 1965 for summer worship.

and the Cross, whose original was erected in the mid-1600s by Father Jacques Marquette,

A replica of Father Marquette’s cross stands at the edge of the bluff and is visible off the shore, far into Lake Michigan.

and from which Cross Village, one of the oldest settlements in Michigan and  known for its ties to the Ottawas is named. Early records say that Father Jacques Marquette, the famous French Jesuit who endeared himself to the Native Indian population of Northern Michigan, planted a huge white cross on the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan before his death in 1675.

Leaving Cross Village, we returned south to Petoskey … with its many Victorians lining the approaches to the central part of the city and

where Debbie and LaDonna were looking for some jewelry made from Petoskey stones … and they were successful at

Debbie’s earrings look great and were among several bargain purchases we made today.

Other sights around this Lake Michigan community included …

Building façade architecture

The colorful decorations for this coffee shop made from coffee cups

Sidewalk dining areas

Abandoned railroad tracks lead to a city park

Another ‘Man in the City’ watching over Petoskey’s residents

St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

St. Francis Xavier’s Altar