The newly created Forslund Dix Point Nature Preserve, on the northwestern tip of Drummond Island, includes more than 56 acres of land and 1,800 feet of St. Mary’s Channel shoreline.
The land was a gift from the Carl Forslund, Jr. family in memory of their late parents, Carl and Anne Forslund, to the Little Traverse Conservancy to keep this much-loved part of Drummond Island untouched and accessible for generations to come. Barbara Forslund, their youngest daughter, shares what the land has meant to her family:
“Our grandfather, Carl Forslund, Sr., first came to Drummond in 1947 to hunt and loved it so much that he bought a small cabin on the Old Ferry Dock Road from Chuck Zeerip, sight unseen. My siblings, cousins and I all grew up spending our vacations in that one-room cabin without running water, and my cousins, who own it now, did the same with their children who are now doing it with their children. There have been five generations staying in that cabin, still without running water. I can’t remember the first time I came to Drummond; it has always been a part of my life.
“Life on Drummond shaped us, made us who we are. My mother, Anne, would be in the cabin with five kids and at least one dog for two weeks at a time, sometimes without a car when Dad would go back to Grand Rapids to work at the furniture store for part of the time. She entertained us making creations out of birch bark, flat stones and moss and taught us to see the beauty in the trees, rocks and shoreline. Dad would take us on long hikes into the interior of the island to find the old railroad grades, without a compass, water or food. Our family built a cabin of our own on South Dix Point Road the year after my parents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary up on the island. My parents walked down to the land that is now the preserve regularly, and my dad, who is an accomplished artist, painted the Point with its large rock and surrounding wet grasslands numerous times. When the land that comprises the Point became available for sale, we pursued it to ensure that it would remain open and accessible for people to enjoy into the future.”
Dix Point
The Point itself is about 10 acres of rocky land that is connected to the rest of Drummond Island by a narrow isthmus, particularly narrow in current high water conditions. The shoreline continues for another 600 feet to the west and south, facing the St. Mary’s Channel, with a clear view of the freighters. The remainder of the preserve is interior land adjacent to a portion of the Lake Superior State Forest. Access is provided through the State Forest from Sturgeon Bay Road or from the water. The property is classic Drummond Island woodlands and shoreline with groves of poplar, jack pine and dense cedar stands yielding to wetland grasses and rocky shores. A large glacial erratic marks the west side of the Point, easily visible from the water. —Barbara Forslund
Little Traverse Conservancy has been expanding its holdings in the Eastern Upper Peninsula, with a particular focus on preserving pristine shorelines. The Curtis Anderson Preserve is located on the south end of Dix Point Road. Other LTC preserves on Drummond Island include the Williams Preserve by Tourist Road. This preserve includes a parking area and a trail. For more information about this and other LTC preserves near you, use the online interactive map, or stop by the conservancy’s office for a free copy of the nature preserve map.
Press release provided by Little Traverse Conservancy