Formed in 1967, the Les Cheneaux Historical Association encourages
the appreciation of social and historical heritage
and natural history of the Les Cheneaux Islands and their vicinity.
The association oversees operation of the Historical Museum, Maritime Museum, and Boat Show / Festival of Arts.
Historical Museum
The Les Cheneaux Historical Museum displays artifacts
showing many details from the past: Indian crafts and tools from the logging era, a model of a
lumber camp, photos from frontier lift or early settlers and the hotel and tourist periods.
Founded in 1967, collections of items and photographs were first displayed in a storage shed on the dock of one of the retail
businesses in Cedarville.
Moisture forced the items into storage for a few years after 1971.
In 1975, the donation of a typical vacation log cabin became the repository for the growing
collection. Sited on land donated by the Edison Sault Electric Company, the log cabin was brought to
usable condition by a gentleman paid by the CETA program. The donation of display units helped
to ready the collection for opening to the public.
In 1985, the log cabin became too small for the expanding collection; with funds raised, as well as
an "outstate equity" grant from the state of Michigan, an addition was built. Designed by Aarre Lahti
(a Finnish summer resident) and built of squared cedar logs, members of the community dedicated the
addition in 1987.
The displays changed from year to year, and 2-3 programs (history or nature related) were offered to
the public.
In the early 1990s, a group of association members started the Maritime Museum.
The annual Quilt Raffle drawing will be held on Sunday August 31, 2008 at the Historical Museum at 4 p.m. This year's quilt will be completed by the Les Cheneaux Quilters Guild and is an Up North Forest pattern queen-size quilt. The second place raffle prize will be a quilted table runner and the third place raffle prize is a quilted pillow. Tickets for the annual raffle are $2.00 and can be purchased at either the Maritime or Historical museums. You need not be present to win.
Maritime Museum
The O.M. Reif Boathouse (circa 1920s) is home to displays of
vintage boats, marine artifacts, antique outboard motors, historic photos of area boating, a boat
building workshop, and a gift shop.
In the boat building workshop, several activities are taking place during the spring and summer of
2008. Paul Wilson and his volunteers are completing a 17-foot Penobscot wood canvas canoe which will be the 2008
raffle prize. The raffle drawing will be held at the Maritime Museum on August 31, 2008 at 3 p.m. The raffle tickets are $5.00
each and can be purchased at both museums. You need not be present to win.
Also occurring in the boat shop is the reconstruction of a 1927 Peterborough canoe donated to the
Maritime Museum by Neil Williams on behalf of the Williams family. Reconstruction of the 1927 canoe
is a provision of the donation. New decks will be applied, canvas replaced, the interior stripped,
new ribs installed, and varnish removed as needed.
Boat Show / Festival of Arts
Founded in 1978 and held in Hessel, Michigan, the Antique Wooden Boat Show
boasts over 160 entries each year. Some of the country's finest boats call beautiful Les Cheneaux Islands
their home. Most of these boats are used daily during the summer months as a primary mode of transportation
to and from the cottages dotting the area's sheltered islands.
Entries in the boat show arrive each August from as far away as California and Florida. Entries include
dinghies, rowboats, canoes, large cruisers, steam and gas-powered launches, sailboats,
utilities, and runabouts. The 30th Annual Les Cheneaux Antique Wooden Boat Show and Festival of Arts will be held on Saturday Aug. 9, 2008 from 10 am to 5 pm.
Judging of the boats is performed on an individual basis by a group of local and non-local antique boat
enthusiasts using a non-100 point system. All votes are tallied to determine the final winners.
Held in conjunction with the Antique Wooden Boat Show is the annual Festival of the Arts. The Festival of Arts is a juried art show featuring
a variety of work, including photographs, paintings, pottery, textiles, glass, jewelry, wood toys,
dolls, and many other items. Approximately 70 artists and crafters display and sell their work.
The association sponsors the annual Antique Wooden Boat Show / Festival of Arts
to draw attention to the area's culture of boating and art. Proceeds from the 31 year old event help
to sustain the day-to-day operations of the museums, including maintenance of their buildings.
