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The name of the Grand Traverse comes from the early days of fur trading from
the Frenchmen describing the nine mile trail along the south shore of Grand
Traverse Bay as "la grand traverse" or "the long crossing".
In 1839, Reverend Peter Dougherty established an Indian mission on the strip of
land which extends out into the bay, now know as Old Mission Peninsula.
By the 1840's lumbering was growing in the area and a sawmill was built. With
the decline of lumbering, people began planting fruit trees. The most popular is
the cherry tree production, and is celebrated annually by Grand Traverse's National
Cherry Festival in mid-July.
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