Interlochen takes its name from the
Latin "
inter", meaning "between", and the
Scottish Gaelic "
lochan", meaning lakes. Before the arrival of European settlers, members of the
Odawa people lived between the lakes they called
Wahbekaness and
Wahbekanetta (now named Duck Lake and Green Lake, respectively). Beginning in the late 19th century, European settlers began
logging and
fishing industries in the area, and founded the small village of
Wylie, one mile south of present-day Interlochen. Because of logging, the
Manistee and North-Eastern Railroad (owned by the Buckley and Douglas Lumber Company of
Manistee) extended its line north from
Nessen City and arrived between the lakes in the fall of 1889. Similarly, the
Chicago and West Michigan Railway extended its line north from
Baldwin on its way to
Traverse City in 1890. The two lines crossed in current-day downtown Interlochen where a depot and
interlocking tower were located. The original townsite, however, was platted just south of the depot along either side of the M&NE rail line in late 1889 or early 1890, with the business district centering on the now-former
M-137 and Riley Rd/10th Street. As the lumber industry grew, the area became more deforested. However, it was predicted from the beginning that the area would become a popular summer resort, and so Buckley and Douglas set aside 186 acres of virgin pines between Duck and Green lakes for preservation. The result was
Pine Park, a public retreat boasting virgin forests and pristine lakes. A small railroad depot named
Pine Park Station was built. Visitors began flocking to the region during the warmer months to camp, fish, boat, and escape the heat of the crowded cities. Piggybacking on the vacation boom, local businessman Willis Pennington purchased land adjacent to Pine Park on the banks of Green Lake and opened the Pennington Hotel in 1909. In the mid-1910s, local representatives became worried that Pine Park would soon be logged off and so they lobbied the
Michigan Legislature for help. The state ultimately allocated $60,000 in 1917 to purchase the property, and the newly acquired parkland was dedicated as
The Pines, later renamed
Interlochen State Park, the first
state park organized by the state of Michigan (
Mackinac Island was originally a national park before becoming Michigan's first state park in 1895). In 1928, the National High School Orchestra Camp was founded by
Joseph E. Maddy just south of Interlochen, and evolved to become
Interlochen Center for the Arts, which includes a summer camp as well as an arts boarding high school and public radio station. The camp has expanded to both sides of J. Maddy Parkway (previously designated as a highway, M-137, in 1930 but decommissioned in 2020), and enveloped the entire village of Wylie. By the late 20th century, the railroads that brought students, vacationers, and lumber through Interlochen, had been removed. The north-south M&NE railroad was removed in 1934, and the west-east C&WM railroad (
Pere Marquette Railway after 1899) removed in 1982. The area remains a popular vacation spot, with hiking, fishing, camping, boating, swimming, cross country skiing, and snowmobiling the most popular activities. The community of Interlochen was listed as a newly organized
census-designated place for the
2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time. ==Geography==