MI Lakeside Cemetery, St. Ignace, Michigan

I found Lakeside Cemetery by accident once when I rode my bicycle around the backroads of St. Ignace. The cemetery is up against the Straits State Park. You can actually ride from the cemetery into the park, although I haven't actually done so.

I have an interest in historic and interesting cemeteries. I explored the three cemeteries on Mackinac Island, but I don't have good photos of these. I'd really like to have an opportunity to get some good photos of the island cemeteries. However, we are island day-trippers, which means that we aren't actually on the island in the early morning or the late afternoon / late evening when the sunlight is actually decent. We always take the ferry to the island after breakfast, and then leave the island before dinner. Also, we take our bikes and ride around the perimeter of the island. After this, I am beat and not in a mood to climb the hills in the middle of the island. Excuses, I know.

Here are some other gravesites that I found in Northern Michigan: 5 striking gravesites of the UP
Those are great images . I remember seeing several spirit houses in a cemetery on the way to Iroquois Point . In the northern lower I've found several graves of men of company K of the 1st Michigan Sharpshooters . They were the largest native American unit in the Army of the Potomac.
 
I saw on a history documentary that the Chippewas captured Fort Michilimackinac after a 3 day lacrosse game. The Chippewas knocked the ball into the fort and pretended that it was an accident. They used this as a ruse to run into the fort. The Chippewa women watching the game all had weapons concealed on them.
Bagatoway is the name of the game. And I don’t think it was Chippewas..natives in the area were Odawa, and another name that for the life of me I can’t remember...not easy on the white woman tongue..Yeah. It was a slaughter. One fellow survived and the story goes he was invited to a feast featuring his dead comrades remains. Now, anthropologists dispute that any eatin o your fellow man happened..but..you have this guys eye witness report. It does make sense in the culture. By eating your enemy you take on his power. And the British were really being, ummm...arses..not keeping promises made by previous administrations..they stopped giving gifts to the Native Americans in the region, something they had done for quite some time...gifting is different among the NA..it’s sharing, gratitude..oh gosh..lots of richness there. Any way, lots of ghost story fodder there.
 
Bagatoway is the name of the game. And I don’t think it was Chippewas..natives in the area were Odawa, and another name that for the life of me I can’t remember...not easy on the white woman tongue..Yeah. It was a slaughter. One fellow survived and the story goes he was invited to a feast featuring his dead comrades remains. Now, anthropologists dispute that any eatin o your fellow man happened..but..you have this guys eye witness report. It does make sense in the culture. By eating your enemy you take on his power. And the British were really being, ummm...arses..not keeping promises made by previous administrations..they stopped giving gifts to the Native Americans in the region, something they had done for quite some time...gifting is different among the NA..it’s sharing, gratitude..oh gosh..lots of richness there. Any way, lots of ghost story fodder there.
There were survivors including Capt. George Etherington who were eventually released . Alexander Henry was the trader who survived and wrote about his experience in "Travels and Adventures in Canada." There was ritual cannibalism by some of the Chippewa , but it was not universal and I don't think the Ottawa were involved in it . I believe the museum was struck by lightning . The local tribes definitely did not appreciate the ways of the English, but were very close to the French.
 
Ashtinabe! Finally a name crept out of my brain..we watched an interpreter make a fish net..as in weave one..pretty cool, and I so wished I could take the shuttle and give it a go!
Anishinaabe , though it is spelled different ways .That is what the Chippewa ( Ojibwa ) , Ottawa (Odawa) and Potawatomi are now called . There are other members as well based on a common language and very similar culture . The Chippewa were playing the visiting Sauk during the baggitaway ( many different spellings) game .
 
Fort Mackinac demonstrates a later period, 1880s, though the earlier forts are explained.
Back in the day they had 1812 period interpreters . For several years it has been 1880s as you said . Mackinac was the second national park after Yellowstone . It was turned over to the state in 1895 . A very historic area that has at least a few Civil War connections .
 
Back in the day they had 1812 period interpreters . For several years it has been 1880s as you said . Mackinac was the second national park after Yellowstone . It was turned over to the state in 1895 . A very historic area that has at least a few Civil War connections .
I liked the earlier interpretations best. But then I’ve been going to Mackinac Island since I was very, very young. My Mom is from Petoskey. Back in the day at Michillimac, the Indian interpreters walked around with hatchets, and would pose with tourists, with the ax directed toward the head! My, we’ve come a looong way!
 
I liked the earlier interpretations best. But then I’ve been going to Mackinac Island since I was very, very young. My Mom is from Petoskey. Back in the day at Michillimac, the Indian interpreters walked around with hatchets, and would pose with tourists, with the ax directed toward the head! My, we’ve come a looong way!
I remember when they had recordings in some of the buildings with blood curdling war chants and screams . I DON'T miss that at all . We have indeed come a long way !
 
Today my wife decided we needed to get away for our anniversary and wants to go to Mackinaw City for for a few days. So should I take some time to see Lakeside Cemetery? We are not sure we will take the ferry over to the island. In general we like to play it by ear and go with what ever fits our fancy.
 
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The Mackinac grille in St. Ignace has good food and the Gross Cap cemetery is only a few miles out of town on US 2. There is also the Museum of Ojibwa Culture and the Bridge View Park . The Father Marquette National Memorial still exists , but the museum wasn't rebuilt after the fire . There are some hiking trails .
 
Today my wife decided we needed to get away for our anniversary and wants to go to Mackinaw City for for a few days. So should I take some time to see Lakeside Cemetery? We are not sure we will take the ferry over to the island. In general we like to play it by ear and go with what ever fits our fancy.
There are tons of things to do in Machinaw City, including all of the Historic sites. Michillimac, the Lighthouse, Millcreek. Definitely go across the bridge and see what is on the other side in Ignace. But be prepared, you pay a toll to go back and forth on the bridge.
 
Today my wife decided we needed to get away for our anniversary and wants to go to Mackinaw City for for a few days. So should I take some time to see Lakeside Cemetery? We are not sure we will take the ferry over to the island. In general we like to play it by ear and go with what ever fits our fancy.

My husband’s parents lived in St. Ignace for three years back in the 70’s when they were newlyweds. My mother-in-law got homesick, so they moved back to Western Pennsylvania. That’s why we stay in St Ignace when we vacation in Michigan. We do day trips to Mackinaw City. It costs us $4 each time we cross the bridge, but that’s okay with us. I found Lakeside Cemetery by accident when I rode my bicycle on some of the back streets in St Ignace. It’s not very big and I usually only spend a few minutes there each time I ride my bike there. However, I like that I can see the bridge from the entrance. I didn’t see any cemetery signs on the way there. It just happened that the road on which I bicycled ended suddenly and the cemetery was at the end of that road!

St Ignace has a free public park called Bridge View Park. It has some picnic tables overlooking the bridge. We like to bring our dinner to the park and eat it there. A tour bus from Mackinaw City stops there so that the people can take bridge selfies from the UP.


St Ignace has fireworks every Saturday night in July and August. I believe that Mackinaw City has fireworks every Friday night during this same time period.

At least one of the ferry lines has special trips that go under the bridge. We did this a few years ago, and I really enjoyed it.

You probably already know this, but make sure that you have bug spray.
 
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Back in the 60s there was a place in St. Ignace where you could pay a small fee and look down upon Native American skeletons in a pit .So glad some things have changed .
I do love smoked whitefish and there is a place in St. Ignace that has been there for decades .
 
Here is Mackinac Island’s memorial to Civil War veterans:
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