Jean Nicolet was probably the first European explorer to pass through the Mackinac Straits area as he journeyed westward in the late summer of 1634. At that time, the region's primary inhabitants were the
Odawa and
Ojibwe people, who called the region
Michilimackinac. They, along with the
Potawatomi were part of a long-term tribal alliance called the
Council of Three Fires (
Anishinaabe:
Niswi-mishkodewin), which was formed at the end of the eighth Century at Michilimackinac. French
voyageurs and
coureurs des bois explored and settled in this part of Michigan in the second half of the 17th century. Father
Jacques Marquette established a Christian mission at
Saint Ignace in 1671. These newcomers were well received by the Indian populations in the area, with relatively few difficulties or hostilities.
Alexander Henry, a fur trader, was the first Englishman to venture into this area after its cession by France to Great Britain, arriving at
Fort Michilimackinac in 1761, after the French garrison had abandoned the post, and before the British sent to occupy it had arrived. He found the Indians to be incensed at having been surrendered to British domination and bitterly hostile toward him and anyone not French. Henry was present two years later when, on June 2, 1763, Ojibwe and
Sauk Indians attacked and took over the fort, as part of the wider movement known as
Pontiac's Rebellion. Most of the fort's British inhabitants were killed. Henry was one of the few whose life was spared. The earliest known written reference to Waugoshance Point is found in Henry's journal in his recounting of the massacre and his ordeal afterward. Much of the
old growth forest on and around Waugoshance was
heavily logged during the second half of the 19th century. The
white and
red pines that made up much of the forest was in high demand nationwide for the building of individual homes and whole cities, along with furniture and other items, such as
railroad ties. During
World War II the cape, along with the islands off the point and the abandoned lighthouse were designated as the
Waugoshance Point Target and used for
tactical bombing and
strafing practice as well as for experimentation with
radio controlled (drone) aircraft. Planes were flown out of the
Naval Air Station at
Traverse City (now
Cherry Capital Airport). Evidence of this military usage can still be found in the area. Shell fragments and motor parts are occasionally uncovered. The fuselage of a
target plane can be seen from the point parking lot. Since 1951, this area has been a nature wilderness reserve and study area. ==See also==