The town of
Manistique, in the Central Upper Peninsula, is more than just a pretty face -- although it certainly has that. It’s located along a spectacular length of Lake Michigan shoreline and its backyard is an amazing wilderness of lakes, parks and trout streams to romp and play. It is also a city that is thriving, not because of relocations of million-dollar companies, but through a can-do spirit and a concern for its citizens.
“Everything we work on is two- fold, to improve the physical health of our citizens and the economic health of Manistique,” says Kerry Ott, Community Coordinator, Strategic Alliance for Health with the
Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
A shining example of this two-fold strategy, a shared vision by many groups and organizations in Manistique, is a coordinated effort to expand a non-motorized trail that started as a boardwalk along the shoreline. The expanded trail will traverse the city, passing along the Manistique River and various points of interest in this historic town.
The trail will not only help improve the health and well being of the citizens of Manistique but should, like similar foot and bike paths around the country, attract tourists and people who may wish to relocate to live, work or start a business in town.
“Our boardwalk is used a lot,” says Sheila Aldridge, city manager of Manistique. “We want people to feel good about living here. This brings young and old.”
Another example of where health meets economic prosperity in Manistique is in the addition in the last two years of a very popular
farmer’s market. Ott, also the market master, acquired a sizable grant to create what she hopes will be a sustainable farmer’s market. She has used the money thus far for colorful canopies for the vendors, signage and other promotional purposes. Coincidentally, the non-motorized foot path will run right past the farmer’s market when completed.
Other initiatives that favor economic development in Manistique include:
• A $10 million street project to replace an aging infrastructure of underground sewer and water lines. Aldridge says the city has been proactive in obtaining the money to fund this project.
• A new hospital to meet the needs of local citizens, including an increasing number of retirees moving into the area.
• The transformation of an old quarry near city hall into what is now Central Park, with facilities for swimming, picnics and ice fishing for children in the winter.
Manistique has historically relied on a paper mill to provide jobs for the 5,000-plus people in this town, which hasn't been much more than a whistle stop for long distance travelers on U.S. 2. That business has been a little up and down of late, and recently threatened to close. Thanks to an investment group and the efforts of city leaders, the mill will continue to be a base of employment for area residents, as is the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians, which owns a casino and other businesses in the area.
Ott and Aldridge attribute much of the success of the city to a city council “that really gets it," the cooperation of strategic partners too numerous to mention and the citizens themselves.
It was the leadership and quality of life in Manistique that brought Jim and Marilyn Gardner here along with their successful business,
Online Engineering. The company and its 25 employees manufacture conveyor systems for culture media (Petri dishes). They currently service 90 percent of the worldwide market out of a building that looks like little more than a warehouse.
The city of Manistique was recently recognized for its efforts to improve the lives of its citizens when it received the Michigan Community for a Lifetime Certification from the Michigan Office of Services to the Aging. The certificate, the only one awarded to a town in the U.P. (Traverse City also received one), recognized, in particular the work of the non-motorized transportation committee for their work on their “aging-friendly community assessment,” which includes work on their streets, the non-motorized pathway, the addition of sidewalks and overall efforts to initiate community improvements.
Manistique was originally inhabited by Chippewa Indians. Bishop Baraga, who explored the U.P. in the 1800’s, set up a mission here that was still recorded as standing in 1873. Timber companies took an interest in the area in the late 1800’s. They cut down much of the white pine and shipped it to Chicago and other cities to feed urban building booms.
According to the history books, by 1865 the settlement of Manistique consisted of a “sawmill, a store, a boarding house, four dwellings and two lumber slips about 400 feet in length.” By 1870 or 71 it shot up to eight plastered houses and three board shanties.
Like many small towns in the U.P. and around the country, Manistique has had to reinvent itself. It is evident by some of the boarded-up businesses you see around town. However, as some of the older businesses have closed their doors, new ones have opened, including two popular cafes worthy of a trip to Manistique, the
Upper Crust Café and Deli and the
Cedar Street Café and Coffeehouse.
More importantly, new ideas have come from a diverse group of people who call Manistique home, people who will make sure Manistique continues to be a great place to live, work and play.
Neil Moran, of Sault Ste. Marie, writes promotional materials and does internet marketing for small and large businesses. Visit his website at http://neilmoran.com.