In 1820 the Chippewa village was located at the mouth of the Anna River. They then moved camp to Sand Point.
History shows that many travelers and early explorers visited the area.
Munising was actually founded by white men in 1850 but the first civilization was built in AuTrain. The town consisted of thirty homes, one blacksmith shop, the bay furnace, a sawmill and a government lighthouse. In 1894, Timothy Nestor took a trip with Captain Taylor who ran an excursion boat named City of Munising, to Munising Bay, and while there he explored the area. In 1895, he hired men and work started on the city now known as Munising. In 1896, a post office was established and the population at that time was 500.