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Onekama Celebrates 150th Anniversary Of Town’s Creation

Onekama is excited to celebrate 150 years since their town was created, and they’re telling the fascinating story of how it happened.

An 1871 dispute between lumbermen and farmers prompted farmers to dig their own access to Lake Michigan from Portage Lake.

It became known as ‘The Cut.’

The channel brought opportunity to the area and created Onekama, all over a dispute over water resources.

“Everything around Portage Lake flooded and the farmers were losing anywhere between 10 to 15 acres of otherwise tillable land,” said John Wemlinger, Author of “The Cut.”

The 150th anniversary of ‘The Cut’ celebration goes through Oct., with events such as sailing regattas, kayak parades and a formal dedication of the Portage Lake channel.

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