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June 12, 2005 Record-Eagle/Lara Neel Bill Carlson talks about the possible sale of a portion of Leland's Fishtown. Carlsons reflect on Fishtown lifeFamily moved to Leland in 1906ByRecord-Eagle business editor
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LELAND - The Carlson name is synonymous with Leland's fishing industry - a century-old legacy that makes fisherman Bill Carlson's weathered face glow with pride.Leland's historic Fishtown faces sale, uncertain future "It's a great way of life," Carlson said from his perch last week on the Fishtown dock, where he helped unload a half-ton of whitefish from the tribal fishing vessel Linda Sue. Carlson's great-grandfather was a fisherman, as were his grandfather and father. He's the fourth-generation of a commercial fishing family who worked on oft-treacherous Lake Michigan, and his son Clay adds to the heritage by fishing with his father. But long days on the lake took their toll on body and spirit. Now 62, Carlson struggles with arthritis, an affliction he said hampers his ability to work on fishing boats. His white hair and sun-drenched features hint of a character from a high-seas novel - but also chronicle years of battling storms, wind, sun and water on the Great Lakes. "Fishing keeps me active and that's been helpful ... but I don't go out much anymore," he said. "It isn't easy, but it's a great seasonal business." It's a time of reflection for the Carlson clan as they prepare to sell Fishtown, the quaint string of antiquated buildings on the Leland harbor. Carlson's family originally homesteaded on North Manitou Island in the late 1800s, where they made their living fishing and farming the island's unique landscape. They moved to the mainland near Leland in 1906, he said. "Fishtown was already established by that time," Carlson said. Indeed, some of Fishtown's unique buildings sprouted in the late 19th century, when lumbering and iron smelting were dominant industries in northern Leelanau County. The fishing era began around 1900 and flourished over the next three decades, when several of the small fishing shanties, ice and smokehouses that remain today were constructed. In its heyday during the late 1970s and early '80s, Carlson fishing operations churned out more than 10,000 pounds of whitefish a week, about half of what it processes today. Besides fishing from their own boat, they bought fish from other local fisheries and trucked and flew in the catch from other fishing towns like Epoufette and Manistique in the Upper Peninsula. "We had a huge wholesale business," Carlson said, estimating the sales volume at more than $1 million a year. "We supplied whitefish to most of the restaurants in the area." Aspects of the fishing business have changed little over the years, but others are dramatically different. The historic federal fishing treaty with Michigan's American Indian tribes that emerged almost five years ago threatened to put Carlson and others out of business. Instead, Carlson adapted and now works with tribal fishing operations to supply his family store in Fishtown. "Bill's been wonderful to us," said Cindi John, who runs a fishing boat licensed by the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians with her husband Ed, where the families work side-by-side on the fishing dock. Bill Carlson spent more than 50 years in the fishing business - he started at age 11 - but said it won't be difficult to walk away. He'll stay involved in the business with his son Clay and said he has "plenty of other stuff" to stay busy. "A lot of if it has to do with fishing - but at the other end of the rod," he said.
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