by The History of Mullett Lake, begins with a route, not a road. The lake sits in Cheboygan County at the heart of the Inland Waterway, a chain that carries boats from Crooked Lake to Lake Huron by way of rivers and a single lock at Cheboygan. Mullett Lake runs roughly ten miles and covers more than 16,000 acres, dropping to cold depths that hold trout through midsummer.
Video – History of Mullett Lake – A Waterway That Redefined a Resort Era
From Canoe Path to Place Name
For centuries, Native families used this sheltered chain as a safe connection across the tip of the Lower Peninsula. Traders later followed the same water, hauling goods without risking open water. In the 1840s, federal deputy surveyors John Mullett and William A. Burt mapped the townships and shorelines with Burt’s solar compass. Their names remained on the map: Burt Lake to the west and Mullett—often spelled with two t’s—here. Old postcards and ledgers also show the one-“t” spelling. The history of Mullett Lake is, in part, a record of how those surveys turned lines into places.
A Lock that Changed the Chain
The Cheboygan River Lock opened in 1869 and allowed steady movement through the route. Lumber, freight, and passengers could pass without portage. In 1927, the lock was rebuilt to handle larger traffic. Even as railroads competed for business, excursion boats and local runs still used the channel. The lock remains in service today with a fifteen-foot lift. The history of Mullett Lake cannot be told without that gate and the crews who worked it.
Rail to the Shoreline
Rail arrived in the 1880s. The Mullet Lake depot on the west side gave weekend travelers a simple plan: step off the afternoon train, load a wagon, and reach the porch by supper. On the east side, a Detroit & Mackinac stop helped grow Aloha, whose lakeside grounds became Aloha State Park in 1923. The new access turned short visits into a seasonal habit.
Resorts, Porches, and Docks
Postcards confirm the rise of hotels and cottages. Waldemer Hotel stands with a wraparound veranda, shaded by large trees. Pine Grove Hotel shows a dock, guide boats pulled up in neat rows, and quiet water just off the steps. A separate image records families arriving by carriage on a grassy hill before automobiles dominated the trip. Another card captures a crowd boarding the steamer Sygnet, a band on the upper deck, and a tender nudged against the pier. These scenes explain why people returned: comfort, water at hand, and the feeling that the day could run at a slower pace.
Work and Play Share the Shore
Leisure did not erase labor. Winter crews cut ice on the lake, steered blocks with pike poles, and loaded railcars. One period caption claims “Average 90 cars per day,” a proud figure from the years before electric refrigeration. Stores and coffee shops served the resort season. An artesian well along a sandy lane provided cold water before every cottage had a line. A small “Golf Links” postcard hints at a few holes kept up for guests. These details show how the History of Mullett Lake, belongs to everyday life as much as to steamboats and hotels.
Fishing the Drop-offs
State fisheries surveys list walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, lake trout, cisco, and perch. Structure matters: shoals, points, and quick breaks hold fish through changing seasons. Modern anglers follow patterns that guides wrote down a century ago. On calm evenings, you can trace those paths in the faint V behind a small outboard.
What Endures Today From the History of Mullett Lake Michigan
Rails became a trail. The lock still works. Families still arrive with coolers and rods, and many return to the same cottages their grandparents knew. Your photos of children in wool swimsuits on a floating raft could be restaged today with new names and brighter fabric. That continuity is the core of History of Mullett Lake Michigan: a water route turned community, kept alive by the simple decision to come back.
Works Cited For the History of Mullett Lake Michigan
“Aloha State Park.” Wikipedia, 2024.
“Inland Waterway.” The Historical Marker Database.
“Inland Waterway (Michigan).” Wikipedia, 2025.
Michigan Department of Natural Resources. “Status of the Fishery Resource Report: Mullett Lake.” 2018.
“Mullet Lake, MI (Station).” MichiganRailroads.com.
“Mullett Lake.” Wikipedia, 2024.
“Aloha, MI (Station).” MichiganRailroads.com.
Seidel, Frank W. “Cheboygan Lock Reopens, Restoring Waterway Passage.” Detroit Free Press, 4 Sept. 2025.
Detroit Public Library, Burton Historical Collection. “Waldemer Hotel at Mullet Lake.” Postcard, c.1911.
Detroit Public Library, Burton Historical Collection. “Pine Grove Hotel at Mullet Lake.” Postcard, c.1912.
