the historical record

Crystal Lake Township is very rich in history. Its geographical borders were once much more encompassing than at present. For example, at one time our borders encompassed Frankfort.
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These current borders drawn in the sand were superimposed only recently, in the overall view of time,  by a wave of encroaching 19th century European settlers.

Unfortunately, you will find little Native history on this page but we are currently looking for more source material that will accurately portray life here before the European invasion. What we do have are some accounts collected from early white settlers. While the facts in these accounts have not been verified, if indeed they can ever be truly verified, they do provide a basis for an interesting, informative and entertaining read, as well as a springboard for further discovery.

Many of the early names in these accounts? They can also be read on the old tombstones found in our North and East Cemeteries.

Many of the township records were placed in the basement of the hall for more than a century’s time, resulting in, after many decades of neglect, quite an unorganized mess. In the winter of 2017, the township basement was cleaned up and organized. In that process, we found very old maps, some on linen, some in tatters. We have them placed them in the hands of the Benzie Area Historic Society but have also reproduced them for the public to see, hanging on our walls.

Interested in sharing what you know about Crystal Lake Township’s history? If you have historic photos or information, please contact me. 

Sincerely,
Amy Ferris, ​Supervisor 

Original township plat map

Crystal Lake and Vicinity (PDF)
History of Crystal Lake Township (PDF)
Park Site is Given to Township (PDF)
When Roads Were Trails (PDF)

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1860 Crystal Lake map