Portage Point Inn Complex
Portage Point Inn Complex is a resort hotel located at the western end of Portage Lake at Portage Point, Michigan. In October 1985, this 1902 resort hotel and its associated buildings was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It operates today as the Portage Point Resort. History The area around Portage Lake was originally settled in the late 1800s during the lumber boom. A water-powered sawmill was constructed at the original outlet of Portage Lake, located a short distance from the inn, in 1845. The adjoining property on Portage Point, where the inn now stands, was purchased in 1869 by Lucius S. Marvin. By 1880, the mill and its associated buildings was moved a few miles away to Onekama. As timberlands were exhausted and lumbering slowed in the 1890s, the potential of the lakeshore for recreational uses began to be exploited. Marvin sold the property on the Point to two associates, and in 1902 they turn they sold the property to a private development corporation, the Sunnyside Assembly. Sunnyside shortly changed their name to Portage Point Assembly, and construction of the Inn was started July 12, 1902. The building was opened for tourists in June 1903. Additional buildings,