Madeline Island has been the traditional spiritual center of the
Lake Superior Chippewa. A traditional
Anishinaabeg story says that Great Spirit
Gitche Manitou told the people to travel west to the place where the "food grows upon the water." They traveled until they reached the area of the
wild rice that grew in the marshes in nearby
Chequamegon Bay. Madeline Island is named after
Madeleine Cadotte,
Ikwesewe, a daughter of the
Ojibwe chief White Crane and his wife. Madeleine married
fur trader
Michel Cadotte and they were prominent leaders on the island in the 19th century. The first European settlers were French
fur traders, who in 1693 established a fort. The community of
La Pointe developed around it. In the early 19th century, La Pointe became the site of an important post of
John Jacob Astor's
American Fur Company, established in 1808. This location was headed by Michel Cadotte, whose wife was
Ikwesewe (Madeline), daughter of an Ojibwa chief. The island was named for her. They were a prominent couple on the island, and an example of many marriages between traders and high-ranking Ojibwe women. Such women were integral to the trading success of their husbands, as they helped create goodwill and provided access to the Native American communities. Native women were also prominent in the trading community on
Mackinac Island and at
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
Fur trade and early industry For 150 years, Madeline Island was an important outpost for French, British and American fur traders. They brought European and American goods to trade with Native Americans for furs that were highly desired in the European markets. Before 1830 Astor had established a monopoly on the fur trade in the United States. Having made millions, he left the trade before it declined and started to invest in real estate in New York and other cities. The island's fur trading history has been preserved in the
Madeline Island Historical Museum. After the decline of the fur trade industry, other industries developed in the region, including
logging,
commercial fishing, and
brownstone quarrying. Apostle Island Brownstone was used to construct the first
Milwaukee County Courthouse. Since the mid-20th century, the primary industry has been tourism.
Early religious missions in 1838 Around 1665,
Jesuit Father
Claude Allouez and Father
Jacques Marquette arrived and soon established a mission to the Ojibwe. The original church building burned down in 1901 and was rebuilt in 1902. A
Protestant mission, known as "The Old Mission", dates to 1832. The present La Pointe post office is located in half of the original "Old Mission" dining room. This was added to the Old Mission Inn in 1900, when it was adapted as a hotel. Today, the only Protestant church on the island is St. John's United Church of Christ, built in 1925. Reflecting its French colonial past, many of the island's first church goers were Catholic. For the past five decades the Catholic church closes in winter. Most year-round residents are enrolled at St. John's UCC.
Native American significance The island was considered the spiritual center for many Ojibwe/Chippewa who migrated from eastern regions around the Great Lakes. On the eastern end of the island is an
exclave of the
Bad River Indian Reservation of approximately . ==Geography==