What is the history of Ludington, Michigan?
In 1675, Jacques Marquette, French peopleFrench missionary and explorer, died and was laid to rest here. A memorial and large iron cross mark the location. In 1845, Burr Casswell moved to the area near the mouth of the Pere Marquette River as a location for trapping and fishing. In July 1847 he brought his family to live there as well and began a small community known as Pere Marquette village. Two years later they built a two-story wood-framed house on their farm. After the organization of Mason County in 1855, the first floor of this building was converted into the county’s first courthouse. Restored in 1976 by the Mason County Historical Society, the structure stands today as a part of White Pine Village, a museum consisting of several restored and replica Mason County buildings (see external links). The town was later named after the industrialist James Ludington, who owned some of the logging operations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and also lived here. The area boom i
