The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1907-10-19
WILL HONOR MARQUETTE,
Island Of Mackinae to be Made q Pub.
lie Park.

TIC Park.
A movement has baen started in
Michigan, to turn over Mackinac Is
land. SO intimately associated with Pere
Marquette and the early Jesuit mis-
sionaries, to the United States Gov
ernment for great public park. 1t is
| proposed to revive and garrison the
old fort at that place.
! The legislature Of Michigan has al-
| ready passed an act authorizing the
transfer on twenty-four hours notice,
| and no further action on the part Of the
state Is necessary. But the Secretary
of War will have to make the recon-
mendation and Congress will have to
authorize the President to accept a
deed from the state, and restore the
| island to it's old character as frontier
military post.
The island is at present the property
| of the state Of Michigan, and is gov
erned ny a. commission or which Peter
White Of Marquette, is chairman. No
simply leased, and the resulting funds
| used for improvements. beautifuj
park Of lila acres has been maintained
and fourteen miles of driveway has
been constructed and kept in order.
Uncle Joe Cannon, Senator Hemen-
way. Congressman Mckinley of Hi
nois and Senator Smith of Grand Rap
ids were up there the other day when
the citizens and summer residents
warmed them up to the support of the
proposition. For sentimental reasons
the island ought to be under the care
and the Jurisdiction Of the general gov
ernment. Tho old fort ought to remain
as, It, Is, It ranks with Fort Mason, Of
st, Augustine as the most interesting
historical object In the country.
The legendary associations blend in
; to, historical events at the earliest peri
fod, Of our history. Tho island was
ks1o*'f "t6 champlain before 1873: II
was the homo of good Father Mar
(. quette and other black-robed pioneers
In 1854 Jean Nicolet stopped there on
!. his journey. through the straits. In
1870 Father Marquette established the
first mission of the Jesuits across the
!, straits at st. Ignace. From there Mar
quette and Joliet started on their voy-
age sof discovery in 1873. On August
81. 1879, Robert Cavalier de Ia Sale
and Father, Hennepin arrived on the
|,"Griffon." the first vessel that ever
crossed the lakes, and Du L'Huth pass
ed the winter of 16s0-S1 across the
straits at st. Ignaoe.
Marquette passed the winter Of 1870
upon the island Of Macl1inac while he
at ST. 1gnace. He wrote a graphic
description of the place and Its ad-
vantages, describing the climate. the
resources. the fishing and the habits
Of the people. In 1872. the Sieur Joliet
arrived at st. Ignace with instructions
from Comte de Frontenac. Governor of
Canada, for Father Marquette to ac-
company him upon an exploration of
the Great River. The winter OF 1872
73 was spent in making the necessary
preparations and collecting informn-
tion from the Indians.
In 1915, while at the mission es-
tablished on the site of Chicago, Mar
quette was taken seriously i'll and re-
solved to return to his beloved mission
at Mackinac He got as far as a point
near Ludington, Mich, where his party
was compelled to disembark and Mar.
quette passed away, and was buried
there.
God. did not suffer the remains OF
Marquette to be forgotten" says Bau-
croft. 1.-TWO years later, on the ami
versary of his death, the Kiskakon In
dians (Algonquins) and 9, number OF
1roquois repaired to the spot and dis
inferred his body. Cleaning the bones
they placed them in a neat box ol
birch bark and conveyed them to Point
st. Ignace. AS they approached the
mission of ST. Ignace Fathers Nonvelle
and Pierson met them and intoned the
De Profundis in sight of all the people
before the landing. The body remained
In state in the church all day whitsun-
day, June 8, 1877. and. the next day
was deposited with. funeral honors In
q, little vault under the church. where
he now reposes. the guardian angel OF
the Ottawa mission. opposite the beau
tiful Island Of. Mackinac. and of the
home Of the Great Manitou. whom the
Indians delighted to worship"
i In May. 1877. the foundations of the
old church were discovered on the
~.ona-t,, ~ novid A,,rroy .% po;~t Ct