The following is an excerpt from “A History of Leelanau Township” by the Leelanau Township Historical Writers Group.
The first grain raised as a staple crop in this region was winter wheat. Deacon Dame, who later settled in Northport, was the first to plant it in 1842 when he was employed by the government as a teacher of farming to the Indians at Old Mission. At this time there was no means of making it into flour so it was boiled and eaten. Later on the Indians took some to the mills at Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The first grist mill built in northern Michigan was erected by Hannah, Lay and Company in Traverse City in the year 1857. In 1859 Antoine Manseau, Jr. established a mill three miles north of Suttons Bay, and in Northport, Robert Lee built one on the bank of Northport creek to the south of the (Orval Kellogg) fire hall. This mill was purchased by Samuel Gagnon in 1883. It had two run of stones and was capable of making 18 barrels of flour a day. With the arrival of horses and other livestock, oats and other feed grains began to be raised. People made flour from these grains too, but they didn’t keep very long.
