St. Ignace, Michigan

St. Ignace ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Mackinac County. The city had a population of 2,306 at the 2020 census. He named it for St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit religious order, whose priests were active as missionaries across North America. (Ignace is the French version of Ignatius.) Jesuits served at missions to convert First Nations/Native Americans to Catholicism and to share French culture. In 1673, Marquette joined the expedition of Louis Jolliet, a French-Canadian explorer, and departed from St. Ignace on May 17, with two canoes and five voyageurs of French-Indian ancestry (Métis) on a voyage to find the Mississippi River. They were successful and descended downriver as far as Arkansas.

thumb|right|upright|A monument marks the grave of Father Marquette, where he was buried next to the St. Ignace Mission, now used as the Museum of Ojibway Culture.

While separately exploring the Great Lakes region on the ship Le Griffon with Louis Hennepin, Sieur de La Salle reached St. Ignace on August 27, 1679. Louis de La Porte, Sieur de Louvigny founded Fort de Buade here in 1681 as a fur trading post. It was later directed by Antoine Cadillac. It was closed by the French in 1697. The Jesuits abandoned their mission in 1705.

The Ojibwe, who came to dominate most of the Native American territory of present-day Michigan in the 18th century, were allies of the French in the Seven Years' War against the British. After the British victory in the Seven Years' War, in 1763 they took over the territory of France in North America, including this part of the former New France. After the victory of rebellious colonists in the American Revolutionary War, in 1783 the village was included within the new United States, as part of what became called its Northwest Territory.

An important fur trading site for both the French and the British, St. Ignace declined in importance by the early 19th century. The Ojibwe had allied with Great Britain in the War of 1812, based on their long trading and a hope they would expel American colonists. The fur trade declined at St. Ignace largely because the United States prohibited British Canadian traders from operating across the border after the end of the war. At the same time European demand for North American furs was declining as tastes changed, and other parts of the economy grew.

Both British-Canadians and later Americans operated a larger trading center at Sault Ste. Marie, which developed on both sides of the Canadian-US border, until the decline of the fur trade in the 1830s. The fur trade also suffered before and during the hostilities of the War of 1812, as the United States first imposed a boycott on all trade with England, including traders in Canada. Many local people kept businesses going by smuggling, but postwar prohibitions on the fur trade were more difficult to avoid. prohibited British traders from operating across the border, as had been their earlier practice. The Ojibwe had allied with the British, their longtime trading partners, during the War of 1812,

In 1882, construction of the Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad, which connected the straits area to the major city of Detroit, provided an economic boost to the village. Farmers and the lumber industry could more easily get products to a major market. St. Ignace was incorporated as a village on February 23, 1882, and as a city in 1883.

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thumb|left|250px|Municipal Building

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, St. Ignace had a population of 2,306. The median age was 49.4 years. 17.0% of residents were under the age of 18 and 27.1% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.8 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 93.0 males age 18 and over.

100.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.0% lived in rural areas.

There were 1,047 households in St. Ignace, of which 21.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.4% were married-couple households, 23.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 30.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. of 2010, there were 2,452 people, 1,064 households, and 633 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 1,299 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 63.4% White, 1.0% African American, 27.8% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 7.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 1.1% of the population.

There were 1,064 households, of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.3% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.5% were non-families. 33.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.84.

The median age in the city was 44.5 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.6% were from 25 to 44; 31.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

{| class="wikitable sortable"

! scope = "col" | Largest ancestries (2000)

! scope = "col " |Percent

| Ojibwe

| style="text-align:right;"| 23%

| German

| style="text-align:right;"| 18%

| Irish

| style="text-align:right;"| 11%

| French

| style="text-align:right;"| 10%

| English

| style="text-align:right;"| 8%

| Polish

| style="text-align:right;"| 7%

As of the census

Local sights

Kewadin Casino of St. Ignace, is a significant tourist attraction and local employer. Straits State Park is located at the south end of the city. Wawatam Lighthouse is located in the city's harbor. The harbor also is a port for Coast Guard ice breakers, e.g., the tug Katmai Bay and heavy duty breaker Mackinaw.

St. Anthony's Rock, a free-access geological limestone stack, is located in the center of the town. Castle Rock, a similar but taller stack for which admission is charged, is located north overlooking Lake Huron. Rabbit's Back, a prominent promontory that also overlooks Lake Huron, is north. Chain Lake, inland, features inland fishing opportunities.

Transportation

thumb|Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City to St. Ignace

Major highways

crosses over the Mackinac Bridge and through St. Ignace. Southbound I-75 takes drivers to the Lower Peninsula; northbound the freeway heads toward Sault Ste. Marie and Canada.
follows the route of old US 2.
ends in St. Ignace at I-75. Westbound, US 2 traverses a scenic stretch along Lake Michigan, toward Manistique and Escanaba.
is a north–south route traveling along the former route of US 2 from just north of St. Ignace to Sault Ste. Marie.

Ferry services

Two ferry companies (Shepler's Ferry and the Arnold Transit Company) operate out of Saint Ignace, connecting tourists and commuters to Mackinac Island.

Airports

The nearest airports with scheduled passenger service are in Chippewa County International Airport in Kinross (northeast of St. Ignace, adjacent to I-75) and Pellston Regional Airport in the Lower Peninsula.

Bus service

Indian Trails provides daily intercity bus service between St. Ignace and East Lansing, Michigan, between St. Ignace and Bay City, Michigan, and between St. Ignace and Ironwood, Michigan.

Notable people

Prentiss M. Brown, U.S. senator from Michigan
Tony Earl, former governor of Wisconsin
Aubrey Fitch, vice admiral, United States Navy
Nicholas Orontony, 18th-century Wyandot leader
Joe Ostman, professional football player
Les Sweetland, professional baseball pitcher

Gallery

File:St Ignace Michigan Downtown Looking South.jpg|Looking south in downtown St. Ignace

File:St Ignace Michigan Post Office.jpg|Post office

File:2009-0618-StIgnace-harbor.jpg|The ferry harbor with Mackinac Island in the distance