As a child in the 1940s, local historian and author Jane Cardinal was enchanted by her uncle’s stories illuminating the tremendous fortitude of Jesuit missionaries in bringing God to the Native Americans of L’Arbre Croche.
Jane’s passion for these rich and detailed historical accounts speaks to the zeal of early European clerics who, against seemingly impossible odds, were determined to bring the Eucharist to the faithful of the then-densely wooded territory.
Historical Enchantment
“As a child, my family spent the summers in Middle Village (Good Hart) at my uncle’s cottage,” recalls Jane. “I remember him showing us kids the rock outline of the Jesuit log and bark church from 1741 about a mile down the dirt road. We peeked into the windows of the remaining abandoned squared log Native American homes in the village from the time of Father Pierz (1850s).
“He told us the story of the big cross in Cross Village on M119 that was originally called the Marquette Trail, the stone foundations of the huge Father Weikamp convent in Cross Village from the days of Bishop Baraga,” she continues.
“In 1952, my family bought a Bliss-built cottage with all logs felled in the area, so my connection to this area has been lifelong,” Jane adds.
Her upbringing influenced her arts career pursuits and notable accomplishments that include receiving a Bachelor of Fine Art from Michigan State University in 1962, co-authoring The Place Where the Crooked Tree Stood in 2012, which recollects how early settlers and Native Americans endured challenges and hardships to establish the territorial community of L’Arbre Croche.
With the members of the Historical Organization of Emmet County, Jane also co-wrote a four-part magazine historical series in 2015 titled Essence of Emmet, that articulates the narratives and events that have shaped this region over several centuries.
“When I returned to the area in 2020 for retirement, Father Al Langheim, our parish priest in Cross Village, had started collecting relics remaining from before the fire that decimated the village in 1918,” she informs.
Father Langheim was gifted with treasures from the skilled craftsmanship of local Odawa, a handwritten note of Father Baraga, a silver chalice from days unknown, beautifully embroidered fiddle-back vestments and several stories to accompany the artifacts.
It was Father Al’s dream to have a church museum to honor the site where the Jesuits gathered to spread the Catholic faith to the whole upper Midwest while defying the incredible rigors of starvation, weather and hostilities.
With her knowledge and love for history, Jane eagerly founded the Museum of L’Arbre Croche at Holy Cross Parish. From her collection of artifacts, she expanded the archives and created a place of learning and reflection.
Museum Illuminates Beauty
“Through the museum and its artifacts, I try to highlight the beauty of Catholicism and how our faith arrived on the shores of L’Arbre Croche and was promulgated westward through expansion,” offers Jane, the volunteer curator of the museum.
She adds, “There is such beauty in truth and the truth is the eucharistic zeal that fortified the missionary efforts.”
The museum has three rooms of artifacts from the Odawa Indians; the early settlers; and brothers and sisters from the Benevolent, Charitable and Religious Society of St. Francis, which was founded in Cross Village by Fransiscan Father John Weikamp in 1856.
Located in Father Al Parish Hall at Holy Cross Church in Cross Village, this museum is a special stop that speaks to the soul of human sacrifice to bring Christ to the local faithful.
The museum is open to the public on Saturdays during the summer from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. On Oct. 11, the special jubilee Mass at Holy Cross, the museum will open at 1 p.m. and will stay open into the evening. There is no entrance fee, but donations are appreciated. Private tours are also available upon request by contacting the Catholic Communities of L’Arbre Croche at: 231-526-2017.
“May God continue to bless this treasured channel of history that manifests his grace in celebrating the beauty of true belief of Christ in the Eucharist,” Jane ends.
