From Mobsters to Music
To an outsider, Harbor Springs, Michigan may look like your everyday, All-American town. Friday night football games, carefree bike rides, and, from golf caddies to dock hands, a summer job for every kid who wants one. However, look a little closer and you’ll see a town located on the deepest natural harbor in the Great Lakes and deeply rooted in Native Odawa history.
Since the establishment of the train station in 1889, passenger steamships, and the Model-T, our enchanting town has drawn some of the wealthiest families in America. All ventured north to escape the summer city heat – along with Detroit’s most notorious gangsters, The Purple Gang.
During prohibition, as the summer resorters came north, The Purple Gang was eager to take advantage of the opportunity. Abe Burnstein, the gang's leader, and his driver, Al "Slim" Gerhart, tailor-made a stylish dining club upstairs and a sophisticatedly engineered casino speakeasy downstairs - they called it The Manitou.
After a few run-ins with the law, Al closed The Manitou and sold it in 1962 to a couple out of Ohio who turned it into a Michigan-famous teen and collegiate night club called The Ponytail. The secluded teen nightclub drew co-eds from across the state. With acts that included The Beach Boys, The Supremes, Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, and Bob Seger (just to name a few), Club Ponytail quickly became an iconic piece of local history. Whether your uncle won every dance-off or your parents met while watching The Animals play "House of the Rising Sun," Club Ponytail stories are full of young love and rock-n-roll.
While The Ponytail and The Manitou are no longer the center of Harbor Springs summer fetes, the first-hand accounts, mysteries, and the original Club Manitou building still stand. The building was converted into a private residence over 50 years ago. Since then, the legendary tunnels and hidden basements have been unexplored… until now.
The Spirit of the Manitou team has been driven by their love of Harbor Springs and the stories of both Club Manitou and Club Ponytail. The restoration of the building and discovering every secret hidden within the walls and below the floors is what we have set out to do. We hope you'll join us on this adventure!