Garfield Township near Naubinway in Mackinac County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan
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The North Shore of Lake Michigan
Inscription.
The Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan
The northernmost point of Lake Michigan is about 1 mile west of here. In 1805 Congress used that point to mark the western boundary of the new Territory of Michigan. Everything farther west remained Indiana Territory until 1818, when the Michigan Territory boundary was pushed west to the Mississippi River. For the Odawa and Ojibwe, whose villages had been strategically located along the shore from St. Ignace to Big Bay de Noc for centuries, such boundaries were of little importance. Their livelihoods depended on fishing, trade, and travel along Lake Michigan's shores and beyond. Fishing was of primary importance as it sustained both their lives and their economies.
The North Shore of Lake Michigan
The Odawa and Ojibwe who were party to the 1836 Treaty of Washington ceded this area to the United States. However, they did not give up their rights to fish on the Great Lakes and hunt on the ceded lands. Here, they continued their lives with steady, gradual change until the 1880s. At that time, the natural ports of such places as Naubinway began to serve the Upper Peninsula's timber industry and draw more European-American residents. After the decline of logging, fishing remained an economic driver, and the sovereign tribes sought to preserve the fishing rights that were guaranteed in the 1836 treaty. In 1979 federal courts recognized those rights, and in 1985 Michigan and the affected tribes negotiated their first consent decree governing tribal and commercial fishing rights in the Great Lakes.
Erected 2023 by Michigan Historical Commission-Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number S258.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Political Subdivisions • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1805.
Location. 46° 5.724′ N, 85° 23.535′ W. Marker is near Naubinway, Michigan, in Mackinac County. It is in Garfield Township. It can be reached from the intersection of U.S. 2 and Beach Road, on the left when traveling east. Marker is in a rest area off of U.S. Highway 2 about 4 miles east of Naubinway. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Naubinway MI 49762, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and on the Straits of Mackinac. 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. within walking distance of this marker:
Another marker is no longer nearby. The Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan (was here, next to this marker but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).
More about this marker. Marker replaces a The Northernmost Point of Lake Michigan marker that had the same text on both sides.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 89 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 1, 2025, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.


