Indians of early copper culture occupied the Bays de Noc over 5,000 years ago. We know when French explorers came to this area, they were greeted by members of the Noke tribe. The Nokes territory extended from north Green Bay and the Bays de Noc . . . — — Map (db m137243) HM
Charles Brotherton
In 1852 Charles Brotherton came to the Upper Peninsula with a survey team organized by William Burt. Two years later, Peter White hired him to survey the land between the Menominee River and Marquette. His work in the . . . — — Map (db m139050) HM
Escanaba: The Port
It was the abundant timber that first lured settlers to the area to start sawmill communities along rivers flowing into the bay. Although Escanaba itself was not heavily wooded, as a port it became a commercial hub for . . . — — Map (db m137157) HM
At your immediate left, the first dock you see is the decaying Chicago and Northwestern Railway Dock, locally called the Merchant's Dock. Most of Escanaba's freight and passengers to and from the South and East came and went over this dock before . . . — — Map (db m137161) HM
This tablet marks
the site of the first
public schoolhouse
erected in Escanaba.
1867
Placed by Lewis Cass Chapter
Daughters of the American Revolution
1934 — — Map (db m139082) HM
Beginning with the Native Americans to present day, people have found food, fortune and failure fishing the Bays de Noc. In 1866, commercial fishing at Escanaba began with catching fish for visiting trade vessels and local logging camps. In the . . . — — Map (db m137306) HM
From this port, beginning in 1864
and ending with the Ore Centennial
Year 1964, more than 340,000,000
tons of iron ore were shipped.
The Chicago and North Western
Railway Company, iron ore-handlers
for 100 years, built the big dock . . . — — Map (db m137259) HM
The Noquet (or Noc) Indians, who once lived along these shores, gave this bay its name. Here at Sand Point, in 1844, Douglass Houghton came with his party of government surveyors to chart the land to the north. In 1864 the first ore dock was built . . . — — Map (db m137285) HM
In 1864, E. Gaynor built the Gaynor House hotel, which he renamed Ludington House in 1871. after lumberman Nelson Ludington. In the late 1800s proprietor John Christie enlarged the hotel and renamed the establishment the New Ludington Hotel. An . . . — — Map (db m135301) HM
Sand Point Lighthouse
From 1868 to 1939 the Sand Point Lighthouse warned mariners of the spit of land extending into Little Bay de Noc at the entrance to Escanaba Harbor. The U.S. Congress authorized construction of the lighthouse in 1864, . . . — — Map (db m137333) HM
Escanaba has a long history in timber and fishing, but it is the perfect natural harbor and closeness to the iron range that have given Escanaba prominence in Michigan history. During the 1800's through the 1950's, large chunks of low grade ore . . . — — Map (db m137260) HM
Starting in 1861, the Civil War tore apart the nation and resulted in the immediate need of iron ore to provide weapons for the North. William B. Ogden, an owner of the Chicago & Northwest Railroad Co., knew of the plentiful iron mines of the . . . — — Map (db m137258) HM
Possessed of both a deep channel and protection by the natural break waters of Sand Point, Escanaba has a top rated natural harbor. Since Escanaba's beginning, the timber trade shipped from this harbor, and the Lake Schooners Fleet dominated the . . . — — Map (db m137290) HM
The growth of Escanaba from a small town into a growing city in such a brief time can be traced directly to the expansion of lake shipping in this port. Over the years, Escanaba harbor has seen times of boom and bust in the fishing, lumber and . . . — — Map (db m137286) HM
