Top 10 Historic Sites in Upper Peninsula, Upper Peninsula

This site was home to a settlement of Huron Indians, as well as Fr. Jacques Marquette's mission.

Once a bustling industrial community that manufactured iron ore between 1867 and 1891, this well preserved museum village recalls what life was like in the 19th century. Costumed interpreters portray former residents to give visitors an idea of what it was like to live in this rural, wilderness town.When the woodlands to make the charcoal gave out, Fayette became a ghost town, which became the state park. Today, representations of more than 20 original buildings and kilns and a great interactive visitor center tell Fayette’s story.Daily attractions include a modern visitor center, exhibits, scheduled guided tours, 20 historic buildings, camping, picnicking, and swimming. Five miles of hiking trails wind through beech and maple hardwood forests and throughout the historic town site. The trails are groomed for cross-country skiing which circle throughout the historic town site.Fayette Historical TownsiteScuba diving is allowed in Snail Shell Harbor during certain times of the day. A fee and use permit is required for this activity so all divers may participate. All submerged artifacts are to remain in place and nothing is to be removed from the harbor bottom.Fayette Historic Townsite is located between Escanaba and Manistique, 17 miles south of U.S. 2 in Fayette Historic State Park. A Michigan State Parks Vehicle Permit is required for entrance to the park. Please allow two to three hours for your visit.To view this site in another window please click Historical Village Fayette Park.Information on Historical Village Fayette Park courtesy of the Michigan DNR.

For the better part of 100 years, the iron mines were Ironwood's defining characteristic. In appreciation to all those who worked below ground and produced the town's signature commodity, the Miner's Mural was created. It is dedicated to all those who worked beneath the earth, as especially to those who lost their lives underground. Stop over to the mural and pay your respect to these founders.

Iconic. The cannon blasts, the rifles fire, the soldiers march and history comes alive. The oldest building in Michigan and 13 other historical structures boast exhibits explaining everything from military training and battles to medical treatments to family life within the fort. More than just a military outpost, Fort Mackinac served as a home for soldiers and their families and eventually the headquarters for Mackinac National Park, where tourists to the island visited the great fortress on the bluff, much like they do today. This is Mackinac.

A Time of Change. Step into the home of Agatha and Edward Biddle, merchants who moved in around 1830. This was a time of change, and the 1830s were critical to the Biddles for another reason: as an Anishnaabek woman, Agatha and other indigenous people witnessed their culture subjected to immense changes. The decade transformed the Anishnaabek, linking old ways with Michigan’s modern indigenous culture. The continuing story of the Anishnaabek of northern Michigan is not always a happy one. It is a story of battles won and lost, promises made and broken, and cultures repressed and resurgent. Most importantly, the story in which the Biddle family played a role is one that continues today. This new exhibit, created in conjunction with tribal partners, explores that story and how it still resonates on Mackinac Island and throughout northern Michigan. This is Mackinac.