State Ferry Service

Historical marker location:

St. Ignace, Michigan

( Marker can be reached from North State Street (Business Interstate 75), on the right when traveling north.)

The first European settlement in Michigan was founded by French explorer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. He established the settlement of Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit (later known as Detroit), which became an important trading post and military stronghold for the French and later the British.