From Elk Rapids History
In June 1926 Rainbow Gardens formally opened to the public and becomes popular with locals and resorters alike. The new building erected by owner Mr. Bert DuRocher was “a large and airy dance pavilion [which could] seat as many as two hundred comfortably (Bay Breezes, June 1926).” In the mid-1930s, DuRocher built overnight cottages and a gas station near the property (Bay Breezes, August 1935).
Over the next decade the property switched hands a number of times. Shortly after DuRoucher built his cabins, C.B. Carver bought the property. In the late 1930s Carver sold Rainbow Gardens with its cabins and gas station to Joseph D. Leddy and Ray L. Cornell, who owned a gasoline storage in Charlevoix (Bay Breezes, July 1937). Leddy and Cornell renovated the property and obtained the necessary permission from the village to sell and consume beer there (Bay Breezes, July 1937 and May 1938). By 1940, the cabins of Rainbow Gardens passed into the hands of a Mr. Hill of Saginaw (Bay Breezes, May 1939)
Judging by the way in which Rainbow Gardens changed hands, it must have been a problematic property to own and run. This was underscored in October of 1946 when the Common Council revoked “all privileges granted to Rainbow Gardens by permit of license due to complaints from neighbors and the Michigan State Police (Bay Breezes, October 1946).” At that time, then owner Willis A. Burkholder was notified to cease operation at Rainbow Garden (Bay Breezes, October 1946). Today the property is Pearl’s Restaurant.