The Epic Return of Father Marquette’s Remains to the Straits of Mackinac

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In the heart of downtown St. Ignace, on the shore of East Moran Bay, surrounded by shops, waterfront restaurants, and ferries, is one of the oldest archeological sites in the country. Artifacts here were recovered from a 17th-century Native American village and French Jesuit mission.

It’s also the official final resting place of French Jesuit missionary Father Jacques Marquette.

Yes, he’s the man behind the name for the vibrant U.P. town on Lake Superior, the prestigious university in Milwaukee, the sprawling tract of Michigan woodland named Marquette State Forest and the Pere Marquette River.

Before he was a missionary, mapmaker, navigator and historian—and namesake across Michigan and the Midwest—young Jacques Marquette was raised in a well-to-do family in France. He agreed to swear off all wealth to become a Jesuit and live in the Great Lakes wilderness. Once here, Marquette mastered several Native American languages. He established missions at Sault Ste. Marie and in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior, and in St. Ignace.

The Museum of Ojibwa Culture & Father Marquette Mission Park reveals the vivid time in the 1670s when the Ojibwa, Huron, Odawa and French cultures met in St. Ignace. The museum collections—both inside and out—deepen understanding of the Straits of Mackinac’s significance on the world stage at this moment in time. History is told through the eyes of the Anishinaabeg, the first people who inhabited this area. The sacred site also reveals the deep and complex relationship the Native Americans had with Father Marquette.

A 17TH-CENTURY GATHERING PLACE

In the 17th century, the Ojibwa, Odawa and Hurons lived in the upper Great Lakes, traveling with the seasons’ abundant hunting and fishing. The area that is now St. Ignace along the Straits of Mackinac was the epicenter for trading, making it a natural spot to settle for the winter, shares Museum of Ojibwa Culture Director Tom Wyers.

Also at this time, French soldiers, traders and explorers were forging their way into the upper Great Lakes from Quebec and Montreal, “claiming” it as their own, and calling it New France. A select group of French Jesuits came to New France as missionaries; the Native Americans referred to them as “black robes” because of the cassocks they wore.

Many of these missionaries advocated that the Indigenous people they lived with be treated fairly. Marquette was among them.

When Father Marquette—along with members of the Huron tribe from Ontario—traveled to the Straits of Mackinac, the Ojibwa and Odawa were already here. Tom Wyers explains, “Marquette and the Hurons landed in birch bark canoes in 1671 on the beach right in front of where the museum is today. They were welcomed by Ojibwa and Ottawa.” All three tribes lived here together.

Marquette named his new mission St. Ignace and set up a life here alongside the Native American families, who built a community that he came to regard as home.

Eventually, Marquette was called away from his home to travel and map the Mississippi River from the north. Shares Tom Wyers, “When he was in the Illinois area, he got gravely sick. He knew he was dying and wrote, ‘I want to go back to St. Ignace and to my family the tribe.’”

He made it only as far as Ludington or Frankfort—the debate over the exact spot an epic tale of its own. “Travelers came up and told the tribes in St. Ignace that he’d died,” says Wyers. Because of the relationship the Jesuit explorer had with the Native Americans, they wanted to honor his wish to return to them. A group made the journey and dug his remains from a wilderness grave, preparing them to be reburied at his St. Ignace mission. “When they returned with his remains, there were 45 canoes occupied by members of different tribes in Moran Bay,” Wyers shares. “They brought him to shore in a flotilla of canoes, and handed him off to the Jesuit priest, who buried him in the altar of his own church.”

A SECOND HOMECOMING

Fast forward 200 years: It’s 1877 and by now Marquette’s exact gravesite and his St. Ignace mission are long forgotten, burned down when the French abandoned their hold in the region. “It was now farming property,” Wyers explains. “That is where the remains were found.” Remnants of the original St. Ignace mission were also discovered. The farmer who owned the property where the bones were unearthed donated the land to become Father Marquette Mission Park (today in the care of the City of St. Ignace).

In addition, “At the time of his reburial in 1877, an ounce of his bones were taken to Marquette University in Milwaukee,” says Wyers.

Now, one more time leap: It’s March of 2022. The descendants of the Native Americans among whom Marquette lived in 1677 have arrived in Milwaukee at the chapel on the campus of Marquette University. A delegation of Anishinaabeg elders and staff from the Museum of Ojibwa Culture previously laid the groundwork with Marquette University for the exchange: they wanted to honor Father Marquette’s wish to return to St. Ignace…for the second time.

In a sacred ceremony, they reclaimed the bones of Father Marquette and carried them home 370 miles to the Straits.

A documentary produced by The Cedar Tree Institute captures the remarkable efforts and a reburial intended to be a time for cultural and spiritual healing.

Francie Wyers, Museum of Ojibwa Culture assistant director and member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, shares that her tribe’s connection to Marquette, though complex, is clear: “The story has been passed down over hundreds of years in our own oral tradition, that he lived among us, shared our life together, respected our teachings. He cared for our people. Father Marquette was beloved by our tribal community. He was one of us.”

Marquette’s missing bones were formally buried at his original grave site on the grounds of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture on June 18, 2022. Sounds of traditional drums and eagle whistles floated over Moran Bay. More than 200 people attended the ceremony conducted by Native American pipe carriers—spiritual leaders of the Three Fires (Ojibwa, Odawa and Potawatomi). Representatives from Buddhist, Jewish and Christian faiths were also present. The pipe carriers brought prayers, sage and tobacco offerings. An eagle was also spotted dancing in the sky during the ceremony.

Father Jacques Marquette is once again home. Visit his final resting place at the Father Marquette Mission Park and the surrounding grounds, which are registered as a National Historic Landmark, Michigan Historical Site and on the National Register of Historical Places.

More St. Ignace History & Culture to Explore:

Museum of Ojibwa Culture

From the replica of a Huron longhouse to exhibits, videos and sculpture gardens, visitors are immersed in the fascinating culture of the Ojibwa, Huron and other tribes who called this land home, as well as the dramatic story of Native contact with the French. Throughout the museum find displays of many of the artifacts, dug up on the site, and learn their use and spiritual meanings. Include time in the gift shop, home to art and crafts by 125 different Native American and Native Canadian artists.

St. Ignace’s Annual Native American Festival

Celebrating a heritage and traditional spirit that is rich in diversity and creativity each May at the Museum of Ojibwa Culture/Marquette Mission Park in St. Ignace. At its idyllic location close to the shores of Lake Huron, the festival shines with amazing energy, pride and excitement in the drummers, dancers, workshop presenters, visitors and supporters who attend the festival each year.

St. Ignace Heritage Days

For two days every August, watch history come alive with reenactments, traditional workshops, Native American drumming and dancing on the grounds of the Museum of Ojibwa Culture/Marquette Mission Park. 

Straits Area Sea Stacks

Native Americans called the Straits region Ettakwaamshing (The Place of the Lookout) in part because of the stunning vertical limestone breccia sea stacks that jut up from the shoreline and forest floors. Some of the most famous: St Anthony’s rock in downtown on North State Street; Arch Rock on Mackinac Island; and beloved tourist attraction Castle Rock. Take the 171 steps that lead up to this sea stack—known also as Pontiac’s Lookout, as the famous Odawa chief was said to have used it for scouting the Straits. Like Pontiac, you’ll be able to see 20 miles out over the Straits.

Traditional Native American Teachings

Every summer, Francie Wyers, Museum of Ojibwa Culture assistant director and member of the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, invites visitors to evening sessions at the museum to learn about the traditional ways of the Ojibwa people and how those rich cultural teachings are carried on today. She introduces herself by her Ojibwa name, Ozaawa Meme Gonhs, or Yellow Butterfly, and teaches the names of animals, how to count and say hello. She strolls the Anishinaabe Sculpture Park to point out the Ojibwa “doodems,” or animal totems, representing seven clans.

Francie Wyers shares, “People are unsure, and sometimes ask, ‘Is it okay if I use that word?’ I believe yes: the Ojibwa belief and way of life are entwined in the language, and I am hoping to spark enough interest in it for it to continue.” Tom Wyers, museum co-director notes that it’s with a similar spirit of openness that the museum holds the two annual Native American festivals in St. Ignace: “Ours are learning Pow Wows. All spectators are invited out to dance,” he says. “If they learn and pass it along, we are seeding that tree. And if that tree drops fifty seeds, eventually we have a big forest of those who understand the culture.”

Visit the St. Ignace website to start planning your trip.