Tawas Michigan

4 Pages 895 Words

I chose the city of Tawas/East Tawas for my Michigan history project. Tawas has a personal touch to it because it is my summer home. My family owns two cottages in Tawas right on Lake Huron. Tawas is about and hour and fifteen minutes from Saginaw. Tawas is a part of Iosco County. Between the Huron National Forest and the blue-green waters of Lake Huron and Saginaw Bay lie the peaceful twin cities of Tawas City/East Tawas. For the most part Tawas is a very touristy city. There are hiking, skiing, and snowmobile trials throughout the town that attract tourists. Also there are many other hot fishing spots located along the towns waterside edge on Lake Huron. There are many in land lakes located in the city of Tawas that offer great fishing. Perchville is their annual event to celebrate ice fishing; this year will be their 52nd. There are always festivals and craft and antique shows going on as well.
The origin of Tawas’s name comes from a Native American word meaning “water of light.” Tawas is also known as “The sunrise side.” There is an Indian museum located in Tawas that tells the history of the Native Americans that lived in the area. Prior to the arrival of the European trappers and settlers, this area of Michigan was sparsely populated by Native Americans. The Chippewa tribe had been living here since around 1525, but their main settlements were not in this area of the state. The land was covered with rich pine and hardwood forests and populated with an abundance of wildlife. The rivers and lakes were teeming with fish. White fish, grayling, sturgeon, and herring were so plentiful that the local Native Americans easily maintained large stocks of dried fish for food and for use as trade goods. Although some aspects of their life might have seemed rather idyllic, it must also be remembered that other tribes (notably the Iroquois) often made raids into this part of the Great Lakes and warred with the Chippewa and H...