Hamburg Township near Pinckney in Livingston County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Chain of Lakes
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 9, 2022
1. Chain of Lakes Marker
From 1883 to 1886, the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor & Toledo Railroads laid tracks here. Soon after, the first hotels and resorts were built on the Huron River's Chain of Lakes. Throughout the early 1900s, people left the heat and industry of cities like Detroit and Ann Arbor to enjoy the area's water and natural beauty.
Between 1911 and 1924, the gasoline-powered McKeen Motor Car ran between Lakeland and Ann Arbor eight times a day. Called "The Ping-Pong," it seated 83 passengers.
When the economy boomed after World War II, better roads and more cars enticed people from places like northern Ohio to construct summer cottages in lower Michigan. Lakeland, located on Zukey Lake, was a popular destination.
Resorts & Hotels
Waters' Pavilion was located near the train depot. The Lakeland Hotel offered rooms and home-cooked meals.
Zukey Lake Tavern
Around 1920, brothers Maggie and Baldy Girard built the Zukey Lake Tavern along the hillside of the lake's north shore. Locals nicknamed it "The Dugout."
During prohibition, the Girard brothers converted the building to a grocery store and added a mechanics garage to repair visitors' cars. When the ban on selling alcohol ended in 1933, they re-opened the tavern. It once again became a popular
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The brothers often took a motor boat around the lake to pick up and drop off bar patrons.
Sportsmen Clubs
In the summer of 1882, Ann Arbor Savings Bank president Michael J. Fritz and former Ann Arbor mayor Warren E. Walker joined several others to form the Ann Arbor Sportsman Club. They built the first structure on Zukey Lake, a small wooden clubhouse.
As travel improved and word spread about this hunting paradise, other sports enthusiasts arrived. In 1888, the Oak Leaf Club erected a cottage and boathouse at Pettee's Grove.
Erected 2021 by Mike Levine Lakelands Trail, Michigan History Center, Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical year for this entry is 1883.
Location. 42° 27.8′ N, 83° 50.842′ W. Marker is near Pinckney, Michigan, in Livingston County. It is in Hamburg Township. It is on Zukey Lake Tavern Drive 0.2 miles west of Girard Drive, on the right when traveling west. Marker is on the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Pinckney MI 48169, United States of America. Touch for directions.
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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Big Chill (approx. 0.2 miles away); Trains Off Line
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 9, 2022
2. Chain of Lakes Marker
Marker next to the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail.
Photographed by Joel Seewald, July 9, 2022
3. Zukey Lake Tavern
Back of the tavern as seen from the marker on the Mike Levine Lakelands Trail.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 14, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 735 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 14, 2022, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
