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Michigan
27

Michigan State Parks

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USA Parks
Michigan
Upper Peninsula Region
Palms Book State Park
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Palms Book State Park Palms Book from raft © Scott Shoemaker
View is from the raft towards the river exit flowing at 10000 gallons per minute and 45 deg F water temp constantly.
Palms Book State Park View from shore to raft on b spring © Scott Shoemaker
This view is from shore near the launch. Notice the lovely natural colors.
Palms Book State Park Palms Book Big Spring © Scott Shoemaker
Photo taken looking over the side of the human driven raft.
Palms Book State Park Water flowing up from below © Scott Shoemaker
View from the center of the raft showing fish and 10000 gallons of spring water per minute flowing up from the bottom.
Palms Book State Park © Mark Mowery
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PALMS BOOK STATE PARK
PALMS BOOK STATE PARK
Rt. 2, Box 2500
Manistique, Michigan   49854

Phone: 906-341-2355
Palms Book is a rewarding side trip for the vacationer touring the Upper Peninsula, for here can be seen one of Michigan's alluring natural attractions -- Kitch-iti-kipi, The Big Spring. Two hundred feet across, the 40-foot deep Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan's largest freshwater spring. Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush from fissures in the underlying limestone. The flow continues throughout the year at a constant 45 degree Fahrenheit. By means of a self-operated observation raft, visitors are guided to vantage points overlooking fascinating underwater features and fantasies. Ancient tree trunks, lime-encrusted branches and fat trout appear suspended in nothingness as they slip through crystal waters far below. Clouds of sand kept in constant motion by gushing waters create ever-changing shapes and forms, a challenge to the imagination of young and old alike.
History of the Area
The Legend of Kitch-iti-kipi:Kitch-iti-kipi was supposedly a young chieftain whose girlfriend got the best of him. He told her he loved her far above the other dark-haired maidens dancing near his birch bark wigwam. Prove it, she insisted. As a test of his devotion, she declared that he must set sail in his canoe on the pool deep in the conifer swamp. He was to catch her from his canoe as she leaped from an overhanging bough. According to legend, the Spring was named Kitch-itikipi in memory of the young chieftain who went to his death in the icy waters in an attempt to satisfy the vain caprice of his ladylove.

Other legends tell of Chippewa parents who came to the pool seeking names for their newborn. They supposedly found names like Satu (darling), Kakushika (big eye), Natukoro (lovely flower) and We-shi (little fish) scribed in the sounds of the rippling water. They attributed healing powers to the waters.

A drop of honey on a piece of birch bark dipped into Kitch-iti-kipi and presented to a loved one was to make them true forever. Another legend concerned the tamarack growing on the banks of Kitch-iti-kipi. A small piece of the bark ground in a mortar and pestle and placed in an individual's empty pockets would be replaced by glittering gold at exactly midnight. Whatever the legends, visitors to the spring loved them. Kitch-iti-kipi is said to have many meanings in the Chippewa language-The Great Water; The Blue Sky I See; The Roaring, Bubbling Spring. Others called it the Sound of Thunder and Drum Water, even though the quiet is eerie. Whatever its name and legend, Palms Book State Park continues to draw curious visitors.

Although it was a black hole all but hidden in a tangle of fallen trees, John I. Bellaire fell in love with the Big Spring in the early 1920s. Bellaire had come south from Seney, leaving the rip-roaring lumbering town after the white pine was gone to open a Five and Dime store in Manistique. Around the oval pool (measuring 300 feet by 175 feet) vegetation grew lush, draping over the piles of trash left by a lumber company which operated nearby. The Big Spring wasn't too different in formation from other sink holes in the area, except that it was tapped into a fast-flowing spring. Bellaire, however, saw through the debris, envisioning the beauty of the emerald bottom of the pool. He watched the sand bubble and roll as hydrostatic pressure forced water through the narrow openings at the bottom. Bellaire could have bought the property for himself, but his vision of preserving it through public ownership prevailed. In 1926 through an arrangement with Frank Book who represented the Palms Book Land Company, Bellaire arranged for the sale of almost 90 acres (including the Big Spring) to the State of Michigan for $10. Deed stipulations called for the property to be forever used as a public park, bearing the name Palms Book State Park. Additional lands through tax delinqency and land exchange eventually brought the total park acreage to 308.

The Civilian Conservation Corps and other groups eventually constructed a raft, dock, concession stand and ranger's quarters, leaving Bellaire the task of showing tourists the bubbling pool. Taking great pride in the spring, Bellaire often closed his store to personally escort interested visitors to the sacred site. In later years, Bellaire confessed to former Indian Lake State Park Manager Vic Haas that he and a poet of sorts from the Western U.P. made up the Indian legends of Big Springs themselves. He said they did it to attract visitors. Bellaire was already in his middle 70s when Haas came to Palms Book in 1948. Haas said Bellaire still visited the pool almost daily even then.
Passes
The Recreation Passport is required for vehicle entry into state parks and recreation areas, state boat launches, state forest campgrounds and state trail parking lots. Details and information on how to obtain your Michigan Recreation Passport can be found by visiting the MICHIGAN RECREATION PASSPORT web page.



Picnicking
1. Palms Book State Park offers picnic tables and grills for visitors.
2. You can enjoy a meal overlooking the beautiful Kitch-iti-kipi spring.
3. The park provides trash receptacles, promoting clean picnicking habits.
4. There are no shelters; it's an open-air experience only.
5. Picnic spots offer views of wildlife like deer or birds.


Visitor Comments, Memories and Reviews
July 31 Checking out state parks by Michael_D_
park review stars; one to five
May 20 Amazing to see!
park review stars; one to five It is truly amazing to see the huge fish and clear view right to the bottom of the lake! If you were in the tropics you would pay $80/person or more to go on a glass bottom boat ride like this!
July 30 should be the 8th wonder of the world by wigglesmw
park review stars; one to five kitch-ti-kipi, or the big springs is the most awsome natural sight I have ever seen. It is amazing to look down into the spring and see what the earth looks like underneath us. it is also a very well kept secret that many people have never seen. It is a must see.
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Area Campgrounds
Jack Pine Lodge and Campground
5350N Michigan 94
Manistique, MI
906-573-2414
Indian Lake Travel Resort
HC 01 Box 3286
Manistique, MI
906-341-2807
Woodstar Beach Campground
17865 Little Harbor Road
Manistique, MI
906-341-6514
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
US 2 to Thompson, M 149 north ( approximately 8 miles to park entrance).

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Michigan
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Michigan State Parks

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