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“Remembering Crescent: Logging and Life on North Manitou Island”
Presented by: Billy H. Rosa
Video Replay:
Forty years after the land was acquired by the National Park Service, the site of the village of Crescent is largely hidden in the 15,000-acre wilderness of North Manitou Island. In this lecture, Billy Rosa shares photos and historical research he and his wife, Karen J. Rosa, compiled into their book, Remembering Crescent: Logging & Life on North Manitou Island, published in 2024. In this book and lecture, Rosa traces the family of A.J. White, who ran the Crescent sawmill. Their story is enriched by their trove of historical photographs taken in the years from 1907 to 1915.
Presenter: Billy H. Rosa
Billy H. Rosa was born on the family farm in Almira Twp. He grew up in the Village of Lake Ann, and graduated from Honor High School in 1962. This was the last graduating class from Honor High School before it closed. Residing on Long Lake in Grand Traverse County, he has always been in interested in history, especially early family settlers in Benzie, Leelanau, and Grand Traverse Counties.