Since the 1940s: Chippewa Indian Village, St. Ignace

Nine miles west of the Mackinac Bridge is a tourist attraction that has stood the test of time. It still stands, as it has since the 1940s.

It’s the Chippewa Totem Village built somewhere in the early-to-mid 1940s. The man behind the Indian village was not a Native American; he was Ralph McCary, a Caucasian Catholic who became enamored with the native culture ever since he and his wife Violet moved to the Upper Peninsula in 1938.

Ralph began working as a lumberman alongside the local Odawa tribesmen. The more he was around them, his love for the culture and traditions of Native Americans grew.

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Ralph bought land alongside US-2 that included the Point Aux Chenes Resort. It was here Ralph began building and putting together his Chippewa Totem Village.

After suffering a heart attack in 1948, he turned from lumbering and switched to carving. His talent for totem poles soon spread, and he was being commissioned to build poles and statues for many businesses. This includes the famous statue of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox that still stands at Castle Rock.

Visit Totem Village next time you’re in the area!
Located at W1106 US-2, west of St. Ignace...