Research and Resources

From official National Park Service sites to historical memoirs, find everything you ever wanted to know about the North and South Manitou Islands and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore area.

Organizations

  • Sleeping Bear Dunes

    Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

    The official communication channels of the National Park Service

    Website     Facebook     Instagram

  • Olsen House

    Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear

    Nonprofit Park Partner partnering with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to provide funds and volunteers for the preservation of its 360 historic buildings and landscapes, and share its pioneer heritage for the enrichment of individuals and communities.

    Website     Facebook     Instagram

  • Heritage Trail

    Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes

    Nonprofit Park Partner dedicated to protecting resources and heightening visitor experiences in partnership with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

    Website     Facebook     Instagram

  • Leelanau Historical Society

    Leelanau Historical Society Museum

    Visitors to the museum learn about Leelanau life and maritime history from exhibits, educational programs and publications. There is also an online archive.

    Website     Facebook

  • South Manitou Light

    Manitou Islands Memorial Society

    A nonprofit organization which helps preserve the history and cultural resources of Michigan’s Manitou Islands by serving as volunteers and partnering with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

    Website

  • North Manitou Shoal Lighthouse

    North Manitou Light Keepers

    A nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of the North Manitou Shoal Light Station, also known as "The Crib". 

    Website     Facebook     Instagram

Manitou Island Transit

Manitou Island Transit

Fourth generation ferry service to the North and South Manitou Islands.

Website 

Publications

All
  • All
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Backpacking
  • Canoeing
  • Do it yourself
  • Gear Reviews
  • Hammock Camping
  • Hiking
  • Historic Preservation
  • Husky Dog
  • Kayaking
  • Lake Michigan
  • Meditations on Nature
  • Michigan History
  • Nature Preserves
  • North Manitou Island
  • Oral History
  • Pilgrim Haven
  • Port Oneida
  • Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear
  • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
  • South Manitou Island
  • Stories
  • Traverse City
  • Trip Planning
  • Volunteering
  • Winter
  • Winter Camping
Tending a Comfortable Wilderness

Tending a Comfortable Wilderness

Eric MacDonald with Arnold R. Alanen

A History of Agricultural Landscapes on North Manitou Island, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, MI

429 pages, 2000     Purchase     PDF

North Manitou Island: between Sunrise and Sunset

North Manitou Island: Between Sunrise and Sunset

Rita Hadra Rusco

Part memoir, part island history, the must-read account of life on the island.

170 pages, 1991

From the Leelanau Historical Society Purchase

From Amazon  Purchase

Exploring North Manitou

Exploring North Manitou, South Manitou, High and Garden Islands of the Lake Michigan Archipelago

Robert H. Ruchhoft

Histories and trailguides for the hiker and backpacker for these eastern Lake Michigan Islands which are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and the Beaver Island Group

357 pages, 1991     Purchase

Views from the Sleeping Bear

Views from the Sleeping Bear

Thomas Kachadurian

Photographs of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

144 pages, 1998     Purchase

Farming at the Water's Edge

Farming at the Water’s Edge

Marla J. McEnaney, William H. Tishler, Arnold R. Alanen

An assessment of agricultural and cultural landscape resources in the proposed Port Oneida Rural Historic District at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan.

407 pages, 1995     Purchase     PDF

Coming Through With Rye

Coming Through With Rye

Brenda Wheeler Williams, Arnold R. Alanen, and William H. Tishler

An historic agricultural landscape study of South Manitou Island at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, Michigan.

294 pages, 1996     Purchase     PDF

Isle of View

Isle of View

Charles M. Anderson

A history of South Manitou Island and memoir by an early island resident.

111 pages, 1979

From the Leelanau Historical Society Purchase

From Amazon Purchase

Port Oneida Walking Tour

Port Oneida Walking Tour

Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear

A Hiking and Skiing Guide to the Port Oneida Rural Historic District in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

35 pages, 2006     Purchase

Why We Preserve

Why We Preserve

The Leelanau Conservancy

The Leelanau Conservancy through the lens of Ken Scott.

56 pages, 2015     Purchase

Historic Leelanau Photographs

Historic Leelanau Photographs

Jack Hobey

Edward Beebe's historic postcard photography of Leland, Suttons Bay, and North Manitou Island from 1909 to 1915.

154 pages, 2016     Purchase