Big Bay Area
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Many people approach the Huron Mountains from the east, where County Road 550 climbs 30 miles out of Marquette to the tiny town of Big Bay, population 270. Sited above Lake Independence and within minutes of Lake Superior, Big Bay is a scrappy little place, where residents take pride in their simple life on the fringes of wilderness.
The town has swung from prosperity to near-ghost-town status more than once, first as a bustling logging outpost, then one of Henry Ford’s company towns, home to busy sawmills. More recently, residents joke about how the local bank, well aware of the town’s volatile economy, was loath to loan money to Big Bay businesses; while the town’s 20 businesses are thriving, the bank closed down.
Folks now frequent Big Bay for its Huron Mountains access, Lake Superior harbor, Lake Independence fishing, and unique lodgings.
by Laura Martone from Moon Michigan, 3rd Edition, © Avalon Travel
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