Alger County Heritage Center
|
| Behind the museum on the banks of Munising Bay, this rare American Fur Company log cabin dates from the 1830s. It was built on Grand Island by John Jacob Astor's legendary company. The interior has been meticulously restored. |
In a handsome brick school this local history museum has displays that draw upon the area's exceptionally rich Indian, fur-trading, lumbering, nautical, resort, and manufacturing history. The gift shop carries works by local artists and numerous publications about the area, including an outstanding, multi-authored Alger County centennial history. Who Were Those People? It compiles sketches of various ethnic groups, including Poles in Munising itself, Ojibwe families, Swedish homesteaders, and more.
|
| The warm wooden interior of the old Traunik post office has been preserved in the museum here. It is visible from the customer's and clerk's positions. Settled by Slovenians, Traunik is on a country road H-44 25 miles southwest of Munising. |
Grand Island's resort and game ranch years are represented by furniture from Hotel Williams and a mounted albino deer, part of the ranch's exotic animals collection. Another distinctive display is the Munising Woodenware collection from the factory that moved here in 1911, after its Kalkaska factory burned. Munising Woodenware became a leading local employer and thrived in the 1920s, becoming a national source of decorated wood objects from clothespins to tent pegs to pastry makers, rolling pins, meat tenderizers, and bowls. Original Munising Woodenware decorative items have become highly collectible. For woodenware history and pictures of new woodenware being produced, visit algercounty.com.
The American Fur Company log cabin #3 was moved from Grand Island to the museum grounds. The fur company, an early venture of the famously rich John Jacob Astor, had recently abandoned its island cabins when pioneering European settler Abraham Williams brought his family to the island in July 1840. The cabin is furnished with reproduction trade goods as it might have been in the waning years of the fur trade in the 1830s. 
On Washington St./Sand Point Rd. 1/2 mile north of H-58/Munising Ave. (906) 387-4308. Currently open year-round Tues thru Sat noon to 3. No admission fee; donations appreciated. Handicap accessible: main museum has an elevator to all floors. Log cabin has some steps, narrow doorway.
[Get Directions]
Return to Munising
POINTS OF INTEREST
Munising Front Range Light. Imposing 1908 58-foot white light tower is part of a system of range lights that guide ships into Munising's harbor of refuge. Behind & up the hill is the shorter but higher white round rear range tower. Boat captains lined up the two lights to steer safely into this harbor of refuge. ... more
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. A major Midwest destination with wonderful waterfalls, vistas, and hikes, the sandstone bluffs here rise up to 300 feet high, shaped by wind, waves, and ice into dramatic columns and caves, and stained red, blue and green by seeping minerals to form colored "pictures" ... more
Sand Point Beach. With lovely sand & striking views, some thing it's the best beach in Michigan ... more
Scenic drive Munising to Marquette. Miles of public beaches, vistas, and elegant river mouths delight travelers who take M-28 along this stretch. ... more
Spray Falls. Enjoyable 3-mile hike takes you to one of the U.P.'s premier falls ... more
Tannery Falls. One of the U.P.'s most delightful waterfalls is reached by a splendid path along Tannery Creek ... more
Pictured Rocks Visitor Center. Recommended first stop for every new visitor—for maps, handouts, scheduled talks and walks on nature and history, and customized, impartial advice from a knowledgeable staff of adults who live here and know the area well. Also a nature bookstore ... more
Pictured Rocks Cruises. Great way to see the Pictured Rocks, preferably in the late-afternoon light, unless you have your own boat or take a kayak tour, ... more
Glass Bottom Boat Shipwreck Tour. Peer down through a large boat's viewing wells at three shipwrecks south of Grand Island ... more
Ice Climbing in Pictured Rocks. A top Midwest spot for ice climbing just east of Munising, where tall sandstone bluffs create dramatic blue columns of ice ... more
Lake Superior. Of all the U.P.'s features, none rival the largest freshwater lake in the world. ... more
Central Munising. A wonderful picnic spot, with grills, bandshell, and farmers' market on Munising Bay; a popular coffeehouse-bookstore, some specialty stores; and a kids' castle playground ... more
Alger County Heritage Center. Munising's rich history revealed in many displays, including 1830s fur trader's cabin from Grand Island, vintage Munising Woodenware products, historic kitchen, old post office ... more
Northern Waters Sea Kayaking. An adventurous way to see the cliffs, caves, and shipwrecks by Grand Island and the fabled Pictured Rocks ... more
Grand Island Scenic Overlook. A breathtaking vista out beyond Munising Bay of Grand Island ... more
Munising-area Waterfalls. Avoid crowds and visit four delightful, secluded falls in and near Munising: Horseshoe Falls, a quaint private attraction; the Twin Waterfall Plant Preserve; and Wagner Falls off M-94 ... more
Munising Wi-fi Hotspots. • Chamber of Commerce has wi-fi 24/7 (can use in parking lot). 129 Munising Ave. (M-28) across from Subway. • Falling Rock Café & Bookstore has wi-fi. 104 East Munising/M-28 downtown, just east of Elm. ... more
Valley Spur Cross-Country Ski and Mountain Bike Trails. Artfully laid out, meticulously groomed, this 38-mile trail system is a favorite destination of dedicated cross-country skiers from far and wide ... more
McQuisten Recreation Area. Views from boardwalks on this beautiful pond are hidden gems for birders & naturalists. There's an elaborate playground, too ... more
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here
