A $100,000 matching grant was given to support the heart of the Great Turtle Island Project in Straits State Park.
It was donated anonymously and the efforts center around providing context of Father Marquette’s experiences through the eyes of the Anishinaabeg, the indigenous tribes of the Great Lakes region.
It’s meant to further educate the community and see history through the eyes of the original habitants of the region.
“Fundraising is a long haul”, says Michigan History Director Sandra Clark. “And getting to that last little bit to finish this project up has been something we’ve been a little bit worried about because we’ve been at it for a long time, and we see this as just a wonderful impetus to get us over the finish line as I said.”
The money will go towards phase one of the project, which the Michigan History Foundation hopes to start construction on Spring 2025.