St. Ignace claims a heritage that reaches back to the earliest inhabitants of the Great Lakes. Our heritage has grown over the centuries to include missionaries, French explorers and trappers, fishing and lumbering by an English-speaking population, and the development of transportation from sail to railroad to the Mackinac Bridge. What is unique about St. Ignace, however, is that the ethnic groups, languages, religions, and activities of our ancestors are still a vital part of our community today.

The Anishinabeg, a word that simply means “people,” were the first citizens. Oral tradition and archeological research suggests that occupation of the Great Lakes Basin dates from forty to fifty thousand years ago. The natives of the St. Ignace region generally migrated with the seasons. In the spring, the Anishinabeg gathered maple sugar or fished runs of sturgeon or smelt. Summer found them in settlements surrounded by crops of corn, potatoes, or squash, and near to abundant supplies of fish or berries in the forest. They developed efficient housing, watercraft, hunting and farming tools, as well as metalworking, among other technological advancements.

If you want to learn more about the area and history you may continue reading at this link:
http://www.stignace.com/+-history-of-st.-ignace-550/