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The Great Lakes region of Michigan is a historian’s dream. From the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point to the Mill Creek State Historic Park, visitors from all over the world discover treasures of American history.
On Whitefish Point also know as the "graveyard of the Great Lakes," the Shipwreck Museum houses artifacts and photographs from more than a century of shipwrecks off the coast of Lake Superior, including the remains of the Edmond Fitzgerald. Visitors can view a short film, which takes them on an adventure beneath the sea to view the remains of dozens of fallen vessels. Whitefish is also home of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse, still operating since 1849 and the oldest working lighthouse on Lake Superior.
Traveling slightly north is Tahquamenon Falls State Park. A 36,000-acre park made famous in Longfellows "Song of Hiawatha." The Upper Falls are 200 feet wide with a 50-foot drop. Visitors can observe the Falls from a spectacular vantage point on the observation deck. The Upper Falls are the largest east of the Mississippi, second only to Niagara Falls. The Lower Falls of Tahquamenon are actually a series of three falls surrounding a small island. Tourists can have a closer view of the Lower Falls by hiking through designated trails. More hiking trails and swimming facilities are located at the Rivermouth entrance at the park.
Around Whitefish Bay and on further east, tourists discover Sault Ste. Marie. The oldest town in Michigan originally named Le Sault de Sainte Marie (the falls of St. Mary) by French mission settlers Father Marquette and Claude Dablon. In the early days of pilgrims, St. Mary's rapids were the ports for the canoes of the Indians traveling to Lake Superior. Today in this spot visitors are welcome to view one of the largest lock systems in the world from platforms and a 22-story observation tower. The Soo Lock was designed to raise and lower the water level 21 feet between Lakes Huron and Superior, allowing freighters from all over the world to travel freely. Tourists may also walk along canal paths that link these two Great Lakes and visit the Steamer Valley Camp Maritime Museum.
Traveling south on Route 75 to pay a visit to St. Ignace can be an inspirational experience. Father Marquette and a group of Huron Indians traveled to St. Ignace around 1671 and built a mission on this site. The site has been preserved in the form of the Marquette Mission Park and Museum of Ojibaw Culture where a statue of Marquette, commemorative plaques and Huron loghouse and garden reside. The museum itself is a church over 160 years old, housing artifacts from the French settlements of the late 1600's and the Ottawa and Huron tribes. Nearby is the Father Marquette National Memorial and Museum dedicated to the life of this early missionary.
From St. Ignace history lovers can take a ferry or travel by air taxi to Mackinac Island to visit Fort Mackinac. No cars are allowed on this well-preserved site, however, 90-minute horse drawn carriage tours are available, as well as a bicycle rental center. The island is home to the Fort, a canteen, the Post Hospital, Officer's Quarters and the Soldiers' Barracks built in 1859. Other sites on the island include, the Beaumont Memorial, Ste. Ann's Church, Mission Church, the Indian Dormitory, the McGulpin House, the Biddle House, the Robert Stuart House, the Benjamin Blacksmith Shop and City Hall. The Island is open to tourists from May to October and the admission fee covers entry into most of these historic sites.
Off the Mackinac Island traveling south you can visit the Mill Creek Historic Park featuring a reconstructed 18th-century settlement and water-powered mill on over 600 acres. Costumed Interpreters welcome visitors to bring the era alive by chatting in the language and demonstrating skills of ancient ancestors. Birdwatchers enjoy strolling the three miles of natural trails near the Lake Huron shoreline, finding a bird feeding station along the way.
The outdoors type visitors will want to visit nearby, Wilderness State Park. Here tourists find over 7,500-acres of woodlands and wetlands. A road encircles the Park and there are numerous hiking trails along the way. Visitors delight in discovering meadows of wildflowers, deer, beavers and their dams and various waterfowl along these trails. Be on the alert to spy bobcats, coyote and black bears as well. If you are looking to do some fishing, Sturgeon Bay, at the Wilderness Park offers marshy area's plentiful with smallmouth bass.
For those seeking adventure, Michigan's Great Lake region is the place to be!
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