History
7
To the native Ojibwa, this area was known as Wikwedong ("in a bay"). The French Jesuit priest Father René Menard renamed it L’Anse de Sainte Thérèse (St. Theresa’s Cove) in honor of his arrival on St. Theresa’s Day in 1660. Although fur traders were here before him, Menard is the first white person on record here. Like Father Frederic Baraga nearly 200 years later, he came from Europe to bring Christianity to native people in the North American wilderness, but he set off along the L’Anse-Lac Vieux Desert Trail the next spring and was never heard from again. In contrast, Henry Ford’s presence here spanned three decades after he bought the Stearns & Culver sawmill complex in 1922, and for 32 years the mill along the Falls River churned out lumber for Ford’s wood-paneled cars, known as “Woodies.” A ceiling-tile plant has stood on the site since 1956.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
L'Anse, Michigan · United States
