Shrine of the Snowshoe Priest

Boondog's World

This 7-foot bronze statue celebrates a remarkable Catholic priest, the "Snowshoe Priest," one whose kindness and good works are so renowned that his church may some day declare him a saint. Between 1831 and 1843 Frederic Baraga founded missions at Grand Rapids, at L'Arbre Croche near Harbor Springs, at Sault Ste. Marie, Manistique, La Pointe in the Apostle Islands, and in this vicinity just north of Baraga.

Sent to the Great Lakes and north woods by an Austrian missionary society, Baraga found his life's work in ministering to the needs of the Ojibwa people, whether or not they converted to Catholicism. He thought nothing of walking many miles on snowshoes to keep in touch with distant communities. He completed the Ojibwa-English grammar and dictionary still used today and translated and wrote many books in Ojibwa. His work to help Indians get title to their land made him unpopular among government Indian agents, including Michigan state booster Henry Schoolcraft. Fur traders didn't like Baraga either, because of his active support for Indian temperance. (Traders relied on alcohol as a trade good and negotiating tool.)

The Bishop Baraga Association erected this memorial on a hill overlooking Keweenaw Bay. Perched on a little cloud at the intersection of five leaping arches (one for each mission he founded), the unsmiling statue of Baraga looks out across Keweenaw Bay. Illuminated at night, it can be glimpsed from U.S. 41. Votive candles are by the shrine, protected from wind and rain. The statue is a cold depiction of a warm, deeply caring person, some of Baraga's admirers feel. When Baraga's likeness was made, he couldn't smile - he had had a stroke. Baraga is still championed in his native Slovenia and in Great Lakes Slovenian communities. The Baraga Association's chief purpose is research to find evidence of the two documented miracles necessary for sainthood in the Roman Catholic Church.

In a blend of altruism and self-interest, the original owners of the Shrine gift and pasty shop here donated the two acres on which the landscaped shrine sits.

The road up to the shrine is on the south side of U.S. 41 a mile west of the turnoff to downtown L'Anse. The outdoor shrine is never closed. Free admission to shrine. Wheelchair accessible.

Return to L'Anse

Best of the Best U.P. Maps

Incredibly Useful!
Hunt's Map Guide to the Upper Peninsula • Favorite hikes, beaches, restaurants, shops, lighthouses, scenic drives, waterfalls, & much more
• 13 detailed U.P. maps
• Full color, on sturdy, water-resistant paper
• Folds out to 12”x38”
• Only $6.95
To learn more & buy online, click here