Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park

Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park
A stand of natural red pine in Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park.
Location within the state of Michigan Gete Mino Mshkiigan State Park (the United States)
Location	Topinabee, Michigan
Coordinates	45°27′58″N 84°36′3″W
Area	147 acres (59 ha)
Elevation	642 feet (196 m)
Designation	Michigan state park
Established	2013
Administrator	Michigan DNR
Website	Official website

Gete Mino Mshkiigan, pronounced “geh-teh-mino-mush-key-gun,” is an undeveloped state park located in Cheboygan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park occupies 147 acres (59 ha) along the shores of Mullett Lake. The North Central State Trail, a 75-mile long state-owned rail trail, runs through the property close to the shoreline of the lake. The shoreline itself consists of 1,500 feet of undeveloped lakefront. According to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR), "the undulating terrain is dominated by mixed coniferous/deciduous forest, with approximately 35% of the land identified as emergent wetlands."

History

Much of the land in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan was logged by lumber companies in the late 1800s and early 1900s, including the area around Mullett Lake. The area occupied by the park reverted to State ownership in 1904 due to non-payment of taxes, likely being abandoned after being logged over. The State sold the property to private landowners between 1911 and 1937, with Jennie Johnson being one long-time owner before the tract was sold to Marty S. Miller. The Little Traverse Conservancy (LTC) purchased the property in 2008 to preserve the land from development.

The Michigan DNR purchased the largely-undeveloped, 147 acres (59 ha) so-called "Jennie Johnson Tract" from the LTC in 2013 using funds from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, State Trailways Initiative. A General Management Plan (GMP) for the property was completed by the DNR in 2023, which will guide the development of the park going forward. After acquisition, the State cleared the remaining structures and the property has been open hunting and trapping, although it is closed to off-road vehicle (ORV) use. As there is no on-site staff, the property is managed by the Department of Natural Resources Parks and Recreation Division (PRD) out of the Cheboygan Field Office. While the State had originally intended to transfer ownership of the site to the DNR's Forest Resources Division (FRD), it was later determined management by the PRD would be more appropriate with the site's location straddling the North Central State Trail.

Activities and amenities

As an undeveloped state park, there are currently no developed recreational amenities on site, other than the maintained North Central State Trail cutting through the east side of the park. A beach exists along Mullet Lake and the former two-track roads on the property provide unmarked trails for hiking. No dedicated parking currently exists, although visitors may park on the shoulder of M-27 (N. Straits Hwy.) to access the site.

Park name

According to the Michigan DNR, the Gete Mino Mshkiigan name:

was suggested by the current and former Tribal Historic Preservation Officers of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. The name roughly translates from Anishinaabemowin to English as Ancient Good Wetlands, capturing the land’s history, beauty, abundance, and centrality within the larger wetland chain that is the Inland Waterway.

See also

• North Central State Trail: a state-maintained trail running through the east side of the park.

External links

• Gete Mino Mshkiigan: General Management Plan Michigan Department of Natural Resources
• Gete Mino Mshkiigan: Opportunities to share input on the park's management planning Michigan Department of Natural Resources