|
 |

|
The Big Bay de Noc School District consists of four
townships- Inwood in Schoolcraft County,
Garden, Fairbanks and Nahma all of which are
in Delta County. These small, closely related, but distinct
townships surround our school giving us a school district that
encompasses nearly 500 square miles. The combined population of
these communities is approximately 2600 residents.
|
Inwood Township
The.town of Cooks is located in
Inwood Township, Schoolcraft County, and is
the eastern most township in our district.
Cooks is located directly to the north off Hwy 2, and like so many of
the towns in the Upper Peninsula owes its heritage to the logging
industry.
Today Cooks is mainly a small, close-knit farming
community with rolling hills and features one of the highest points in
the county. When entering Cooks from the north visitors are met
with a beautiful scene from the top of “Cooks Hill”. Below the
main road winds down through the town which boasts a handful of houses,
a post office, town hall, a couple churches and a bar/restaurant.
Every summer, one Sunday in late August, this little town hosts the
“Cooks Corn Roast”. For more than 30 years, volunteers
throughout the community, work in shifts grilling corn, chicken, brats,
running raffles and games for this popular and highly successful event.
|
|
Fairbanks Township
The.village of Fairport, in Fairbanks Township, is
located at the southern most point on the Garden Peninsula.
Surrounded by Lake Michigan on three sides, it is no surprise that
fishing was the main industry for many years.
Like so much of the
Garden Peninsula the original settlers were Native American and their
ancestors still live on the peninsula to this day. Traveling
by boat from the larger cities of the south, some
immigrants of the 1800’s came across this land and settled alongside the
Native Americans to start their own fishing legacy.
Although the
fishing and population has decreased dramatically over the years,
everyone still knows where to go if they want to purchase the best
“fresh fish” around, right off the boat.
|
|
|
Garden Township
The.town of Garden in Garden Township can be found
eight miles south of the school on the historic Garden Peninsula.
A small village with a deep-rooted history in the lumber and fishing
industries the area has become a haven for those looking for a slower
pace of life.
Retirees longing to return “home” and tourists
hearing of the beauty and pristine land have become the new settlers on
the shores of Lake Michigan. Just south of Garden lies the well
know state park of Fayette. Fayette State Park,
www.michigan.gov/fayettetownsite with its limestone
cliffs and haunting buildings, is a standing monument to the early white
settlers of this area and is a must see for anyone traveling the road
down the peninsula.
|
|
Nahma Township
West.of Garden Corners on Hwy 2 is where one will
find Nahma Township, (pronounced “NAY-muh”).
The township consists of a farming community located on the north side of the highway named Isabella and to the south at the bottom
of a small peninsula sits the small town of Nahma.
The town was created by a lumber company around the turn of the century
giving the workers a place to live and raise their families. After
the fall of the lumber industry many of the residents moved and the town
closed up, falling into disrepair.
A revival has been
started by those residents who still call Nahma
home. Today a small but highly informative museum has been opened
by the local historical society and a once dilapidated building turned
into a beautiful and charming hotel/restaurant.
|
|
The Upper Peninsula is known for its beauty,
wildlife, pristine beaches, lakes and forests all of which can be found
in this little neck of the woods, near Big Bay de Noc School. The
communities surrounding Big Bay de Noc are rich in history and pride for
what they once were and for what they have become today.
Points of
interest in our community...
Fayette Historic State Park
http://www.michigan.gov/fayettetownsite
Delta County Info.
http://www.infomi.com/county/delta/
Schoolcraft County Info.
http://www.infomi.com/county/schoolcraft
|