St. Ignace grew around a mission at an older Straits crossroads

St. Ignace did not begin with a French priest. The Straits of Mackinac are central to Anishinaabeg creation history and remain a living cultural place for Odawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi people. French missionaries and traders entered an older Native crossroads, not an empty shore.

The mission date needs a little care. Michigan’s historic-preservation account says the mission was probably established on Mackinac Island around 1671 and moved to the mainland the following year. Mackinac State Historic Parks places Marquette and a Huron community on the north shore near an existing Odawa village in 1671. In plain English, the mission took root at present-day St. Ignace around 1671-72. A French trading community and fort followed. Marquette left in 1673 on the Mississippi expedition with Louis Jolliet, then died in 1675 while trying to return north.

His followers carried his remains back to the mission in 1677. The mission was abandoned and burned around 1705-06, and the grave location was lost. What were identified as Marquette’s remains were found in 1877. The State Historic Preservation Office says the identification has been questioned, though the site is generally accepted. In 2022, bone fragments that had been held at Marquette University were returned and reburied at the site. That is why the careful wording is that Marquette is believed to be buried here.

Today the Museum of Ojibwa Culture and Marquette Mission Park occupy the downtown site. The city describes indoor and outdoor exhibits on Ojibwa culture and the Huron village, with admission by donation during the museum’s seasonal hours. One easy travel mix-up: this is not the Father Marquette National Memorial in Straits State Park west of downtown. Check the name before you follow the map.