L'Anse Township in Baraga County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

L’Anse-Lac Vieux Desert Trail

Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

1. L’Anse-Lac Vieux Desert Trail Marker

Inscription. Near this spot ran the L’Anse-Lac Vieux Desert Trail, which crossed the interior of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan from L’Anse on Keweenaw Bay to Lac Vieux Desert on the Wisconsin border. The trail was used in prehistoric times by native Americans traveling to visit, hunt or trade. Father René Ménard may have followed this route in 1661 as he traveled south from Keweenaw Bay, a trip from which he never returned. The trail was later used by fur traders, early surveyors and home- steaders. The L’Anse and Lac Vieux Desert bands of Chippewa Indians used this trail into the twentieth century. Today, many segments of the L’Anse Lac Vieux Desert Trail are unpaved roads that can be traveled by car.

Erected 1985 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. Registered Local Site. (Marker Number 1198.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Religion & Religious Structures • Roads & Vehicles. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1661.

Location. 46° 44.951′ N, 88° 28.42′ W. Marker is in L'Anse, Michigan, in Baraga County. It is in L'Anse Township. It can

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be reached from Lambert Road south of U.S. 41, on the right. It is on the grounds of the Bishop Baraga Shrine. The shrine is no longer accessible directly from U.S. 41. It is well signed. Turn south on Lambert Road and follow it across the railroad tracks and to the right around the curve to the shrine’s parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 17570 US-41, Lanse MI 49946, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

and in Copper Country.

It is also in the American Midwest,

on the Great Lakes,

and on Lake Superior’s South Shore Region.

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 Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Storm On Lake Superior (here, next to this marker); The Snowshoe Priest (a few steps from this marker); Departure from Metlika (a few steps from this marker); Celebration of Holy Mass (a few steps from this marker); Unum Est Necessarium (a few steps from this marker); Arrival at LaPointe (a few steps from this marker); Dog Sled Episode (within shouting distance of this marker); Adrift on Ice Floe (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in L'Anse.

Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for René Ménard. Excerpt:

In 1660, Ménard was sent west from Montreal with a trading party of Ottawa and the fur traders Radisson and Groseilliers, heading for what is now northern Wisconsin, aiming to establish a mission among the Ottawa. The 55-year-old Ménard didn't expect to return. The night before departure he wrote to a friend,
In three or
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024

2. L’Anse-Lac Vieux Desert Trail Marker
four months you may include me in the Memento for the dead, in view of the kind of life led by these peoples, of my age, and of my delicate constitution. In spite of that, I have felt such powerful promptings and have seen in this affair so little of the purely natural, that I could not doubt if I failed to respond to this opportunity that I should experience an endless remorse.

(Submitted on August 15, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 29, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,306 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 14, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. 2. submitted on August 15, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.