A LOOK BACK IN TIME The Historic Hotels and Resorts of the Foot

By Lauren Macintyre

Avibrant food and entertainment center, shops, restaurants, a new General Store and a charming boutique hotel… that's what we think of today when we picture Walloon Village. Interestingly, a century ago the Village was perhaps even more dynamic, with multiple hotels, bath houses and grocery stores, plus a train depot, dance hall, movie theater and even a bowling alley.

It was a different era then, one that evokes images of the wealthy of Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Chicago seeking a summer getaway from the heat of the city. What better place to go in the late 19th and early 20th centuries than the captivating little village at the Foot of beautiful Walloon? Nestled along the shoreline of the Foot, up North Shore and South Shore Drives, were a number of picturesque hotels and cabin resorts ready to cater to every need. And so the visitors came, dressed in their splendid Victorian finery, sometimes spending entire blissful summers at the hotels and resorts of the Village.

Newly established railroad lines simplified the trip for those anxious to escape the sweltering heat and come up north. The enterprising C. J. Mizer, agent of the nearby Clarion train station, persuaded the GR & I Railroad to run track from Petoskey to Walloon, making it an even more attractive destination. Passenger boats also plied the waters of the lake.

The Foot was not the only place to lodge on Walloon, of course, but it was certainly the most accessible. Hotels also flourished in many other areas of Walloon, including Lake Grove, Indian Garden, Shadow Trails and Eagle Island. Those hotels, however, have already been featured in previous issues of The Wallooner, so this article will focus solely on the hotels and resorts in the area around the Foot, beginning with C. J.'s celebrated Hotel Mizer.

HOTEL MIZER (Hotel Winkler – Hotel Courtland)

In 1886, upon hearing of the myriad attractions of Walloon, C.J. Mizer envisioned its resort possibilities and built a picturesque hotel with a large boathouse near the Foot. Located just a few houses away from the current site of the Walloon Lake Inn, the Mizer soon became one of the most popular hotels on the lake. Advertising that it was just a three-minute walk from the train station, it touted its "high class standards." Eventually the Mizers sold their hotel to Austin Winkler, who of course later changed its name to Hotel Winkler. He operated it until 1927 when he sold it to Everett Thomas, previously the proprietor of the Thomas House, who christened it "Hotel Courtland." Eventually the Courtland's business diminished and the building was razed. Today a vintage cottage owned by the Hunter family stands on the expansive scenic lakefront site where one of Walloon's most venerable hotels flourished.

Fern Cottage

(Silver Birch Inn – Walloon Lake Inn) on the lake, the New Walloon was built around 1900 by the pioneering Alfred E. Hass. In the 1890's Alfred's mother had operated a boarding house called Walloon Hotel; Alfred moved that building across the road to become the kitchen and service quarters of his new complex which he christened the "New Walloon." A few years later Alfred added a dance hall to further attract visitors. Described in a 1908 Petoskey Evening News article as "one of the striking beauties" of Walloon, the hotel touted its convenient location and unexcelled service, as well as billing itself as the first to open and last to close on the lake. It even offered hot and cold-water plumbing and incandescent lighting, rarities at the time. In 1909 Alfred sold his iconic hotel to local businessman Clyde Bear. After several owners the hotel met its unfortunate demise in 1932, when it was torn down. The elegant Hotel Walloon, built in 2015 by the Borisch family near the original hotel site in the Village, was designed in a style that evokes dreamy images of the venerable New Walloon Hotel.

THOMAS HOUSE (Frank’s Hotel)

The beloved Fern Cottage was built as a resort by the Hiram Bixby family around 1891. At one time it included several large buildings on the shore as well as eleven surrounding cottages, but eventually only the original building remained. Matilda Fochtman of Petoskey bought the hotel in 1937 and operated it for eight years. After the Trixler family bought Fern Cottage in 1948, it was renamed the Silver Birch Inn, a name well remembered by young Wallooners walking up the North Shore path. Roger and Anne Srigley purchased the inn and the surrounding cottages from Marv and Eloise Nickey in 1971, and changed its name to the one we all know best, the Walloon Lake Inn. The cottages were eventually sold separately. The Srigleys owned the Walloon Lake Inn for ten years, and then sold it to chef David Beier in 1981. David operated it as a gourmet restaurant, cooking school and bed and breakfast until 2014, when it was sold to the Borisch family. One of the oldest buildings on the lake, and one of the very few hotel buildings that still stands, today the Walloon Lake Inn continues its legacy as a favorite gathering place for Wallooners.

New Walloon Hotel

Looming large in many a vintage postcard scene of the Village is the New Walloon Hotel. One of the largest and best-known hotels

Long recognized by the picturesque boat house that extends into the water, the Thomas House on South Shore began in 1899 as a five-room house called Frank's Hotel, with three cottages soon added. Just five years later the hotel was sold to Everett Thomas, who gave its eponymous name and added another cottage and nine sleeping rooms. The famous boat house, which included sleeping rooms on the upper level, was constructed a few years later. Everett's sons Glen and Larry bought the resort in 1921 and initiated a complete makeover. Over the years more guest rooms and cottages were added to the popular resort. Thomas House also became known for its spacious dining room serving delicious meals three times a day and open to the public. In 1949 a fire unfortunately destroyed much of the resort, but it was rebuilt and resumed operations. From 1959 until 2001 it was owned by the Frohlich family, and its beautiful condos and cottages were a highly regarded rental option on the lake. The resort's picturesque water tower still stands and is a well-known landmark on South Shore. Today Thomas House is a lovingly restored and beautifully maintained private family compound. (continued on next page)