Village of Baraga and Michigan DNR Cut the Ribbon at the Capul Recreation Park and Baraga Shoreline Trail

After many years of work, Capul Recreation Park and the Baraga Village shoreline trail are open. Yesterday afternoon Baraga Village leaders and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources held a ribbon cutting to open the shoreline trail and campus recreation area near the Baraga Township Marina. Baraga Township President Wendell Dompier says that the efforts over the year included many groups, funding sources, efforts with the DNR, partnership with the Keweenaw Bay Indian community, and village manager Leann LeClare

Working with the tribe we had meetings to start this project. We were looking from Sandpoint to Zeba. The first part was from Sandpoint to the marina here and then the second point was from the marina to the state park with the walkway. In the meantime, Jacobson let us acquire the land so that we could make a recreational park for kids and adults. – Wendell Dompier, Village President, Village of Baraga

The land for the recreation area was previously owned by the Jacobson Family and was the site of a sawmill at one time. It was later transferred to the village via support from two DNR Trust Fund grants. Leann LeClare says that the Capul Recreation Park will continue to see improvements. Starting in just a couple of weeks the village will have a playground set and pickleball courts installed. The recreation trail adjacent to the park stretches from the Baraga State Park toward the KBIC campground along Keweenaw Bay, with Capul Park centrally located.  

We started with an earlier grant, around 2015, and that grant bought seven acres. And then you came back in 2021 with the balance of the property five acres. So now you have 12 acres altogether for a community park right on the waterfront. So I think that is great. I think that was, this last second grant was 250,000 for that purchase. – Merrie Carlock, DNR Trust Fund Grants Coordinator, Michigan Department of Natural Resources

The Capul Recreation Park and Baraga Shoreline Trail project was supported over the years by Barga Township, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation, Michigan DNR, The Keweenaw Bay Indian Community, and Baraga Village. Find more information about recreation in the Village of Baraga here.