Bay Harbor in Petoskey in Emmet County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023

1. English side of St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

This land was sold by Amawee, an Odawa, to Jean Baptiste Trotochaud and his Ojibwa wife Sophia Anaquet. Later, they donated nearly an acre of land to the Catholic Church. Jean, under the guidance of Father Sifferath, built this Mission in 1859. In 1860, Bishop Frederic Baraga blessed and dedicated it for use by Natives and settlers. Mass was offered at least four times a year. The mission was restored in 1884, after the arrival of Father Pius Niermann, an Assistant Priest with the Franciscan Fathers. 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.

(Ojibwa)
Mah-buh Odawa Amawee gah zhin kah zot gee di-ban-dahn madn-duh ke zhin duh jeeg-beek. Mee dush ah-nin gee dah wat. Jean Baptiste Trotochaud meen wah wee-di-gat mahg-nuhn, Ojibwa kwa toon. Mahn-duh pee 1859. Mee-dush chi-mag-da kun-ya Barage gee bi nuh-ma toot, pee 1860 mee-dush gun-duh Odadwahk. Gee mee naht. Wee nuh-kahz what. Meen-wah je nahg-duh-what. Mo-waht. Kah-dush-pi-na gee nuh-kahz zee-nah-wah. Mahn-gud noong mag-da Kuhn a gee mi-yaht mee gee nuh-mas-kat zhin-duh. Mee-dusk pee 1884 mag-d-kun ya Nahrnah gee nah-chi-gah duhng nahn-duh guhmik. Mee ga wuh “St. Francis Solanus” gah zhin-kah duhng mahn-duh nuh-ma-guh mik. Mee duhsh goon-duh Odawahk oosh-ma gee wa-be nuh kahz what.

Erected 2015

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number 133.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Indigenous Peoples and Communities. A significant historical year for this entry is 1859.

Location. 45° 22.522′ N, 84° 58.045′ W. Marker is in Petoskey, Michigan, in Emmet County. It is in the Bay Harbor. It is on West Lake Street 0.4 miles west of U.S. 31, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 500 W Lake St, Petoskey MI 49770, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula,

on the Straits of Mackinac,

and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France

and also the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Pere Marquette Railroad Station (approx.

Ojibwa side of St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023

2. Ojibwa side of St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission Marker

0.4 miles away); Brazile Petoskey Dry Goods and Groceries (approx. half a mile away); G & A Building (approx. half a mile away); Montgomery Sisters (approx. half a mile away); Petoskey Housefurnishing Co. / Reid Furniture (approx. half a mile away); Petoskey Post Office (approx. half a mile away); Saville Lot (approx. half a mile away); National Hotel (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Petoskey.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry. Excerpt:

In 1856, Father Lawrence Lautishar attempted to construct a church near this site, but ran into resistance from Protestant missionaries who settled in the area in 1852. Bishop Frederic Baraga requested Lautishar halt construction, and in 1858, Baraga and Indian agent A.W. Fitch effected a compromise between the factions and a site farther from the Protestant mission was agreed upon. In 1859, a carpenter, Jean Baptiste Trotochard, donated an acre of land on which to locate the mission church. Baraga accepted the offer and engaged Trotochard to construct a church. The new church was blessed by Bishop Baraga on July 23, 1860. Native Americans worshipped at
Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023

3. St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission and Marker
this church until 1896.

Petoskey’s St. Francis Xavier Church oversees the Solanus property. The church was completely restored in 2008. It is open on select Sundays during the tourist season, and a Mass is celebrated annually in the church on July 14.

(Submitted on October 3, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)

St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission and Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 24, 2023

4. St. Francis Solanus Indian Mission and Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 3, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 440 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on October 3, 2023, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.