The Legs Inn

The Legs Inn, named for the stove legs that trim the roofline, became one of Michigan's most unusual landmarks through Stanley Smolak's creativity and the craftsmanship of local Odawa (Ottawa) Indians. A Polish immigrant, Smolak came to the United States in 1912 and settled in Cross Village in 1921. During the 1930s he enlisted Odawa and other area residents to construct the inn from locally gathered timber and stones. A self-trained artist, he used tree roots, limbs, and driftwood to carve fantastical creatures into the furniture and decorative objects used in the inn, calling the carvings "nature's oddities." Until his death in 1968 at age 81, he continued his creative work there, and the inn became a social center for the community.

Cross Village, Michigan · United States