America has been called a "melting pot."

ELLIS ISLAND, New York, was the major point of entry
for immigrants to the U.S. in the years when there was a
flood of newcomers from Europe. The above illustration
appears from an 1895 “almanac” published in St. Louis
but printed in German. Theodore Roosevelt was the first
president to personally inspect Ellis Island, thereby
acknowledging the importance of the immigrants to
the nation’s growth.

It has been called that because so many different nationalities have come to this country to make their own contributions to their chosen new home.

And Leelanau exemplifies this “melting pot” (or, if you prefer, “tossed salad”) concept.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, Michigan actively sought European immigrants, particularly from Germany, and pamphlets extolling the state’s virtues were printed in German.

Ultimately, the numerous different languages were discarded for English, although many traditions were usually retained – at least for a time.

An example of the retention of old world traditions may be seen at the St. Wenceslaus cemetery at Gill’s Pier, where “ornate metal grave markers reflect the Bohemian heritage,” according to a State of Michigan historic marker put in place there.

Prominent among the different groups that settled Leelanau were Germans, Poles, Bohemians, French Canadians and Norwegians.

Other, American-born settlers, came primarily from New York State or New England or Michigan’s neighboring states. Solon, for example, takes its name from Solon, Ohio, where some of its first settlers hailed from.

Those from more distant places, such as various parts of Europe, came, more often than not found their way to Leelanau County via Chicago.

By 1880, over one-fifth of Michigan’s residents were foreign born and an even greater number were born in other states.

One such group, which settled at what was known as North Unity, near Pyramid Point, was composed of Bohemians and Germans, and “Czechs and Germans lived together on very friendly bases,” as one of the group, who was then a child and grew up speaking Bohemian, was later to quaintly recall.

Some of the pioneer settlers, a number of whom were German, first resided on the Manitou islands and later moved to the mainland.

Frank Hahnenburg’s mother, for example, was born on South Manitou Island to German parents. His father was born in Germany, and the couple “homesteaded” in Bingham Township, where Frank was born May 2, 1877.

Frank Hahnenburg later recalled that, as a child, the family captured rainwater falling on the roof and otherwise someone had to walk three-quarters of a mile for water.

Those early memories likely had something to do with his building of a water system for the village of Provemont (Lake Leelanau) decades later.

In time, the “Yankees,” Germans and Bohemians, were augmented by Poles, Norwegians, French Canadians and others.

Native Americans, who were displaced from the Old Mission Peninsula by settlers there, re-settled at Omena and Northport.

ADVERTISEMENT for “Der Michigan Wegweiser” (Michigan
Guidebook) told those interested to contact Max Allardt,
who was appointed by governor Henry Baldwin as an agent
to reside in Germany (1870-5). Efforts to “recruit” Germans
to come to Michigan began before the Civil War and didn’t
entirely end until World War I. The efforts may probably be
considered successful – at least for Leelanau, where resi-
dents of German background constitute the largest single
“ethnic group.”

Although everyone in the county ultimately had to learn to converse in English, the transition required a rather lengthy transition period.

Some of those who had a native language other than English were loath to use English and books, published in the U.S. but printed in German, Norwegian and other European languages, were readily available, as were a number of foreign language newspapers.

For a time, Polish was used in the Catholic school at Isadore.

And, remarkably enough, the German and Norwegian languages were retained in the county for church services at least into the 1920s.

In its edition of Oct. 7, 1920, for example, the Enterprise carried an announcement under the simple heading “LUTHERAN CHURCH” that “next Sunday October 10th, service will be held at Leland church 10:00 a.m., conducted in German.”

And, in the same issue, there was a notice regarding services at the Norwegian Lutheran Church in Suttons Bay.

“Norw. service 10:45 a.m. and English service at 7:30 p.m.”

It appears that, if you were a Lutheran in Leelanau about 90 years ago, you could attend church with your choice of at least three languages – English, Norwegian and German.

“Sprechen Sie Deutsch?”