Gill's Pier, Michigan

Gill's Pier, or Gills Pier was an unincorporated community at coord|45|05|20|N|85|41|02|W| in Leelanau Township, Leelanau County, in the U.S. state of Michigan.

The community took its name from the William Gill and Son lumber mill on the Lake Michigan shore, between Leland and the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula. At its peak, in the 1890s, Gill's Pier had 12 houses, a post office, and a general store. The post office operated from January 22, 1883 until January 15, 1908.

The community, now mostly a memory, has been replaced by more vacation and year-round houses overlooking the lake. However, the name still appears on maps and lives on in the Gill's Pier Vineyard and Winery, in Leland. Owned by Ryan and Kris Sterkenburg, this winery is a staple tourist attraction if you visit the Leelanau County area. Fine wines and great staff makes the winery a great and very memorable place to visit.

St. Wenceslaus Church, a Roman Catholic Church founded nearby by immigrants from Bohemia who worked at the sawmill, also remains. A wood-frame church was built in 1890, after the Holy Trinity Church in Leland burned down. A brick structure replaced it in 1941, and a rectory was built in 1948. The 2 church buildings stood side by side until the Autumn of 1963 when the frame structure was razed.

External links

* [http://www.gillspier.com/ Gill's Pier Vineyard and Winery] (uses Macromedia Flash)
* [http://www.michmarkers.com/startup.asp?startpage=L1671.htm Historical marker for St. Wenceslaus Church and Cemetery]