Historical Marker (Birch Island)

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Stone marker commemorates a week-long fishing trip U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt made to the area in 1943.

It was one of the President's last vacations and he stayed aboard a special train that was kept at the Birch Island depot, so he could easily get to the shoreline and board the boats they used for fishing.

Due to wartime security precautions, the trip was kept secret until it was over, but many of the locals had figured out what was going on due to the unprecedented U.S. and Canadian military and security presence, which included the USS Wilmette, the only U.S. warship on the Great Lakes.
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Coordinates:   46°4'7"N   81°46'19"W
This article was last modified 10 years ago