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Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA

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U.S. 2 FROM THE BRIDGE
POINTS
OF INTEREST

Father Marquette Memorial. Interpretive panels focus on how native people used plants and animals, and Marquette and Jolliet's 1673 journey from St. Ignace to the Missisippi. ... more

Totem Village. A disabled logger's 1950s folk art environment and museum paId tribute to Native Americans when mainstream culture looked down on them. Classic crafts, toys, books and music. Outside: a small woodland zoo. ... more

Souvenir Barn. A free bridge-viewing site on the roof of an old-timey souvenir shop. Outstanding view of Mackinac Bridge, Straits, and possibly freighters. ... more

Curio Fair. Another nostalgic tourist trinket shop, adorned by seashells. An 8-story high tower gives views of both the Mackinac Bridge to the south and forests to the north ... more

Totem Village Museum. A handicapped logger took up wood carving and created a folk art homage to Indian values, getting in touch with his own Ojibwa ancestry in the process ... more

Deer Ranch. Sizable pens in a cedar grove have created comfortable habitats for captive deer which kids can observer up close ... more

Mystery Spot. Endless billboards build traveling kids' excitement for this classic roadside attraction, fun for adults and kids alike ... more

Gros Cap roadside park and St. Helena Island overlook. Take in a fine view, while picnicking, of St. Helena Island and its lighthouse 2 miles offshore ... more

Hiawatha National Forest/St. Ignace Info Center and administrative unit. A picnic spot and native plant garden outside. Inside, handouts and good advice about camping, fishing, berry-picking spots, and wilderness areas ... more

U.S. 2 FROM THE BRIDGE

Father Marquette Memorial

In March 2000 a fire caused by lightning completely destroyed the Father Marquette Museum here. It had been focused on the achievements and spiritual motivation of Jacques Marquette (1637-1675), who founded Sault Ste. Marie and discovered and mapped the Mississippi River in his nine short years in North America.

Today the picnic area with a view of Mackinac Bridge and public restrooms remain open. The 15-station interpretive trail focuses on the Straits area in the 1600s and 1700s, on its political and economic importance, and how the Straits environment was used by native peoples and by the newly arrived Europeans. At the bridge overlook, panels bring to mind the 1673 canoe exploration of Father Marquette and fur trader Louis Jolliet, a skilled navigator and mapmaker, as they passed below en route to the Mississippi.

Views here are being blocked by vegetation. There's more interesting material on Marquette and the Jesuits at the Straits at the Marquette Mission Park by the Museum of Ojibwa Culture in downtown St. Ignace.

The memorial/museum is south off U.S. 2 just west of I-75 and St. Ignace. State park sticker required: $6/day for Michigan residents, $8 for others, or $24 and $29 annual sticker. Handicap accessible:pathway, picnic area. Restroom probably too narrow.

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