The Lower Channel
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Bridges, Boats, and the Weathervane Inn

The Lower Channel, also, Bridges, Boats, and the Weathervane Inn. . , Hotel Alhambra, ca. 1935 The Lewis Grand Opera House was constructed on this site, abutting the channel, in 1883. Served the community as a theater and meeting place until the building was converted into the red brick Hotel Alhambra in the early 1920s. This operated into the World War II years, after which the early empty structure was torn down in 1947 for the installation of today’s Memorial Bridge. , Channel South Revetment, ca. 1905 The first channel revemtents were made of wood, at first just double pilings connected by boards. These gradually grew more substantial as the channel was widened, as seen here. All the wood revetments needed constant repair or replacement due to curremts. waves, ice, and rot. A particularly hand winter could almost destroy them. All the early revetments had narrow, unprotected walkways along the channel edge. , Cement Revetments, 1960s To alleviate the perpetual replacement needs, much heavier concrete revetments were installed in the late 1930s. But within twenty years these began to crack and tilt precariously in places, some segments angling inward so steeply it was impossible to walk atop them. These rapidly deteriorating concrete blocks were replaced by metal sheet pilings in the early 1970s. , Argo Milling Company, ca. 1953 Across the channel from the opera house stood the Rifenburg Milling Company grist mill, built in 1885. It was later named the Charlevoix Roller Mills, finally the Argo Milling Company. After ten years of negotiations, builder in stone Earl A. Young bought them in 1953, and tore it down to rerplace it with his mastepiece, the Weathervane Inn, opened in July 1954. , Fountain City House Hotel, 1880s Just beyond the grist mill stood the Fountain City House, the first hotel north of Traverse City. Begun in 1867, it was named after a passenger boat that brought in many of in first clients. Within less than ten years the Fountain City House grew into the largest hotel in northern lower Michigan and was in business almost nine decades. Earl A. Young bought the property to build the Weathervane Terrace hotel from 1961 to 1964. , Ruined North Revetment. 1906 The Federal government maintained the entire channel, but for some unknown reason at the end of the 19th century allowed the entire north revetment to disintegrate almost to nothing until it looked like this in 1906. The channel’ s appearance today, with its magnificent illuminated walkways, was accomplished in stages from the 1970s into the new century. , Fourth Channel Bridge, 1901 In 1897, it was reported that more marine tonnage was entering Charlevoix than any other port on the east side of Lake Michigan. The large vessels of the time needed access to Round Lake and Lake Charlevoix, thus necessitating construction of a widened channel and a longer span. As a result, in 1901, the year the project was completed, the bridge tender swung open the new bridge a recond-breaking 91 times on one summer Sunday alone. , Sixth Channel Bridge, April, 1949 The current Memorial Bridge opened in late June of 1949, widening the draw to the extent that the largest lake freighters could now each the far ends of Lake Charlevoix. Shown is the final balance testing of the “leaves.” In the distance appears the temporary bridge, in place between 1947 and 1949. This is one of the most photographed bridges in Michigan. , Weathervane Threatened, June, 1971 In November of 1970, very high water combined with three days of high winds reaching to hurricane force washed out almost all of the pilings in front of the Weathervane Inn, Sections of its foundations were exposed. With certain disaster impending, the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to protect the private commercial property in 1971. New metal sheet piglings stretched from the bridge all the way to Lake Michigan, the precursors of today’s walkway. , “City of Grand Rapids,” 1880s Small passenger steamers, such as the City of Grand Rapids, were the lifelines for travelers to and from all the ports between the Straits of Mackinac and Chicago. They could stretch their seasons longer than the larger passenger liners did, plus the liners did not serve many of the smaller ports. At far left appears the Fountain City House hotel, today the site of the Weathervane Terrace Hotel. , First “Emerald Isle,” late 1950s. Irregular ferry transportation between Charlevoix and Beaver Island was in place by 1894. When the permanent Federal mail route was obtained here in 1896, regular scheduled service began. The officially named Beaver Island Boat Company was established in 1954. Seen here is the company’s first Emerald Isle, in service from 1955 to 1962. , “South American,” late 1950s. Tje South American and her sister ship the North American began to appear in Charlevoix in March of 1918, a few years after they were built. From then on they never missed a year, arriving several times over every sailing season until the mid 1960s. It became traditional for passengers to toss coins to the local youth when the boats pulled into the city dock.