Esch Beach

Photo credit: Kim Schwaiger

Did you know that in 1889, the first murder in Benzie County occurred in the then town of Aral, now the site of Esch Beach? The murderer’s motive? High taxes. In the 1880s Aral was a small logging village with a mill pond that was formed by damming Otter Creek where it now opens into the beautiful waters of Lake Michigan. The mill operator, Charles Wright, had refused to pay taxes, arguing that they were too high and were restricting the mill in its rivalry with Edgewater. As the local deputy and township treasurer attempted to apply a writ of attachment to the mill’s logs for the unpaid taxes, Mr. Wright shot them dead. He then paid his employees their wages and disappeared into the woods. A telegraph explaining the situation went to Frankort. Who would come to address the two bodies (kept out of the direct sun by umbrellas put up by the townspeople) and the escaped culprit? The prosecuting attorney and sheriff commandeered a steamer ship in Frankfort and arrived in Aral with their posse. It was believed an Indian handy-man, Lahala, knew of Mr. Wright’s whereabouts, but he refused to talk. Members of the crowd put a noose around Lahala’s neck and hoisted him in the air. He was let down and given a second opportunity to speak. He refused and was lifted off the ground again. Under the threat of a third time he agreed to cooperate. Mr. Wright was found and jailed. The governor of Michigan later commuted his sentence after eleven years served for reasons unknown. Upon his release, he found his former wife and scared off her new husband. The Wrights were rumored to have moved out West, but remained as part of the area’s lore for years to come.

Remember Esch Beach when you get your tax bill and need a place to get outside and take in some relaxing blue skies and water.