An Old Salt in Freshwater Fishtown
We’re happy to share a few photos of George Cook, one of Fishtown’s most colorful fishermen.
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Fishtown’s Shanties
Fishtown is a unique historical attraction composed of weather-beaten fishing shanties and small shops lining the mouth of the Leland River. The site has endured and adapted over the last 150 years as an ever-evolving working waterfront that still operates as one of the only unmodernized commercial fishing villages in the state of Michigan.
Click to see the shanty photo gallery
One of the most important characteristics of Fishtown is its core of historic shanties. Though only a few are still used for commercial fishing operations, most of the structures in Fishtown had their origins as commercial fishing buildings. These buildings served many purposes, including net-mending sheds, ice houses, smoke houses, and storage. Though processes like ice-making are now mechanized in a commercial fishery, running a fishery still requires extensive space for equipment storage and net repairs.
Many buildings have come and gone from the Fishtown landscape with the changing fortunes of the industry, yet Fishtown survives as a rare working waterfront and an authentic and active commercial fishing village.
Our Fishtown Summer 2011 Video!
We’d like to thank the Academy… No, wait, we’d like to thank YOU!
A Video of Fishing Aboard the Joy
In April of last year, photographer Meggen Watt spent a day fishing aboard Fishtown’s tug Joy. Meggen has prepared a video for an up-close look at fishing “in action.”
When Pentwater Had a Fishtown
We’re back with more photos of moments and faces from Pentwater’s commercial fishing world. You won’t find any trace of this fishing life along Pentwater’s shores today. That’s why we preserve Fishtown: it’s both a place and a way of life.