Christie Lake--A Gem in Southwest Michigan

Way back in 1977, my parents drove from Chicago to Lawrence, Michigan to spend the day at Christie Lake at a friend's summer cottage. As we took a ride around the lake, my mother spotted a cute little green cottage with a "For Sale" sign out in front.

Before I knew it, my parents announced that they had purchased the cottage along with a tiny brown guest house next to it. Included in the purchase price was a very old ski boat and a wooden pier. A sign above the guest house said, "O So Cozy."

A few weeks later, we hung "O So Messy" over the front of the green cottage.

We have spent many summers on this little slice of southwest Michigan and it is now a permanent home for my parents who have retired there. Christie Lake is located in a very rural part of Lawrence, Michigan. Lawrence can be found on exit 52, just a few miles off Interstate 94.

Indians were the first settlers around the lake and even today, the occasional arrowhead can be dug up. Christie Lake is named after Robert Christie, a man who purchased several lots on the west end of the lake back in the 1850's. The Christie family traveled from Ann Arbor via Territorial Road, a road that snaked from the east to the west, ending in the town of St. Joseph. A stagecoach stop was created and Christie had visions of making Christie Lake into a large town.

Years later, the stagecoach stop was re-routed through the town of Lawrence and tracks were laid for a train route. Christie Lake ended up being a place of summer leisure for families and this tradition continues today. Christie Lake is a private lake and does not have a public access ramp. The lake is two miles long and almost a mile wide and the clear, sparkling waters lead to the frequent mispronunciation of "Crystal Lake" in earlier times. Just a few miles away, Reynolds Lake and Eagle Lake offer public access.