It turns out that Leelanau County already has an official flag – or, at least, an official county Bicentennial emblem that was placed on flags back in 1976.

When the new Leelanau County Government Center was being completed last year, three flagpoles were erected just outside – for the American and Michigan flags, as well as a possible Leelanau County flag.
But the third flagpole has remained empty.

A closeup of the emblem, which was created by an Elmwood Township girl.

Earlier this month, the Leelanau County Board of Commissioners agreed to hold a contest in which anyone interested could come up with a design for a county flag.  At the time, no county officials said they were aware that there had ever been an official county flag.

But there was – kind of.

Former county clerk Dorothy Wunderlich and her husband, former county commissioner Wayne Wunderlich, had one of the flags stored away at home with a variety of other memorabilia.  Wayne Wunderlich brought the flag into the county clerk’s office last week for safekeeping. 

Clerk Michelle Crocker and her staff, meanwhile, conducted some research into the issue and discovered the flag’s origin in the minutes of the Dec. 10, 1974, Leelanau County Board of Supervisors meeting.

“Mr. Noble Travis, Chairman of the Leelanau County Bicentennial Celebration Committee, appeared before the board with a progress report for the committee,” according to the minutes.  “Mr. Travis mentioned that the committee is sponsoring an official Leelanau County Bicentennial emblem contest for school children participation and that the National Bank & Trust, Traverse City State Bank and Empire National Bank have donated twenty-one $25 Savings Bonds for awards for contest winners.”

In the March 6, 1975 edition of the Leelanau Enterprise, the design winners were announced.  The top design was created by 11-year-old Rochelle Walters of Elmwood Township, a sixth grader at Norris Elementary School.

The Bicentennial emblem she created featured an outline of Leelanau County and a logo containing the words “Leelanau County Bicentennial Commission 1776-1976.”  Within the logo were line drawings of a speedboat, a downhill skier, a swimmer, a snowmobile, and what appeared to be sand dunes with cherries superimposed on them.

Rochelle Walters could not be reached for comment. She is now married and resides in Kansas City, according to Sylvester Walters of Elmwood Township,  who said he believes she is his third cousin.

The county board’s “Campus Completion Committee” was meeting Wednesday morning to discuss the flag project and other efforts to landscape the new government center campus as well as decorate its interior. The committee was formerly known as the “Interior Design Committee” and is chaired by District No. 4 commissioner Mary P. Tonneberger, who is also the county board chairman.

“I expect we will have one of the Bicentennial flags framed for placement one of the walls somewhere inside the Government Center,” Tonneberger said.

Because the emblem and the flag were created for a specific purpose – celebration of the nation’s Bicentennial in 1976 – the design will not be used as the county’s official flag, Tonneberger said.

This week, the committee was expected to review several proposed designs for a new county flag that have been received so far and make a recommendation to the full board of commissioners at an upcoming meeting.