SCENIC 'TUNNEL OF TREES' ~ ST. IGNATIUS MISSION (GOOD HART)

~ Scenic 'Tunnel of Trees'

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"The M-119 Heritage Route is much more than just a ribbon of asphalt cutting north, taking travelers to and from their destinations. The splendor of the area results from millions of years of geology, natural and cultural history, and trade. Proximity to Lake Michigan provides not only scenic vistas, but strongly influenced the location of the roadway. The roadway crosses hills, gullies, and small valleys, and winds through ancient sand dunes. The southern part of the route offers spectacular views.

The so-called Tunnel of Trees runs sporadically along the length of the corridor and is comprised of northern hardwoods with beech, maple, and oak predominating among aspen, birch, hemlock, and a few varieties of pine. The trees are located very close to the roadway, creating the feeling of traveling through a tunnel. In the fall, the corridor is alive with color. The diversity of habitat encourages a variety of animal life including whitetail deer, fox, turkey, small game, and various song and game bird species."

~ Northwest Michigan Council of Governments

M-119 is a 27.57-mile (44.37 km) highway entirely within in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The northern terminus is at a junction with county road C-77 in downtown Cross Village, just one block west of the western end of county road C-66. The route follows the shore of Lake Michigan and the Little Traverse Bay, with its southern terminus in Bay View, about four miles east of Petoskey.

M-119 starts in the Bayview area between Petoskey and Harbor Springs. It rounds the north shore of Little Traverse Bay passing the Harbor Springs Airport near the junction with C-81. From there it runs to Harbor Springs along Main Street. M-119 passes out of Harbor Springs past the golf course on Lake Shore Drive.
The 20-mile (32 km) section north of Harbor Springs is known as the "Tunnel of Trees". This section has no shoulders. Some place lack a centerline when the road isn't a full two lanes wide. Trees but right up to the edge of the road, some branches meeting in the middle above the road. The route is popular with tourists. There are two hairpin turns along the route called "Devil's Elbow" and "Horseshoe Bend".
M-119, including the "Tunnel of Trees" portion was officially designated a Scenic Heritage Route in December 2002.

~ From Wikipedia

~ St. Ignatius Mission (Good Hart)

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"Nestled along a portion of scenic highway snaking its way around the curves and turns of the Lake Michigan shoreline is Good Hart. In addition to its’ status as a thriving resort area, Good Hart also has the privilege of a history rich in Native American lore and local legend.

The area of land following the winding bluffs overlooking Lake Michigan between Harbor Springs and Cross Village has been called by many names throughout the years.
Originally Native Americans knew it as L’Arbor Croche, meaning “crooked tree”. The name derived from an enormous tree with a crooked top reported to be just west of the foot of the hill on Lamkin Drive in Good Hart. The tree was used as a landmark to those traveling by canoe in the area.

Indian camps were first established all along the Lake Michigan shoreline at various points including Cross Village, Middle Village (Good Hart), Seven Mile Point (seven miles north of Harbor Springs), and Harbor Springs.

When the area now known as Good Hart was singled out, it was called Waw-gaw-naw-Ka-see, meaning “crooked tree” in Ottawa. It was also referred to as Opit-awe-ing, meaning halfway for halfway between Harbor Springs and Cross Village. White settlers would call it “Middle Village” and then “Good Hart”.

In 1827 the subjects at Middle Village were left to their chief’s brother, Kaw-me-no-te-a, which means “good heart” in Ottawa. The word was somehow misspelled along the way, and the error remains today.

Descendants of original settlers still remain in the area.

Just south of Good Hart, travelers will see the very tip of a tall, white, clapboard church peeking through the thick trees on the shoreline below Lake Shore Drive (M-119). The steeple is that of St. Ignatius Church, the third structure to reside on the land.

The first Jesuit Mission was established at Middle Village in 1741 and was rebuilt by Native Americans in 1823. The current structure was built in 1889 after fire destroyed its predecessor. Originally known as the St. Ignatius of Loyola complex, the structure is now simply St. Ignatius Church, and can be seen from Lake Shore Drive just south of Good Hart. The church was established on the State of Michigan’s Register of Historic Sites in 1977. Also present is a Native American burial ground marked by small white crosses, which began in the 1700’s when Middle Village was an established Indian village.

Some of the most beautiful decorative pieces and artwork came from the area’s first residents. Straw and sweet grass baskets, beaded medallions, quill boxes, and birch bark baskets remain treasured items that are no longer as easy to come by. Agnes Shenanaquet, an Ottawa resident of Good Hart was known nationally for her spectacular pine quill boxes.

In 1981 Mrs. Shenanaquet received the Triple A rating from the Smithsonian Institution for her quill basket work at the 15th Annual Festival of American Folklore in Washington, D.C.
Living without electricity well into her late 60’s, she would make two each week and sell them for $40 to local traders. Quill boxes today can cost as much as $600 for the intricate work done commonly in days gone by. Mrs. Shenanaquet died the year after her visit to Washington; her boxes and baskets and similar pieces remain treasured pieces of art throughout the world.

Fabled “Indian Drum”

According to Indian legend, an ominous drum is said to be heard in the air each time a life is lost in the treacherous waters of Northern Lake Michigan. Although only legend, it is up to the visitors to decide whether or not the fable is true.

(SOURCE : http://www.grahamgoodhart.com/history.html)