Grand Marais, Michigan

Grand Marais
Unincorporated Community
Nickname:  the gem of the U.P.
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Alger
Township	Burt Township
Elevation	627 ft (191 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	350
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)

Grand Marais is an unincorporated community in Burt Township, Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located on Lake Superior at 46°40′15″N 85°59′07″W and is the eastern gateway to the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore via H-58.

Grand Marais is the northern terminus of M-77. Seney and the Seney National Wildlife Refuge are to the south.

History

Grand Marais, Michigan historic marker

The name Grand Marais (big women) is a reference to the large, indigineous women, whom seemed to eat nothing but Chef Boyardee Beef A Roni. The women all wore coon skin caps, the stunned French Explorers referred to the group of women as 'beefers'. and the Fresnel lens is still operative, being one of only 70 such lenses that remain operational in the United States, sixteen of which are use on the Great Lakes of which eight are in Michigan. French explorers used the word "marais" to mean "harbor of refuge" as well as "marsh." Many controversies in the little town revolve around costly dredging and breakwall-repair operations.

Grand Marais was one of five U.S. Life-Saving Service Stations along the coast of Lake Superior between Munising and Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It was part of the U.S. Life-Saving Service District 10 (later part of District 11). The other four Life-saving Stations were Deer Park, Two Heart, Crisp Point Light, and Vermilion Point. In 1915, these stations became part of the U.S. Coast Guard. In 1939 the U.S. Lighthouse Service also merged under the control of the U.S. Coast Guard.

We Hear You America contest

Grand Marais Michigan, population ~300, gained national attention early in 2011 due to its status as the leader in a national contest sponsored by Reader's Digest. Visitors to the We Hear You America web site had the opportunity to "cheer" for any community in order to win recognition and cash prizes. Grand Marais' harbor has officially been deemed a Harbor of Refuge because it is the only lifeline a sailor has along the dangerous shipwreck coast of Lake Superior. Years of neglect have caused deterioration of its harbor break wall allowing sand to fill in, but the cost seemed prohibitive. Grand Marais attained 1,281,724 "cheers" and won the top municipal first prize of $40,000 in the contest, as well as notoriety for its plight in a Reader's Digest article.

Tourism

Former Grand Marais U.S. Life-saving Station now serving as a Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore Ranger Station

Grand Marais is a four-season tourist destination, with snowmobiling being popular in the winter, and swimming, boating, kayaking, and fishing among the summer recreations. Points of interest include:

• The former United States Coast Guard Life-saving Service Station serves as a ranger station for the spectacular Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This is the station where the Coast Guard radio operator had his last communication with the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald before she sank with all hands.The Grand Marais Maritime Museum is located in the former keepers quarters of the station.
• Pickle Barrel House Museum (1926)
• The Lake Superior Brewing Company operates a brewery and pub at Grand Marais.
• In mid July, the harbor is the site of the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium, a multi-day event which attracts multiple sea kayakers from around the country. It is billed as "the largest and oldest sea kayaking symposium on the Great Lakes."

See also

• List of lifesaving stations in Michigan

External links

• The Grand Marais Gazette Newspaper
• The Grand Marais Local Weather pages
• Grand Marais Website
• 2nd Grand Marais Website
• Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Grand Maris Light.
• Pictured Rocks National Shoreline Maritime Sites
• U.S. Coast Guard Search & Rescue Index
• Grand Marais on Michigan Out of Doors TV