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| Isaac Clawson, seated, ca. 1875 (standing man is unidentified). |
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Pearl Lake is a truly unique, one-of-a-kind lake. This 600 acre spring-fed glacial valley lake is located just 16 miles West of Traverse City in Northern Benzie County and is mostly undeveloped. Many decades ago Pearl Lake was once a logging community. At one time it was the site of a one room school house, a logging camp, a general store and a destination for the E&SE Railroad which ran out of Empire to the north shore of Pearl Lake.
The railroad served as both a method of transportation and a way to move the huge logs that were cut around Pearl Lake. Once almost entirely owned by the Clawson family dating back more than a century, Pearl Lake has been spared from development and has remained in larger parcels (most of which were passed down within the family).
Unlike most lakes in the area which have been split into smaller and smaller parcels, Pearl Lake has no off water developments. What this means is you is you do not get “funneling” of people (living around the lake) using it. Most people aren’t even aware Pearl Lake exists nor do they know very much about it.
Until the early nineties, there were only a total of about 24 small homes or cottages clustered along the north east shore of the lake. All of the old building on the west side of the lake had been removed many years ago after the logging era came to a close. More than likely, the lumber was recycled and used on other buildings in the area. If you know where to look, you can find the remains of a few of the old buildings and even the old railroad.
Of the homes built prior to 1990, all except 2 (those still owned by the Clawsons or their relatives) were located in the area around the Pearl Harbor Subdivision which had been split off and sold off in the 1950’s and 1960’s. This “older” sub is located just west of county road 669.
The majority of the remaining property remained in the Clawson family until 1971 when a part was sold to the Kevorkian Brothers of Royal Oak. They purchased the old Wagner Estate located in the center of the North shore. This property was purchased with the intent of developing over 70 home sites. Due to what some might call a “blessing”, the property remained intact until 1989 when it was purchased by Vin-Zac, Inc. (Michael A. Piscopo – President) with the intent to divide it.
Ralph Yates (a partner in the development) designed the project (naming it The Pearl Lake Land Division or PLLD) and was able to create 21 home sites on Pearl Lake and just 2 on Brooks Lake. These parcels, most of which are 10 acre parcels, have a unique feature…all of the land North of Wagner Road (approximately 150 acres) was blanketed with a “perpetual easement for use and enjoyment”. What this means is the property in essence became a natural area and could not be further developed.
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