West Bloomfield Township in Orchard Lake Village in Oakland County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Lakes and Attractions
at the Orchard Lake Trolley Stop
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
1. Lakes and Attractions Marker
The heart of the lake country was well-served by the trolleys
in the early 1900s. No stop in the entire Detroit United Railway (DUR) trolley system was more popular than the Orchard Lake stop located here, where the parallel tracks of the Grand Trunk Railroad and the DUR trolleys crossed Seminary Road. Day-trippers from Detroit and elsewhere could walk to Orchard Lake for activities like swimming or fishing, or walk to Pine Lake to take a steam ferry to the Interlaken Hotel. The trolleys also brought cadets to the Michigan Military Academy for their classes and drills, until the academy closed in 1908.
You Auto Know
The Interlaken Hotel had 30 bedrooms, a dining room that could seat 110 visitors, and 117 gas lamps.
Erected by MotorCities National Heritage Area, National Park Service.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the MotorCities National Heritage Area series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1908.
Location. 42° 35.561′ N, 83° 21.153′ W. Marker is in Orchard Lake Village, Michigan,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Southeast Michigan and in Greater Detroit. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Waiting Room and the "Wye" (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Tracks Over Tracks (about 500 feet away); Orchard Lake Schools / Joseph Tarr Copeland (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gateway to Nature (approx. 0.4 miles away); Apple Island: A Geological Rarity (approx. 0.4 miles away); A Lake and a Trolley (approx. half a mile away); Apple Island (approx. half a mile away); In Good Company
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
2. Upper Left Image
The Auto Stop Inn at the Orchard Lake stop, looking east toward Pine Lake. Trolley riders purchased treats, refreshments and supplies here. Photo courtesy of Brian Golden.
Also see . . . Michigan Military Academy. Wikipedia article about the Michigan Military Academy. (Submitted on July 6, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
3. Middle Left Image
The Interlaken Hotel ferry dock on Pine Lake, about 1910. Unless noted otherwise, all images are courtesy of the Greater West Bloomfield Historical Society.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
4. Lakes and Attractions Marker
The Interlaken Hotel, on the south shore of Pine Lake, opened in 1889 as a members-only clubhouse for summer recreational pursuits.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
5. Lower Middle Images
"Copeland's Castle" (right) was built in 1858 by Michigan state senator and judge Joseph Tarr Copeland. In 1871 it was sold to become the core of the sprawling and luxurious Orchard Lake Hotel (above) which offered a dance hall and pleasure boating before closing in 1877. The "Castle" still overlooks Orchard Lake's eastern shore as the residence of the Chancellor of Orchard Lake Schools.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
6. Upper Right Image
Vacationers on Orchard Lake, 1920s.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
7. Map (Detail)
This 1917 "Orchard Lake Station Map" shows the side-by-side Grand Trunk Railroad track and the electric trolley track that ran through the area. The circle indicates the former location of the Orchard Lake stop near where you are standing along the West Bloomfield Trail. Map courtesy of Brian Golden.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
8. Lower Right Image
Cadets assembled for drills at the Michigan Military Academy, about 1905. The buildings, including "Copeland's Castle" (left), and grounds of the Orchard Lake Hotel were remodeled to open as the academy in 1877. Graduates went on to careers in business, the military and other professions.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 2, 2017
9. Lakes and Attractions Marker
View looking north along the West Bloomfield Trail across Seminary Road.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 8, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 593 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. submitted on July 6, 2017, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
