Restoration on North Manitou Island

The Katie Shepard Hotel peaks through the trees as the park boat approaches the beach on North Manitou Island.

This is the 13th year that national park partner, Preserve Historic Sleeping Bear (PHSB) and its volunteers have come to the island to repair historic structures. Their main focus has been restoring the Katie Shepard Hotel constructed in 1895 and operated as a hotel from 1908 to 1932.

“Cottage Row”, a string of cottages built for summer tourists from Chicago between 1893 and 1924 is in the Island’s village not far from the dock. At the end of the row on the edge of wooded wilderness, sits the hotel “Katie” as the group affectionately calls it.