L-R: Negaunee Township supervisor William Carlson; Jerry Lee Curtis of the Keweenaw Bay Tribal Counsil; and Allan Koski and Gerald Corkin of the Michigan Iron Industry Advisory Board. The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community has partnered with the township and the advisory board to provide a $10,000 grant for trail exhibits at the Michigan Iron Industry Museum.

The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community (KBIC) has given $10,000 to the Michigan Iron Industry Museum for exhibits along the museum's new trail system.

The two-mile-long trail system will feature themed trail loops offering exhibits, scenic overlooks and links to neighboring community trails. The Native Environment Trail Loop will help visitors identify plant life and learn how Native American peoples used rivers and forests before the opening of the Marquette Iron Range in the mid 19th century.

Other trail loops on the museum's forested 80-acre property will examine the region's geology and the site of the Carp River Forge, where the Upper Peninsula iron industry began more than 160 years ago.

Scheduled for completion in fall 2009, the museum trails will be suitable for walking, bicycling and snowshoeing.

Trailside interpretation is part of a $423,000 trail-development project funded in part by a Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant and by the Michigan History Foundation. Individuals or businesses interested in supporting any Michigan Iron Industry Museum project are encouraged to send us an e-mail.

The Michigan Iron Industry Museum—part of the Michigan Historical Museum System—is located eight miles west of Marquette. Here's more information about how to find the Michigan Iron Industry Museum.

Updated 07/16/2009