Father Marquette National Memorial
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The Father Marquette National Memorial was designated by the National Park Service in 1975 and opened to the public in 1976 in Straits State Park. The memorial celebrates the life and legacy of Jacques Marquette, the French Jesuit missionary and explorer who founded Sault Ste. Marie in 1668 and St. Ignace in 1671. A state-run museum opened at the site in 1979, but was destroyed by fire in 2000. In addition to a pavilion, the site includes a 15-station outdoor interpretive trail, powwow grounds, an amphitheater and panoramic views of the Mackinac Bridge.
Today, the memorial and Straits State Park are jointly managed by two divisions of Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources (DNR): Parks and Recreation and Michigan History Center.
Gchi Mshiiken Deh Minising/Heart of the Great Turtle Island is a collaborative project to reimagine the Father Marquette National Memorial in Straits State Park, St. Ignace, Michigan. The project re-centers interpretation around the thriving Anishinaabe (Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi) people and cultures, whose history provides context for Father Marquette’s experiences and whose impact and influence extend to the present day.
In 2017, the Michigan History Center formed a heritage collaborative to reinvest in and reinterpret the history and culture honored by the Father Marquette National Memorial site, with the primary goal of sharing a more inclusive and accurate history of the region.
Partners include:
As work moved to developing the interpretive plan for the site, three of Michigan’s twelve federally recognized tribes joined the effort:
The site’s location at the Straits of Mackinac gives it added importance to the Anishinaabeg, as the straits are the location of their creation story and at the center of their vision of North America as “turtle island.” The project re-centers the narrative around the thriving Anishinaabe (Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi) people and cultures whose pre- and post- contact history provide context for Marquette’s experiences and their own continuing story.
Project work involves:
For more information on the project, including the status, site plans, artistic renderings and timeline, visit the project on the Michigan History Foundation website.
The Father Marquette National Memorial includes a stone and wooden pavilion.
The floor of the memorial includes a map of Marquette's journeys.
A short walk from the Memorial reveals stunning views of the Mackinac Bridge.