by Tucked along the northernmost edge of Lake Michigan, the quiet village of Naubinway has weathered every boom and bust cycle the Upper Peninsula could throw at it. Its past is a timeline shaped by logging, fishing, and sheer endurance. Naubinway Michigan history shows it survived every shift the Upper Peninsula threw at it. Here’s how this Lake Michigan harbor town held on.
A Name With Deep Roots
Naubinway’s name comes from the Ojibwe language, loosely translated to mean “place of echoes” or “to gaze in wonder.” Long before any permanent buildings rose along the shoreline, Native families fished these waters and traded along routes that crisscrossed the Great Lakes.
In 1843, William Boucha and his Ojibwe-French wife Catherine Trotochaud Boucha built a log trading post on Millecoquins Point. This early Métis family served as one of the first permanent links between Euro-American settlers and the Indigenous communities who lived there for generations.
Video – History of Naubinway Michigan (1890-1950)
This episode of Michigan Moments uncovers the history of Naubinway, Michigan—a small Lake Michigan harbor town that endured after the lumber era ended. Once a bustling sawmill hub, Naubinway reinvented itself through fishing, tourism, and grit. From Ojibwe trading routes to a fleet of 34 fishing tugs, Naubinway’s story is one of adaptation, persistence, and a deep connection to place.
Boomtown by the Bay
By the 1870s, word spread about Naubinway’s deep harbor and dense forests. Lumber companies poured in. The village grew into a bustling outpost as sawmills sprang up and schooners crowded the lakefront. At its peak, Naubinway had a population of several thousand. Photos from the time show plank sidewalks, busy storefronts, and massive stacks of milled timber lining the waterfront.
The economy boomed, but it didn’t last. By 1900, the white pine was gone. Lumber barons moved on. The town emptied.
A Harbor That Held On
But Naubinway didn’t vanish. Instead, it shifted to the lake.
Fishing wasn’t new to the area—Native fishermen had worked the waters for generations—but now it became the town’s mainstay. At one time, 34 commercial tugs operated from Naubinway’s small port. Local families, many with mixed Native and European heritage, turned to whitefish, trout, and perch to make a living.
Photos from the 1920s and ’30s show net reels drying in the sun and men mending gear by hand. It was steady work, if not always lucrative. But it kept the town alive.
Schools, Churches, and Second Chances
Even as its population declined, Naubinway remained a working village. The schoolhouse educated children from fishing and farming families. The Catholic church, built during the lumber boom, continued to serve as a community anchor. Locals recall bells ringing out across the fields and harbor—steady, familiar sounds amid change.
The 1920s brought a new kind of development. Downstate investors founded the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club west of Naubinway. The club purchased tens of thousands of acres of cutover land and created a private retreat with cabins, lodges, and protected woodlands. While separate from the village economy, it introduced recreation and seasonal tourism to the region.
Paved Roads and Modern Signs
The final turning point in Naubinway’s evolution came with the highway. In the 1940s, U.S. Route 2 was paved through town. Tourists and travelers who might have skipped the Upper Peninsula suddenly had a reason to stop. Cafés, gas stations, and motels sprang up. Postcards from the 1950s show “Modern Rooms,” Mobilgas pumps, and signs advertising pie and coffee.
Naubinway Michigan history didn’t end with its boom years. Instead, the town adapted, building a quiet but lasting identity rooted in water, work, and place.
What Remains Today
Today, Naubinway is the northernmost harbor on Lake Michigan and still serves as a base for commercial fishing. It also welcomes tourists in summer, some of whom descend from the very families who once loaded logs, cleaned fish, or taught school in a one-room building by the bay.
Limestone outcroppings still dot the land nearby. Some cabins from the early 20th century survive, tucked into forests that have slowly reclaimed what the mills left behind.
Naubinway isn’t a ghost town. It’s a working town. One that stood through timber busts, ice storms, and economic shifts. A place with an identity that runs deeper than any headline or postcard could show.
If you’re interested in more small-town stories like this one, check out our full archive at Michigan Moments.
