Gill family had an interesting history, pier

Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Dec. 19, 2013 Enterprise.

The Gill family left a significant footprint in Leelanau Township. William arrived from England in 1855. His son Wilbur grew up here, and in the 1870s, father and son bought large tracts of forested land in the area that became named after them, Gills Pier.

They built a plank road down to the shore from the Leland road, and they did, indeed, build a very large pier to serve their big steam sawmill. From there ships loaded with lumber, potatoes, and other things from this area sailed to Chicago and Milwaukee. The pier was on Lake Michigan, of course, and was subject to all the rough water and storms, not having a breakwater.