Grand Marais Historical Society

Grand Marais (Mi) (Images of America) Grand Marais Historical Society

The village of Grand Marais, on the south shore of Lake Superior in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is one of the oldest inhabited places on the Great Lakes. Native Americans camped along its beautiful natural harbor, naming it Kitchi-bitobig, or "Great Pond." The French voyageurs traded furs along these shores, and in the early 1860s, a trading post was established. The lumber boom soon followed, and by the mid-1890s, Grand Marais was a bustling town of 2,000 inhabitants. The good times did not last, and by 1911, the sawmills closed, the railroad pulled out, and almost overnight the population dwindled to a mere 200 or so. But Grand Marais refused to die, and those hardy individuals who stayed somehow found a way to make a living, many in the commercial and sport fishing industries. The opening of a state road into town brought vacationers to enjoy the many recreational delights of the area. Today Grand Marais is a popular tourist destination that still retains its small-town friendliness and historic atmosphere.