In 1926, seeing a need for
public recreation service, Gogebic County, through its board
of County Park trustees obtained land on Lake Gogebic and
deeded it to the State. E. J. Stickley and W. Bonafas
donated additional property, and in 1930 the State Park was
opened to the public. It is set in the midst of the
million-acre Ottawa National Forest and provides visitors
with excellent fishing, hunting, hiking and wildlife viewing
opportunities in literally every direction. The park itself
is 360 acres with almost a mile of lake frontage.
The park is located on M-64 on the west shore of Lake
Gogebic about nine miles north of US-2 or eight miles south
of M-28. The park has 101 modern campsites, with several
pull-throughs. There are also 26 semi-modern campsites and
60 picnic tables in the day use area. The camping facilities
include flush toilets, showers, sanitation station, on-site
host and/or hostess and playground, and 20 or 30 amp
electric hookups. The day use area includes a paved boat
launch for almost any size boat, natural sandy beach for
swimming (no lifeguard), grills, playground, shelter
building (available for rent for special occasions) and a
self-guided hiking interpretative trail.
From the third week of June
through August an Adventure Ranger Program promotes
opportunities to explore the Lake Gogebic area with an
Adventure Ranger-summer naturalist as your guide. It is a
free event, which operates on a 5-day schedule with no
programs on Sunday or Monday. Each program is about an hour
and schedule times are posted at the park (see our Calendar
of Events). Some of the past programs have been Art in
Nature, Field Study Hikes, Animal Tracking, Night Hikes,
Black Bear, Bats, and a campfire program. This is done in
cooperation with the Kalamazoo Nature Center and the MDNR.
In the summer of 1962 two
grave site stones were discovered about 100 feet from the
lake edge. Apparently moss for years covered the stones and
they went unnoticed. One stone has chiseled "1822 JOHN
KEY," the other (16 feet away) "1824 WHITH."
After viewing these stones, Victor Lemmer, a local
historian, started investigating. A careful search was made
of pertinent records in the National archives, including
records of the Office of Indian Affairs and the Office of
Indian Trade, as well as of the correspondence of Lewis Cass
in his capacity as superintendent of the Michigan
Superintendent of Indian Affairs. They found no mention of
either name. However, in a letter to the then-park manager,
Alan Billings, a research archivist George May of the
Michigan historical commission wrote of a "John
Key"; "Of course, there were no settlements of
white men in the area until much later in the 19th century.
It is possible that John Key and Whith were fur traders or
had other dealings with Indian tribes in the area." In
checking the Pioneer and Historical Collections, Mr. May
found that a John Key was mentioned as being a passenger on
His Majesty's vessel "The Welcome" which arrived
at Mackinac Island July 29, 1780. Perhaps this is the John
Key who must have found his way to Lake Gogebic, died there,
and is buried beneath the stone engraved: "1822 JOHN
KEY." No information on a "WHITH" has been
found. You can view these stones in the park where the
Michigan Department of Conservation has placed a marker.
For more information about
the Lake Gogebic State Park, call 906-842-3341 during the
months of May through October, or 906-885-5275 during
November through April. Camping reservations can be made by
calling 1-800-447-PARKS.
Lake
Gogebic State Park
