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 Negwegon
State Park is a rustic, undeveloped area open for hunting and
hiking. The terrain is a mixture of low land areas, with small
ridges, to mature pine forest, with some hardwoods and aspen forest,
with some pockets of open meadows mixed in. Negwegon hosts a
beautiful undeveloped sandy beach on Lake Huron. Please use caution
when visiting Negwegon as the roads into the park are often so sandy
that a four-wheel drive vehicle is needed.
Take US-23 12 miles N. of Harrisville to Black River Rd. Go E. on
Black River Rd. for 1.5 miles. Drive N. in Sandhill Rd. an unmarked
road, 2.5 miles. Go E. on gravel road for 1.25 miles.
 Negwegon State Park is located at the south end of Thunder Bay,
between Harrisville and Alpena. The park includes 2,400 acres of
land and 8 miles of Lake Huron shoreline. The shoreline consists of
cobblestone and small sandy coves. It is one of the best hiking and
paddling sites in the Lower Peninsula. Bird Island and Scarecrow
Island are located off shore from South Point. These islands are
part of the Michigan Island National Wildlife Refuge. During the
nesting season these islands are teeming with marine birds. Negwegon
also had a spiritual significance to early Native Americans.
In all ninety-eight small carved stone disks dated to the twelfth
century have been found in this region. The disks depict sacred
symbols, including Michi-gi-zhik, the Great Medicine Tree; Me-she-pe-shiw,
the horned lynx that raises storms on the lake by thrashing its
tail; and Ah-ne-mi-ke, the Thunderbird from whom Thunder Bay gets
its name. Four of these carved stone disks were found near South
Point under the roots of a tree that had been knocked down by high
winds. The name Ossineke is an Anglicized version of the Algonquian
word Waswsineke, which means image stones. Within the park near
South Point, there are stone-lined pits and long lines of stones
that are being studied as possible Native American ruins. If you
come across any of these ruins, please respect them and leave the
sites undisturbed. |
