National Register of Historic Places

Lasanen Site

St. Ignace, Mackinac County, Michigan
Listed
May 5, 1971
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
71000412

About this property

The Lasanen Site, designated 20MA21, is an archaeological site located in St. Ignace, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. The Lasanen Site is located within the city of St. Ignace, on what was once a beach ridge above the Straits of Mackinac. The site is a burial ground associated with the Haudenosaunee culture. Nineteen small burial pits, located in an area approximately 100 feet (30 m) by 50 feet (15 m), were identified at the site. Five more burial pits were found on adjacent property. The Lasanen Site was discovered in 1966, when a private landowner, Dr. W. C. Lasanen, unearthed human remains while excavating to construct a foundation. Lasanen notified the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, and urgent salvage excavations were undertaken to recover the exposed human burials. Later in 1966, C. E. Cleland from Michigan State University, along with some students, undertook further excavations at the site. These excavations continued into 1967. The details unearthed at the burials are consistent with those witnessed and described by Antoine Laumet Cadillac in 1694–97, and may be the same. Richard Dale Clute (1969), The Physical Anthropology of the Lasanen Site: An Early Historic Indian Population, Michigan State University Department of Anthropology Marla Buckmaster (1971), C. E. Cleland (ed.), The Lasanen site: an historic burial locality in Mackinac County, Michigan, Michigan State University

Location

St. Ignace, Mackinac County, Michigan

Categories

HISTORIC - ABORIGINAL
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
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Questions about this property

When was Lasanen Site listed on the National Register?

Lasanen Site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Lasanen Site?

Lasanen Site is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Lasanen Site?

The period of significance for Lasanen Site is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Lasanen Site?

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