St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission

Amawee, an Odawa, sold this land to Jean Baptiste Trotochaud and his Ojibwa wife, Sophia Anaquet, who later donated nearly an acre to the Catholic Church. Under the guidance of Father Sifferath, Jean built the mission in 1859, and in 1860 Bishop Frederic Baraga blessed and dedicated it for use by Natives and settlers. Mass was offered there at least four times a year. After Father Pius Niermann, an Assistant Priest with the Franciscan Fathers, arrived, the mission was restored in 1884. It was abandoned by 1896 and restored again in 1931, 1959, and from 2005 to 2008. The church and burial grounds are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Petoskey, Michigan · United States