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SLEEPING BEAR
DUNES NATIONAL LAKESHORE
Located in Northwest
Michigan on the shore of Lake Michigan in Benzie and Leelanau Counties.
Sleeping Bear Dunes is
a
scenic
35 mile stretch of
Lake Michigan's coastline, plus North and South Manitou Islands
(The
Islands sit just off the mainland coast, appearing every bit as the cubs
in Native American legend who were lost to the deep waters while Mama
Bear on the mainland watched in desperation).
The area has
beautiful natural features, including miles and miles of
unpopulated sand beaches, woods and forests, and awe-inspiring sand
dunes created by glaciers and other geological processes unfolding yet
today. The Lakeshore’s history is replete with maritime and lumbering
adventure as well as agricultural development. The natural harbors at
South and North Manitou Islands brought safe haven to many a ship, while
other ships that were not so fortunate shipwrecked, many still lying on
the lake bottom. Historical features throughout the Park’s acreage on
the
Islands and on the Mainland are many, including an 1871 lighthouse,
three former Life-Saving Service/Coast Guard Stations, Port Oneida (a
historically significant former farming community), Boekelodge
(an old, restored cabin deep in the woods of Benzie County), Glen
Haven (a tiny community removed from their homes by the establishment
of the Park), and many other features. The Lakeshore comprises
56,993 federal acres and 4,194 non-federal acres.
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