History
Established in 1921 from the remnants of the old Brookings Lumber Company mill, Woodland Park is a historic African-American resort located in northwest Newaygo County, Michigan, a mile from the Pere Marquette Railway mainline.
During the era of Jim Crow segregation, it was identified as “Bitely” on the Afro-American Travel Map and listings within The Negro Motorists Green Book.
Nestled in the Manistee National Forest and encircling the crystal-clear waters of Woodland Lake, Woodland Park offered a quiet retreat for black intellectuals, religious leaders, educators, and entrepreneurs.
It was the second of such resorts in Michigan, developed by Marion E. Auther, a black Ohio businessman who had also founded the Idlewild resort earlier in 1912.
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Investors, residents, and visitors of Woodland Park came from across the country beyond Michigan: Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland. In the summer months, excursion buses drove from and to major Midwestern cities for tourists, prospective land buyers, and property owners.
At a more local scale, a shuttle car service made the 15-mile trip between Idlewild and Woodland Park, especially for those interested in the late-night entertainment scene at Idlewild.
Throughout the 1920s and early 1930s, Woodland Park also hosted and entertained attendees of Idlewild’s Chautauqua events, attracting intellectuals and social activists associated with the Niagara Movement, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the National Association of Colored Women (NACW), the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AMEC), the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), and Harlem’s New Negro Movement.
After the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, new opportunities opened for blacks in America, leading to a natural, steady decline of African American resorts such as Woodland Park. The population and year-round residents gradually began to encompass other races.
Today, the Woodland Park community remains committed to preserving the history of this important site.
Pere Marquette Railroad Service Connecting Woodland Park (Bitely) & Idlewild to Major Cities in the Midwest. Source: American-Rails.com
Pere Marquette Train Service at the Bitely Depot. Source: 99wfmk.com/bitely-michigan-2018/
Residents & Visitors at Woodland Park (Ella Auther on the left holding a stick; Marion Auther on the right in a hat). Source: The Monroe News.
W.E.B. DuBois (left) with Marion Auther (right) at the Latter's Lakeside Retreat. Source: www.blackpast.org .
Marion & Ella Auther at the Royal Breeze Hotel. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
The Royal Breeze Hotel -- A 50-Suite Accommodation Adopted from a Lumbering-Era Boarding House. Source: Detroit Public Library Digital Collections.
Cottage at Sunset Point. Source: www.michiganlakes.com
Brookins Lake, Sunset Point. Courtesy of Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Swanson's Lakeside Retreat. Source: The Monroe News.
Sweet Child's Rest. Source: The Monroe News.
Interior at the Kelsonia Inn. Source: Detroit Public Library Digital Collections.
Louise Little. African-American Activist & Mother of Malcolm X. Louise Moved to Woodland Park with her Two Daughters, Hilda & Yvonne, After Her Release from the Kalamazoo State Hospital. Source: Lansing City Pulse.
Malcolm X. African-American Activist & Former Minister of the Nation of Islam who Advocated for Black Empowerment, Black Nationalism, and Racial Separation. Source: National Parks Service.
Mr & Mrs Jackson's Resort. Courtesy of the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County.
Oh Boy's Rest Room (later renamed Oh Dear's) -- One of the Earliest Bed & Breakfast Accommodations in Woodland Park. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Washington Daggs Cottages. Courtesy of Ziyadah Shakir.
Rainbow Garden Cottage. Courtesy of the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County.
The Woodland Park Hotel -- The First Building Erected by Ella & Marion Authers in Woodland Park. Source: The Monroe News.
Inside the Woodland Park Hotel which became the Pine Cone Tavern. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Pine Cone Tavern. Courtesy of the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County.
Woodland Park Schoolhouse. Courtesy of the Heritage Museum of Newaygo County.
Rose Terrace. Courtesy of Ziyadah Shakir.
Glover Cottage. Courtesy of Ziyadah Shakir.
Shangri-La Resort Entrance Sign. Source: HY Kan
View of Woodland Lake. Source: Deborah Jones.
Historic Aerial Phoograph of Woodland Park, c. 1938. Source: Michigan State University.
Excursion Bus Serving Woodland Park. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Fishe's Grocery, c. 1960. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Kelsonia Inn. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Mrs Keller's Kelsonia Grotto, c. 1930. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Woodland Park Club House Porch. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Photography Prize Contest & Travel Guide to Woodland Park by Mrs. Marion E. Auther. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Royal Breeze Promotional Flier by Mrs. Marion E. Auther. Courtesy of the Steven F. Jones Sr. Collection.
Woodland Park U.S.P.S. Station 100th Anniversary Commemorative Postmark by Stan Dolly. Courtesy of Deborah Jones.