Welcome!

America has many beautiful and interesting places, but few can rival Michigan's historic and beautiful Manitou Passage. Found in the Leelanau Peninsula, Michigan's "little finger", vistas commonly encountered along the lakeshore are no less than phenomenal! Having once been heavily traveled as the most direct course for ships sailing between Buffalo and Chicago, the history and cultural traditions that evolved here are unsurpassed as fodder for tales of adventure and enchantment.

In the midst of it all are the Manitou Islands. Often thought of as mysterious in earlier times, the Islands became key to Great Lakes shipping, and saw the development of bustling little communities of wood merchants, life saving crews, lightkeepers and even farmers. While the old islanders have all left, the bluffs and forests of North and South Manitou, clearly visible from the mainland, beckon new visitors with a promise of adventure and discovery.

The Manitou Islands Memorial Society helps preserve the history and cultural traditions of the Islands, distributes educational and interpretive materials and programs, keeps records of burials and gravesites of original settlers and others interred on the Islands, promotes the proper care and maintenance of the Islands' historic and cultural assets, and supports the Park Service as volunteers on the Islands.

Thank you for coming. We hope you'll enjoy browsing the site, and if you've been hooked by the Islands and would like to become more connected, we'll eagerly welcome you as a member!

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SMMS™ ~ the South Manitou Memorial Society; MIMS™ ~ the Manitou Islands Memorial Society