Web Design in Elk Rapids, MI

About Elk Rapids, Antrim County

Elk Rapids is the largest incorporated community in Antrim County, a village sitting on an isthmus with Elk Lake to the east and the East Arm of Grand Traverse Bay to the west, and the Elk River cutting through the middle. It was platted in 1852, served as Antrim County's first county seat, and grew on pig iron smelting and lumbering before turning to harbor, resort and downtown business. The village is a separate government from the surrounding Elk Rapids Township, and several of its best-known buildings belong to the township or to private associations.

History of Elk Rapids

• The first settler in the Elk Rapids area was Abram S. Wadsworth, from Connecticut, who platted the area in 1852 and called it Stevens (village site).
• In 1858 Wadsworth renamed the area Elk Rapids after finding a pair of elk antlers near the mouth of the later-named Elk River (village).
• In 1863 Antrim County was organized and Elk Rapids was made the county seat; the seat was moved to the more centrally located Bellaire in 1879 (village).

Landmarks and Places in Elk Rapids

• The Island House, also called the Edwin Noble House or the Elk Rapids Island House, at 300 Isle of Pines Drive. Edwin S. Noble built the residence in 1865, and it has served as the public library since 1949. It was listed as a Michigan State Historic Site on April 24, 1979, and is not on the National Register (village).
• Elk Rapids Township Hall at 401 River Street, built in 1883 to a design by local architect Charles Peale. It is single-story buff-colored brick with a mansard roof, roughly 38 by 100 feet, with round-arch windows and stepped buttress piers. It became a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, and now serves as a rental and performance venue known as HERTH Hall (a township building standing inside the village).
• Hughes House at 109 Elm Street, built in 1867 (village).

The Elk Rapids Economy

• Pig iron smelting under the Elk Rapids Iron Company was the historic industry. Only a small ruin of the original blast furnace remains, designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1973 (village).
• The village runs a harbor office managing waterside recreation and mooring, and maintains a Downtown Development Authority alongside Parks and Recreation, Harbor, Housing and Beautification commissions (village).
• The Elk Rapids Marina and the downtown commercial district serve boaters and visitors on the Chain of Lakes water trail (village).

Community Life in Elk Rapids

• Elk Rapids Schools serves Elk Rapids, Elk Rapids Township, Milton Township and part of Torch Lake Township in Antrim County, plus parts of Clearwater Township in Kalkaska County and Acme and Whitewater townships in Grand Traverse County.
• The district mascot is the Elk and its colors are orange and black. Elk Rapids High School is at 308 Meguzee Point Road, Cherryland Middle School at 707 East Third Street, and Lakeland Elementary at 616 Buckley Street, all inside the village.
• Annual events named by the Elk Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce include Harbor Days, the Elk Rapids Wine and Food Festival, Evenings on River Street, a Fall Festival, an Arts and Crafts Show and a Farmers Market (village).

Local reference: en.wikipedia.org, www.elkrapids.org, en.wikipedia.org