A late 1800’s photo of the Ossawinamakee Hotel (SCHS)
During the early spring of 1883 the citizens of Manistique eagerly awaited the opening of a fancy new hotel. Wright E. Clarke, editor of the Schoolcraft County Pioneer, reported regularly on the progress being made. By late March of 1883 the masons were finishing up with plastering the walls, and the painters would soon be busy with their brushes. Clarke predicted that all would be in readiness in time for the opening of navigation on Lake Michigan in the spring. Clarke was overly optimistic. The hotel room doors did not arrive until the second week in May and were “fitted up” as rapidly as possible. The hotel was compelled to welcome a few travelers before work was totally completed, but by the end of May, 1883, the Ossawinamakee was finally open for business.
One of the most striking features of Manistique’s new hotel was the name OSSAWINAMAKEE, which was displayed in huge letters from corner to corner, on each side of the building. The hotel was named in honor of Antoine Ossawinamakee, the Ojibwa chief who was the leader of the Chippewa tribe on Indian Lake. Indian children were named for some natural phenomenon which was occurring following their birth. When the great chief’s father held his son and looked toward the heavens he observed a yellow sky and heard the rumble of thunder. Thus the name Ossawinamakee, meaning “Yellow Thunder”.
From the beginning the name of the hotel was a source of confusion and controversy as visitors struggled to pronounce the name. The following humorous article appeared in the June 30, 1883 edition of the Schoolcraft County Pioneer:
A Bad Job
It is quite amusing to see some fellows try to pronounce the name of the hotel at Manistique. Last Saturday a couple of gentlemen went through to Manistique and stopped at the Shebon House and took dinner with mine boat “Joe.” After dinner they inquired about the hotel at Manistique, and after being told that it was a good house, they wanted to know the name of it. Mr. Harris Sr., tried to tell it but could not get at it, so the writer wrote it down on a piece of paper. One of the inquirers took it up and spelled it; after he spelled it he tried to pronounce it; but when he got pretty near half way with it, he commenced to cough very hard, and would have choked had we not given him a glass of water to wash down the first half of the Ossawinamakee house. The other half he gave up as a bad job. That name ought to be changed or somebody will choke yet trying to say it, and then someone connected with naming the hotel will be sued for manslaughter.
Share Your Memories
During last summer’s Folk Fest, several folks stopped by the Historical Society booth and looked at some of the old photos of Manistique including the Ossawinamakee. The pictures brought back memories for them. They had either worked at the hotel or had stayed there. The Ossawinamakee is gone, but we would like to preserve those memories and historical artifacts that remain. If you have a memory or story about the old hotel, we would be delighted to hear from you. Please feel free to contact us. You can write us at P.O. Box 284 in Manistique or email us using the “Contact Us” tab at the top of the page.
Next week, we will feature artifacts from the old hotel.