Old Mission, Michigan

A replica of the Old Mission for which the peninsula is named.

Old Mission Point is an unincorporated community within Peninsula Township, Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

In the 1836 Treaty of Washington, the U.S. federal government agreed to provide local native tribes with both a mission and schools for their reservation. Henry Schoolcraft, the Indian agent representing the government, selected a natural harbor on the eastern shore of the peninsula in Grand Traverse Bay for the planned facilities. In 1838 the Presbyterian Board of Missions, sent the Reverend Peter Dougherty (1805–1894) to establish the mission, now known as Old Mission, for which the peninsula would eventually become known.

The peninsula has extensive cherry orchards and vineyards. There are seven vineyards, but only five have tasting rooms. Because of the remoteness of the peninsula, wine tours take some planning.^[1] It is an American Viticultural Area and a center of the Michigan wine industry. See Old Mission Peninsula AVA.

The Old Mission Point Lighthouse is located at the northern terminus of M-37,^[2] at the tip of the Old Mission Peninsula, which juts 18 miles into Grand Traverse Bay. It is located at 44°59′7″N 85°28′24″W / 44.98528°N 85.47333°W / 44.98528; -85.47333, just south of the 45th parallel north, midway between the North Pole and the Equator.

There are two signs that denote the location on the 45th parallel.^[3] It is one of 26 places in the U.S.A. where such signs are known to exist.^[4]

Recurrent events

• On Saturday, the second weekend in May, Leelanau County hosts a Cherry Blossom Tour with free bus rides to orchards.
• The Wineries of Old Mission host their annual Blossom Days the third weekend in May.^[5]

Further reading

• Potter, Elizabeth V. The Story of Old Mission. (Ann Arbor, MI: Edward Brothers, 1956).

External links

• Terry Pepper, Mission Point lighthouse at Seeing the Light, including an extensive history of the point.

Notes

1. ^ Silfven, Sandra, Old Mission makes wine touring easy up north, The Wine Report, Detroit News.
2. ^ M-37 Endpoint Photos.
3. ^ Photographs, Old Mission 45th Parallel signs.
4. ^ List and map of 45th Parallel markers, with links to pictures (accessed 17 December 2007).
5. ^ Michigan in Pictures, Cherry Blossom Time.

Coordinates: 44°57′44″N 85°29′07″W / 44.96222°N 85.48528°W / 44.96222; -85.48528