Photo: The ed17, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Charles Kawbawgam was an Ojibwe leader born near Sault Ste. Marie, probably in the early 1800s. He lived in the Marquette area as it changed from a Native fishing and trading place into a mining town.
He married Charlotte, daughter of Marji Gesick, the Ojibwe man who guided prospectors to iron ore near Negaunee.
Life near the city
Kawbawgam and his family lived for years on and near Presque Isle, the forested peninsula north of downtown. He guided settlers and visitors and was a familiar figure to Marquette’s early residents.
When Presque Isle became a city park in 1886, he was allowed to live there. Peter White helped support him and his family in his later years.
Burial
Kawbawgam died in 1902, reportedly more than 100 years old. He was buried on Presque Isle, and his grave is marked in the park. Charlotte was later buried beside him.
The marker is one of the few public reminders in Marquette of the Ojibwe people who lived here long before the city. Kawbawgam Road and Kawbawgam Lake also carry his name.
