Boyne City, MI

Harriet Miller first saw Boyne City in a dream. As a New York resident, wife and mother, Harriet dreamt of a bear-shaped lake an abandoned cabin at its east end. John and Harriet Miller are credited with being the area’s first non-native permanent settlers. After having the dream, Harriet persuaded her husband to sell their New York-based farm, pack their bags and headed west. Along with their two sons, the couple booked transit and boarded a steamer. When the ship made its stop at Northport to take on wood, the couple met John Dixon, who persuaded the Millers to come to Pine River, a town now known as Charlevoix.After spending a few weeks with the Dixons in October 1856, Harriet insisted on pressing onto the east end of the lake. The two couples boarded an old fishing boat. On November 14, 1856, the boat struck the shores of Boyne. The Irish-(John) and Canadian- (Harriet) born couple came upon an aging shelter--abandoned by early Mormon settlers-- and claimed it for their home.Present Day Boyne City... The population was 3,503 at the 2000 census. Boyne City is at the southeast end of the east arm of Lake Charlevoix, where the Boyne River enters the lake. It is at the corners of four townships, though it is politically independent: Evangeline Township is to the northwest, Melrose Township to the northeast, Boyne Valley Township to the southeast, and Wilson Township to the southwest. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.5 km² (5.2 mi²). 10.1 km² (3.9 mi²) of it is land and 3.4 km² (1.3 mi²) of it (25.24%) is water.