Garden Island Indian Cemetery

Garden Island Indian Cemetery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Michigan State Historic Site
Spirit houses, c. 1910
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Location	Garden Island [1]
Coordinates	45°48′10″N85°30′30″W / 45.80278°N 85.50833°W / 45.80278; -85.50833
Area	7 acres (2.8 ha)
Built	1851 (1851)
Architectural style	"Spirit houses"
NRHP reference No.	78001494 [2]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 17, 1978
Designated MSHS	July 26, 1973 [3]

The Garden Island Indian Cemetery, also designated 20CX12, is an archaeological site and Ojibwe burial site ^[4] located on Garden Island in Charlevoix County, Michigan, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. ^[2]

It holds about 3500 graves, and has been called the largest Indian cemetery in the United States. Spirit houses mark some graves, headstones mark others, and the older graves are unmarked. ^[5] Most graves date from 1851 to 1935. ^[4]

References

1. The NRIS lists the Garden Island Indian Cemetery as "Address Restricted." However, references place it on Garden Island. Geo-coordinates are approximate.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. State of Michigan (2009). "Garden Island Indian Cemetery (20CX12)". Archived from the original on May 11, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
4. Michigan History Division (1975), Michigan's Historic Preservation Plan, Michigan History Division, p. 19
5. John Mahan; Ann Mahan (1991), Wild Lake Michigan, Voyageur Press, p. 113, ISBN   9780896581326