This Michigan Village Should Actually be Called ‘The Cove’

Perhaps the most interestingly named place in Michigan is L'Anse. The small village on the southern coast of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula bears a name that hints to its French past.

Run L'Anse through a translator app and you'll learn that the name means The Cove or The Bay. The region was named for being located on L'Anse Bay - or The Bay Bay in English. L'Anse Bay is the southernmost section of Keweenaw Bay

The First Nations of the Chippewa called the area Gichi-wiikwedong. The French, according to Wikipedia,

established a fur trading post here as a part of New France and a Jesuit mission, naming it L'Anse...The modern-day village grew around this French trading post.

Following treaties with the United States in the 19th century, the Ojibwa/Chippewa ceded extensive amounts of land in Michigan. The L'Anse Indian Reservation was established by the U.S. here as the largest and the oldest in Michigan.

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The Special Geography Of the L'Anse Area

While L'Anse is named for the bay, there's another geographic feature the region may be better known for. L'Anse Township is home to Mount Arvon and Mount Curwood the two highest natural peaks in the state, part of the Huron Mountains. (The true highest point in the state is now a pile of mining waste near Marquette - Pure Michigan, indeed.)

If you've never visited L'Anse, here's a view of the bay as Front Street runs from downtown into Bay Shore Road.

👇🏼MORE UPPER PENINSULA VIEWS BELOW: Northern Michigan's Queen City - A Scenic Look at Marquette + 24 Bridges to Enter the Upper Peninsula of Michigan that Aren't the Mackinac Bridge👇🏼