Presque Isle Park


Presque Isle Park is a park located in Marquette, Michigan, United States. Its design was heavily influenced by Frederick Law Olmsted and has an area of.

History

In the late 1800s, Presque Isle was occupied by a federally owned lighthouse. Peter White has been credited with inducing the federal government to grant the land to the city of Marquette for the purpose of turning it into a park. On July 12, 1886, the United States Congress passed a bill ceding control of the land to Michigan. White also raised the money needed to plant Lombardy Poplar trees in the park, and to build a paved road to and around it. In 1891, the new road led one local organization to declare that the city had "one of the most charming and picturesque drives in the world". The road was repaved in 1999.
The largely forested nature of the park was the result of a visit from Olmsted, who refused to develop a plan for it due to his belief that it "should not be marred by the intrusion of artificial objects."

The park

Presque Isle Park is located in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan on the coast of Lake Superior. The park is itself a small peninsula connected to Marquette by a narrow neck of land and surrounded by sandstone cliffs. It is largely covered by natural forest and also has marshes, rocky outcrops, secluded coves and pebble beaches. Facilities include two picnic areas with restrooms, a children's playground, a concert shelter and hiking trails. The park is open for walkers and bikers throughout the year, from 7am to 11pm in spring, summer and fall, and from 7am to 8pm in winter. Cars are allowed on Peter White Drive, a road that runs in a circle near the edges of the park, but are restricted to certain seasons and time periods.

Flora and fauna

There are over a hundred species of native plant in the park. The wildlife includes white-tailed deer, raccoons and Canada geese. Fishing for lake whitefish, lake trout and brook trout is permitted at certain designated spots.