How Baraga County got its name: the Snowshoe Priest

Baraga County is named for a person — Frederic Baraga, a Catholic missionary remembered across the Upper Peninsula as the “Snowshoe Priest.” He was born into a well-off family in Slovenia and ordained there. He came to America in 1830. In 1843 he settled at L’Anse to work among the Ojibwe of Keweenaw Bay. He spent the next fifteen years here. The county, several towns, and a Marquette street all carry his name today.

The nickname came from how he got around. His territory was enormous and roadless, and the northern winters ran deep. To reach the scattered communities, Baraga traveled on snowshoes. Some seasons he covered hundreds of miles on foot. Now and then he slept out without a tent. What sets him apart from many missionaries of his era is the language work. He learned Ojibwe thoroughly and put it into writing. He produced a grammar and a dictionary of Ojibwe that remain landmarks of the language. He also pushed back against efforts to force the Native people he served off their land. In 1853 he became the first Catholic bishop of the new Diocese of Marquette.

You can’t miss his memorial. On a bluff above US-41 between L’Anse and Baraga stands the Shrine of the Snowshoe Priest. It’s a 35-foot brass statue of Baraga holding a cross and snowshoes. The base represents his five wilderness missions. It has looked out over Keweenaw Bay since 1972. It’s free, open year-round, and worth the stop for the view alone. Baraga is now formally on the path toward sainthood in the Catholic Church.