Onekama celebrates 150 years

Birthday party Oct. 7 at Portage Point Inn

By Ross Boissoneau | Oct. 2, 2021

In the last scheduled celebration of its sesquicentennial, Onekama will host a history-themed evening at the Portage Point Inn on Portage Lake Thursday, Oct. 7. It will include displays of Onekama’s history, tributes to the families involved in “The Cut” and live music, appetizers and a cash bar.

“The Cut” was an (illegal) effort by local farmers to create a trench connecting Portage Lake to Lake Michigan back in 1871. Imagine their surprise when on completion, water rushed from Portage Lake, which was 12 feet higher than Lake Michigan. The result was a channel over 400 feet wide and 12 feet deep. 

Featured speaker is Loreen Niewenhaus of Traverse City, author of “A 1,000-Mile Walk on the Beach” and “A 1,000-Mile Great Lakes Walk.” Portage Point Inn boasts its own century-plus history, having opened in 1903. For tickets or more information, click here. Proceeds will benefit future Onekama history projects.