My husband, Tim Egeler, and I were married at Port Oneida in the summer of 2021, on the bluff overlooking the site of the dock that Tim’s great-greatgreat- grandfather Thomas Kelderhouse built in 1862. My husband’s great-grandparents — Martin Egeler and Florence May Kelderhouse — who were also married at Port Oneida, are buried in the cemetery on the corner of M-22.
Before we were engaged, I knew little about the names that once populated this region. My husband did not know much either; was only aware of a vague connection to the settlers who once inhabited Port Oneida. But the summer before we were married, as we considered our family’s future and what we hoped to establish together, the history of what came before began to feel more important. We spent the summer leading up to our wedding learning the names of family members. When we committed to creating our future together, we did so standing under a giant old oak tree that looked out at the Manitou Islands, on a farmstead members of his family had once cared for.
May is National Historic Preservation Month, a time set aside to highlight the important work of organizations working to preserve historic places like Port Oneida. Locally, in Leelanau County, there are 25 nationally recognized historic places and 18 additional state recognized historic sites, with several organizations which operate to support their preservation.
