With history dating back to Native Americans and with French influence, Michigan his home to man

1. 15 places
WITH HARD
to
PRONOUNCE
NAMES
in
Dianna Stampfler

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Mackinac vs Mackinaw
Whether you’re referring to Mackinaw City
or Mackinac Island (or Mackinac Bridge or
Straits of Mackinac), it’s pronounced Mack-i-naw.
The area was named Michilimackinac by the
Native Americans and when the French built
their fort in 1715, they recorded the name with
a "c" on the end as a French word with an "aw"
sound would be pronounced. No matter which
you’re referring to, “Mack-i-nack” is incorrect!
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Trufant (Montcalm County)
Trufant (pronounced “TRUE-funt” not “true-FONT”) is an unincorporated
community located on Muskellonge Lake in the southeastern part
of Maple Valley Township, in Montcalm County. Emery Trufant built
the first water-powered sawmill here in 1872. The village was platted
March 10, 1875, and was named Trufant, after its first settler.
Trufant is primarily an agricultural and tourist area, with many summer
cottages nearby. It is famous for its flea market, which is held every
Thursday, spring through fall. It is also the “Fence Stump Capital of
America.”
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Bete Grise (Keweenaw Peninsula)
Bete Grise (Bay-Dee-Gree) is a nature preserve found
southwest of Copper Harbor on the Keweenaw
Peninsula, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. French for
“Gray Beast,” this town is located along the shores of
Lake Superior. Local legend says that the musical
"voice" that emanates from the sand is that of a
Native American maid who lost her lover to the
Great Lakes and still calls to him from the shore with
the aid of visitors who "play" the sand.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Clio (Genesee County)
Clio (Cli-oh) is located near the northern border of
Genesee County is considered a suburb of Flint. Originally
named Varney after the city's first grain buyer, its name
was changed in 1864. brought on by Colonel Hill, a
literary minded local hotel owner. Colonel Hill convinced
the local ladies to name the town after the Greek
goddess Clio—muse of history and poetry, and daughter
of Jupiter.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Bois Blanc Island (Northern Lake Huron)
Bois Blanc (Bob-Lo – an English corruption of the French
pronunciation of the name) is an island in Lake Huron. The island
covers about 34 square miles and is about 12 miles long, 6 miles
wide and has 6 lakes. It lies southeast of Mackinac Island and
almost due north of the city of Cheboygan. "Bois Blanc" is French
for "white wood“ and the name is commonly thought to be a
reference to either the paper birch or more likely the basswood,
called "bois blanc" in other contexts.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Seul Choix Point Lighthouse (Gulliver)
Seul Choix (Sisch-Schwah) is a lighthouse located in the
northwest corner of Lake Michigan in Schoolcraft County, in
Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The station was established in 1892
with a temporary light,and this light started service in 1895, and
was fully automated in 1972. It is an active aid to
navigation. There is now a museum at the light and both the
building and the grounds are open for visitors from Memorial
Day until mid-October. It’s also rumored to be haunted!
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Ypsilanti (Washtenaw County)
Ypsilanti (Ip-sill-ann-tee) is home to Eastern
Michigan University, was originally a trading
post set up in 1809 and called Woodruff’s
Grove after Major Thomas Woodruff. The
name was later changed in 1829 in honor of
Demetrius Ypsilanti—a hero in the Greek War
of Independence from the Ottoman Empire.
Called Ypsi (Ipsi) by locals.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

9. Les Cheneaux Islands (Mackinac County)
The Les Cheneaux (Lay-Sh-NO) Islands — French for
“The Channels” — are a group of 36 small islands, some
inhabited, along 12 miles of Lake Huron shoreline on the
southeastern tip of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
The islands are about 30 miles northeast of Mackinac
Island and about 35 miles south of Sault Ste. Marie. The
towns of Hessel & Cedarville are found in the Les
Cheneaux Islands (referred to by the locals as “The
Snows”.
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15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Kitch-iti-Kipi
Kitch-iti-Kipi (Kitch-i-tee-ki-pee) is located in
Palms Book State Park, six miles west of
Manistique, in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
“The Big Spring” is Michigan’s largest
freshwater spring at 200 feet across and 40
feet deep. Over 10,000 gallons a minute gush
from fissures at a constant 45 degree
Fahrenheit. Take a ride along the self-operated
observation raft, for underwater views.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Fort Gratiot (Port Huron, St. Clair County)
Fort Gratiot (Grah-Shut) was an American stockade fort in
Port Huron - Saint Clair County, constructed by the Army in
1814 as an outpost to guard the juncture of the Saint Clair
River and Lake Huron. The fort took the name of the engineer
supervising its construction, Charles Gratiot. Soldiers occupied
Fort Gratiot until 1822 and then abandoned the fort. Fort Gratiot
Lighthouse was constructed in 1829 and was Michigan’s first
lighthouse (and is open for tours, 7 days a week).
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Sebewaing (Huron County)
Sebewaing (See-Ba-Wing) is a village in
Huron County—known as the Sugar Beet
Capital and home to the Michigan Sugar
Company, the third largest beet sugar
processor in the United States (producing an
annual average of 1 billion+ pounds of sugar).
Sebewaing hosts the annual Michigan Sugar
Festival in celebration of this heritage.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Tahquamenon Falls (Upper Peninsula)
Tahquamenon (Tah-Quam-En-Nom – rhymes with
phenomenon) is found within Tahquamenon Falls
State Park, between Newberry and Paradise. on
the Tahquamenon River. The upper falls are more
than 200 feet across and with a drop of 48 feet.
The river drains as much as 50,000 US gallons of
water per second in the spring, making it the third
most voluminous vertical waterfall east of
the Mississippi River.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Topinabee (Cheboygan County)
Topinabee (Top-in-a-Bee) is known as “The Jewel of
the North” and was founded in 1881 after H.H. Pike
built a resort hotel here along the shores of Mullett
Lake. He named the town after Potawatomi Chief
Topinabee. The area is located along the Inland
Waterway, which encompasses four inland lakes
(Crooked, Pickeral, Burt and Mullett) and the
Cheboygan River, traveling 48 miles before
reaching Lake Huron.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Ocqueoc (Presque Isle County)
Ocqueoc (Ah-Key-Ock) Township is a township of Presque
Isle County, named after the Ocqueoc River. The highlight
of this location is Ocqueoc Falls, which is the largest
waterfall in the Lower Peninsula. In addition, there is
access to the Ocqueoc Falls Bicentennial Pathway, which
includes loop lengths from six miles to three miles; the
trail is suitable for hiking, cross country skiing, and
mountain biking. The township has a total area of 52.6
square miles, of which only 0.3 square mile is water.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan

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Presque Isle (Township, Lighthouse)
Presque Isle (Presk-Isle) is a small unincorporated
community within the township of the same name,
located near the shore of Lake Huron. It is about 15
miles north of Alpena and 15 miles south of Rogers City,
and is French for “Peninsula” or "almost an island.” The
infamous "haunted" Old Presque Isle Lighthouse is
located near this settlement and is open to the public.
The New Presque Isle Lighthouse (also believed to
house a ghost or two) was built in 1870.
15 places with hard to pronounce names in Michigan