Crystal Cove Megeath Compound: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

Jackson, Daniel

The Crystal Cove Megeath Compound is located at Isle Royale National Park in Keweenaw County, Michigan. It is situated on the northeast tip of Amygdaloid Island, which is near the northeast end of the Isle Royale archipelago. It is named for the small cove that provides a shelter from the open waters of Lake Superior. The 8.4 acre cultural landscape includes a small complex of buildings and pathways, bounded by the Lake Superior shoreline and the island interior. The site is accessible by boat. The extant structures generally date to the early 1920s when George Winston Megeath spent an estimated $40,000 to create a private resort to entertain family and friends (HSR 1999). The complex consists of the original Megeath residence, the main lodge, two guest cabins, a storage shed, a generator house, and system of boardwalks, all of which were constructed under Megeath’s ownership. Additionally, the landscape features a smokehouse, net drying reels, and NPS rehabilitated docks along the shoreline. These buildings were constructed later in the 1950s when the Crystal Cove complex was occupied by a commercial fishing outfit. The original spatial arrangement remains intact, although pathways between some buildings have been overgrown by vegetation. The period of significance spans the compound’s time as a private resort from 1920, when Megeath began construction, to 1939, when John Nixon (who purchased the property from Megeath) sold the land to the National Park Service (NPS) in 1939. Similar private resorts and summer residences were common on Isle Royale during the early 20th century. For families such as the Megeaths, private island enclaves were a way to escape the congested cities as well as the symptoms associated with hay fever. Although the Crystal Cove complex possessed rustic exterior qualities, the interiors were regarded as fanciful, revealing the family’s wealth and stature. Although the Crystal Cove landscape has not been altered significantly, it has deteriorated extensively due to weather and abandonment by the property’s most recent special use permit holder. The property has been essentially vacant since the 1980s. Although the NPS is currently stabilizing the Main Lodge, other structures continue to decline, and a great deal of effort and expense is required to reverse the effects of time and the elements. Separately, overgrown vegetation obscures historic circulation patterns and use areas, and encroaches on most of the structures. The Megeath Compound was determined eligible for the National Register by the Michigan SHPO on 8/3/1999, with all historic structures identified as contributing.

Crystal Cove Megeath Compound: Cultural Landscape Inventory, Isle Royale National Park, National Park Service

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