An hour north of Grand Rapids is a community that was once the home of hot jams and cool jazz, and a haven for African-Americans during segregation.

From 1912 to 1964, Idlewild pulsed with the sounds of B.B. King, Della Reese, Louis Armstrong, and The Four Tops. It was the premier vacation spot for Blacks in the U.S., says Benjamin Wilson, retired professor of Africana studies at Western Michigan University.

“Idlewild has a heck of a significance to Michigan African-American heritage,” he says. “Even though it was a segregated resort designed for Blacks, a lot of non-Blacks came to enjoy the entertainment.”

Nestled between two lakes on 2,300 acres in the Manistee National Forest, it was one of the few places Blacks could go to relax and vacation free from racial discrimination.

No one knows for sure how Idlewild got it’s name, says Wilson. However, in interviewing people for his book (with Lewis Walker), “The BLACK EDEN: The Idlewild Community,” he theorizes it came from the joy they found in a place where “One could Idle awhile in the wild – a place where the men were idle and the women were wild.”

“They came to relax, rest and get away from the racial tension,” says Mabel Williams, a well-known local and national civil rights fighter and self-made historian who’s lived in Idlewild since 1970.

Williams and her husband, Robert, now deceased, were actually exiled from the U.S. for eight years because of their civil rights activities. “It was a time of much violence against Black people,” she explains, and says they were exiled mostly because of a statement her husband made at a protest in Monroe, NC, stating that since Blacks had no protection under the law they would also have to resort to violence to protect themselves. He later wrote a book about the incident called, “Negroes with Guns,” and PBS did a documentary this February about the couples’ civil rights activities.

“Idlewild was a place where you could feel free and not be looked down on or judged because you are another color – free to be yourself and enjoy each other,” Williams says. “Young people came to go roller skating, bike riding, and horseback riding, and everyone was looking out for each other.”

Lillian Jackson, now a 79-year-old resident, first visited Idlewild in the late ’50s.

“The first time I ever visited here was because of a blues singer named Alberta Adams,” she says. “We stayed in the same house and I went with her when she had to appear. I really fell in love with it – I didn’t know of any vacation spot before and this was the only spot where you could just go, and they had the beautiful lakes, beach and the Island with a skating rink and the Flamingo Club and Heartbreak Hotel.” Then, she was working in a Detroit night club, and started coming back every summer to work in the Idlewild clubs.

“One story comes to mind,” she says. “When the Temptations first started out, they had a gig in Atlanta and got in a fight with some white guys, so they had to leave fast, and instead of stopping in Detroit, Moms Mabley [comedian who performed at Idlewild] brought them here to the Flamingo Club. I took in as many as I could, as they had no money, cigarettes or food, and they stayed for the whole weekend.”

There were a lot of professional people who came here,” she adds, “Joe Louis had land here, and the Detroit Lions would come.”

However, after integration, the community started declining, Williams says. “It was because little rooming houses couldn’t compete with the Holiday Inns, and gas prices zoomed up and kept people from coming to Idlewild.” And, Blacks could now vacation closer to their homes. Although even as late as 1972, Williams says the community still had six gas stations and four grocery stores.

Idlewild Today
Today, Idlewild is a mere shadow of it’s boom days – no bustling nightclubs, restaurants or hotels – but in the 1990s, it started to make some progress again.

With about 712 year-round residents now, it swells to well over 5,000 in the summer, and (along with nearby Baldwin) has been designated an “Enterprise Community” by the federal government, says Donel Brown, Yates Township supervisor. This provides grant and loan dollars to boost economic development over 10 years.

Lake County is one of Michigan’s most economically depressed areas, and Brown says one of Idlewild’s main problems is that the average age of it’s year-round residents is 60 or older.

“Certainly, moving into the 21st Century brings new problems,” he adds. “Our housing stock is deteriorating and older people can’t keep it up.” But, “Growth is picking up–we’re building at a rate of over 1.5 percent, with about two or three new-builds per year–mostly retirees from the cities, but some younger people, too.”

The Enterprise status has helped start new businesses and build the infrastructure (new housing and services such as natural gas, a new sewer system, and street improvements) necessary to draw more, says Mary Trucks, executive director of FiveCap, an economic development agency and member of Great Lakes Energy Co-op, that is helping the community rebuild. Idlewild also has Renaissance Zone status which means tax breaks for new businesses, and a good location right on Highway 10, she adds.

For residents Denise Bellamy and her cousin, Freddie Mitchell, the program helped them start and expand the community’s only variety store, where they sell everything from groceries to jewelry and clothing.

“FiveCap has put things in motion that are the foundation for others to build on and help move the community forward,” explains Trucks, who grew up in the area.

Local groups, including the Idlewild Merry Makers, have also worked with FiveCap to build an Idlewild Cultural and Historical Center.

Idlewild’s Future
Whether Idlewild will be tomorrow’s treasure depends on who you ask. Some want much growth, and others don’t, but it is searching to redefine itself, and many, including the governor and National Register of Historic places, want it preserved.

Brown says the Township hopes to finish its economic development plan soon, and is getting some revitalization help from a partnership with eight state departments.

“Lots of time and energy is being spent asking them [Idlewild residents, including younger people] what they want for the future,” he says.

Mabel Williams wants a place where young people don’t have to leave for jobs. Denise Bellamy sees a community center similar to a YMCA, and Mary Trucks says FiveCap hopes to expand agritourism.

“Idlewild still has a draw in the summer and the market potential for the right kind of business,” Trucks says. “People still want to come and do things outdoors.”