ESCANABA — Thanks to everyone’s hard work and sacrifice while battling the pandemic and the hardships it has caused many of us, the 1st Business After Hours of the Delta County Chambers Centennial year is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, April 28, at the Escanaba Country Club. I am extra excited about the event, because I love going to the BAH events and it is at my favorite spot, the Escanaba Country Club. Based on the Centennial theme for the Chamber this year we will be highlighting long-time businesses in Delta County.

Six Years prior to the Delta County Chamber starting its operations, the Escanaba Country Club was founded. The ECC celebrated its business Centennial in 2015. The club received the Century Award for their recognition as a one of the business leaders in Delta County. The club is the oldest golf course in Delta County and has a rich history around it. I was able to dig into the Daily Press news archive to find additional information regarding the origins of the club. The original leadership of the club was actually “The Bay View Golf Club”. The group had the vision to create something special in the area and in 1914 The board of the club voted to lease the Escanaba property that is the current ECC property. In 1916, officers lead by President W. W. Oliver, VP F. E. King & Treasurer E. J. Noreus authorized the Bay View Golf Club to purchase 50 acres of land at a cost of $5000 to be the permanent home of the now Escanaba Country Club. The Daily Press reported the grounds and planned club house site will be the equal to any in the Northwest. The group changed the name to the Escanaba Country Club in 1917, the same year the Club House opened. The plan was to hold many local tournaments among its membership with traveling trophies. The 1st Men’s Champion was C. G. Mueller in 1915. The 1st Woman Champion was Helen Simonsen in 1916.

The club was designed to have many tournaments, parties and gatherings. Many visitors traveling for business from other states shared their feedback regarding the great time they had at the club and how they couldn’t wait to comeback. The business networking continues today with events like the Business After Hours, the club tournaments and many charity events held throughout the season. Similar to the club’s inception, the ECC is a place to meet great people and have fun.

As with the Chamber, we wish the ECC another 100 years of success! I look forward to seeing you at the many upcoming events in Delta County.

Stay safe, but have fun.

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Ed Legault is director of the Delta County Economic Development Alliance