New Plan Eyed for Father Marquette Memorial Site
Would Be Developed Under Park Commission
By Paul Gingras

A plan to augment the economies of the Straits region by developing the Father Marquette National Memorial site under the auspices of the Mackinac Island State Park Commission was discussed by State Representative Gary McDowell, members of St. Ignace city government, city residents, the Moran Township Board of Trustees, and the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians Monday, December 3, at city hall in St. Ignace.

Mr. McDowell told The St. Ignace News he is planning to gather public input at a hearing in St. Ignace this January, and if the community is agreeable, he will introduce three bills designed to draw tourists to the Straits of Mackinac. No date has been set for the hearing.

The 56-acre site is in St. Ignace, on the bluff directly west of I-75 near the Mackinac Bridge. It is part of Straits State Park and is jointly administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL). An interpretive native heritage museum was proposed for the site last summer by some of the same planners who attended the December 3 meeting.

The first bill is designed to transfer ownership of Father Marquette National Memorial from the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, which is an agency within HAL.

The second bill would expand the commission by two members, adding one from the St. Ignace area and another from a federally recognized Indian tribe. Most likely, this would be a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, but Mr. McDowell said he is waiting for public input before deciding exactly how this part of the legislation will work, or if it will be included in the bill.

The third bill would add a 4% tax on rental vehicles across the state, generating revenue to promote Michigan tourism, part of which would be available to develop the park. The tax would generate about $48 million a year, making Michigan the number two state in the United States in terms of government investment in tourism promotion, Mr. McDowell said.

The Mackinac Island State Park Commission, which operates Mackinac State Historic Parks on Mackinac Island and in Mackinaw City, would be the natural agency to develop the Father Marquette National Memorial property, Mr. McDowell reasons, because the DNR is not in the business of developing historical parks, lacks the staff to do so, and does not have the authority to generate money for such development.

"Since 1895 when the park commission was created, it has had the authority to preserve and make accessible to the public the parks and historic sites under its jurisdiction," said Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks.

"In 1958, the Park Commission began a more comprehensive program of preservation and interpretation of its historic sites," he said. "These programs have been funded since 1958 with funds from revenue bond financing.

Members of the park commission have agreed to discuss the matter and are expected to do so at the public hearing, Mr. McDowell said. He has spoken to several commission members individually, but the commission as a whole has yet to discuss the matter.

"There will be many points of view and lots of debate on this," Mr. McDowell told The St. Ignace News.

The ability for the Park Commission to sell bonds to develop historic facilities is unique for a Michigan public agency, Mr. Porter said, noting that the Commission can hire experts to properly develop historic sites, and the state allows it to pay back its development loans by charging admission to these sites.

To expand the park commission from seven to nine members, Mr. McDowell wants to amend the law that developed the Commission in 1895 and enabled it to restore and promote historical sites such as Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island and Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City.

Traditionally, the Straits region has been symbolized by the Park Commission as a "triangle of history" to represent the three nations that ruled it, with the British leg at Mackinaw City, the American leg at Mackinac Island, and the French leg at St. Ignace.

St. Ignace has a wealth of history, Mr. McDowell said, and its Native American history is exemplified well by the artifacts at the downtown Fort de Buade Museum. The Father Marquette National Memorial overlooks "one the most beautiful views of the Mackinac Bridge," he noted.

The Commission would have a good start on developing an attraction north of the bridge, owing to the presence of the Father Marquette National Memorial and the parking lot leading to it.

Ollie Boynton of the Michilimackinac Historical Society in St. Ignace has been working with Mr. McDowell for about two years to develop the plan that Mr. McDowell has drafted. Mr. Boynton envisions a new facility on the site and a bridge over I-75 connecting it to Straits State Park. He expects this would easily generate a stream of visitors that would pay admission to a new facility and help the commission recoup development costs.