Chequamegon Bay

Chequamegon Bay (/ʃᵻˈwɑːmᵻɡæn/ shə-WAH-mə-gan) is an inlet of Lake Superior, 12 miles (19 km) NE-SW and 2-6 miles (10 km) wide, in Ashland and Bayfield counties in the extreme northern part of Wisconsin.

A Native American village, known as Chequamegon, developed here in the mid-17th century. It was developed by refugee Petun, Huron, and Ottawa, who were fleeing the Beaver Wars and Iroquois invasions from the East after 1649. Later, Ojibwe people came here to trade, but they were not among the first settlers, according to archeological evidence.

The end of Chequamegon Bay is known as the site of the first dwelling in present-day Wisconsin to have been occupied by European men. Two French fur traders, Médard des Groseilliers and Pierre-Esprit Radisson, built a hut somewhere on the west shore of the bay, probably in 1658. Other traders dwelt on this bay in 1660-1663 and were visited in the spring of 1661 by Father René Menard, the first Jesuit missionary to the Northwest. In 1665 Father Claude Allouez built a mission house near the southwest end of the bay. His successor, Father Jacques Marquette, came in 1669 and remained for two years. In 1693 Pierre LeSueur built a fort on the largest island (now known as Madeline Island), located at the mouth of the bay. It was abandoned by the French before the close of the century.

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