Last updated: November 12, 2024
Place
Wayside: The Perfect Escape
Quick Facts
Location:
45° 7' 19.27" N, 85° 58' 42.522" W
Amenities
1 listed
Audio Description
Main Exhibit Text
Welcome to Cottage Row. In the late 1890s, wealthy Chicago families came here to escape urban crowding and summer heat. Cool breezes and clear views of the beach and Manitou Passage provided an ideal summer retreat. Cottage Row was an important part of island life for over 50 years.
It provided seasonal employment—cooking, cleaning, and working in the hotel and dining room—for year-round residents. In the late 1920s, the Manitou Island Association purchased most of the island. They established a company retreat with exclusive hunting and fishing trips. Today, the island offers visitors beauty, history, solitude, and an accessible wilderness.
Image Descriptions
Background Image
The background of this exhibit is a sepia-colored historic photograph of members of the 1900 Cottage Row resort community on North Manitou Island. There are 31 people posed for the photo, including men, women, and children. Most of the men are either wearing light colored slacks and white button up shirts. Some have on jackets, ties, or hats. The women are all dressed in white or light-colored dresses.
Caption
In 1893, retired banker Silas Boardman, his daughter, and son-in-law, Carrie and George Blossom, and Frederick and Mary Trude divided this stretch of land into 10 lots, creating an exclusive, private resort fronted by a park. A tree-lined, gas-lit boardwalk ran in front of the cabins down to the private dining hall and village dock.
Historic Image (top right)
In the upper right corner of the exhibit is a historic image of Cottage Row. On a bluff that slopes down towards the photographer are five cottages, all of different architectural styles. There are dense trees behind the houses with shrubs in front on the slope.