History & Culture

The Schoolcraft Blast Furnace produced pig iron near Munising Falls during the late 1800s.

NPS photo

Humans have inhabited the area that is now Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for over 10,000 years. The indigenous Anishinabe people were the first to call this area home and still live and use this land. The 1800s brought Euro-Americans and trapping, logging, and shipping. In 1966, Congress designated this area as a National Lakeshore.

Explore the history of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore using the links below.

MARITIME HISTORY

Maritime Sites (webpage)
Au Sable Light Station (webpage)
Shipwrecks (webpage)

LOGGING AND INDUSTRY

Logging History (webpage)
Schoolcraft Blast Furnace (webpage)

OTHER

Administrative History of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (191 page pdf)
A Brief Lakeshore History (webpage)
National Register of Historic Places

 

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE WEBSITES
History and Culture
Historic Lighthouses and Light Stations
Maritime Heritage Program