Traverse City bridge

circa 1915

A high‑angle view down Union Street to the Boardman River circa 1910 reveals a working waterfront defined by timber and tins: a steamship puffs on the bay, the Morgan Canning Company’s A‑frame plant looms at the river’s mouth, and a rickety wooden bridge spans the waterway. Frame‑built stores and warehouses press against the shoreline, while railway tracks snake east and west, carrying lumber and produce from Traverse City’s burgeoning mills and docks.

Over the past century, Traverse City’s waterfront has been reshaped into a pedestrian‑friendly promenade, lined with parks, boutiques and eateries where once stood factories and freight depots. Today, the roar of locomotive engines has given way to cyclists and kayakers, and the Morgan plant has been repurposed into public space—testament to the town’s shift from industrial hub to lakeside haven.

Do you possess historic or contemporary images of Traverse City’s shoreline? We’d love to see how the waterfront has changed through your lens—please share your photos and stories to enrich our local archives.
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