The Gros Cap Archaeological District is a set of three

archaeological site An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology an ...

s located in

Moran Township, Michigan Moran Township is a civil township of Mackinac County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 994 at the 2010 census. Communities * Brevort is an unincorporated community in the township on U.S. Route 2 at , approximately 20 miles nort ...

, USA, designated 20MK6, 20MK7 and 20MK111. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1982. The three sites cover and include a village site and portions of the

Gros Cap Cemetery The Gros Cap Cemetery, once known as the Western Cemetery, is a cemetery located southeast of Gros Cap, Michigan on US 2. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in the United States to be continuously used, and a portion is contained in the Gros Cap ...

History

The site is associated with the

Odawa people The Odawa (also Ottawa or Odaawaa ), said to mean "traders", are an Indigenous American ethnic group who primarily inhabit land in the Eastern Woodlands region, commonly known as the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. They ha ...

, who settled in the area around West Moran Bay in the late 17th century. The Odawa village, located on the shore of the bay, had at one time 1500 people living in it, and was connected via a trail to the village to the east where

St. Ignace 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 2,452 at the 2010 census. St. Ignace Township is located just to the north of the city, but the two are administered auto ...

is now located. A cemetery (now known as the

and still in use) was originally adjacent to the tribal village and was used as their burial ground. As more European settlers moved into the area, the Ottawa population decreased due to further emigration or intermarriage with the arriving settlers. However, the cemetery continued to be used by French, English and, eventually, American settlers.

History

References

Further reading