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87. Tourist Cottages

 

With plenty of tourists flocking to the village by way of steamship and later by bus and automobile, the demand for sleeping accommodations skyrocketed. Everyone in the village got into the summer rent-a-room game. The Lake Street entrance to the village was perfect for little rental cottages — particularly since it ran along the scenic waterfront. The most popular of these lodging businesses was Bird Center, a collection of tiny cottages, all with the names of birds to distinguish one from the other. The business was operated by Cary Hanchett Bird and his hardworking family but the name “Bird Center” is a reference to a newspaper cartoon series created by John T. McCutcheon.