St. Ignace Downtown History

One of the oldest archaeological sites in the country is located in St. Ignace at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture (across the street from here). The Huron village, which was located there, is believed to have looked like this in the 1600s. These large multiple-family longhouses were permanent structures, contructed of poles covered with bark and ranged from 60-70 feet in length. Four to six families lived in each longhouse with several warming fires within.

The Ojibwa living in this area typically lived in dome-shaped wigwams (wiigiwaam), made of birch bark, juniper bark and willow samplings. These wigwams were easily moved and could be set up by the women in a few hours. When it was time to move from one site to another, they merely removed the bark, leaving the framework in place for future use. The bark was then placed on the framework at the new site. This served their seasonally-nomadic lifestyle, allowing the Ojibwa to take advantage of area resources in this harsh environment.

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What's in the Water?
Voyage of Exploration
Michilimackinac Cove
What's in the Water?
Two Cultures Meet
Knights of Columbus Plaque
St. Ignace Mission
Father Marquette Park Kiosk
Grave of Father Marquette
The Huron Longhouse

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