It has been said that the bodies were hauled up over the cliffs to their resting place.
Louisa Mackenzie was the wife of Angus Bethune, who was a Chief Factor for the Hudson’s Bay Co. in Sault Ste. Marie in 1830. Louisa died while her husband was stationed as a relief factor at Michipicoten’s Hudson’s Bay Co. post in 1833. Mother of 5 sons and a daughter, Louisa’s father, Roderick Mackenzie (a partner in the North West Co.) was a cousin of the famous Canadian explorer Alexander Mackenzie who completed the first recorded European crossing of North American in 1793. Alexander Mackenzie stayed at the Michipicoten post during this historical journey.
Louisa Mackenzie was great-grandmother to the renowned Canadian Doctor Norman Bethune who discovered a cure for Tuberculosis in the early 1900’s. The Mackenzie headstone is the oldest historical artifact remaining in the Wawa-Michipicoten region today. Vandals shattered Louisa Mackenzie’s headstone in the early 1990's. The Township of Michipicoten was able to recover all the pieces and successfully restore the marker.
A trail begins from a small pullover off the south side of the Harbour Road. The well worn path is a 2 minute walk through the woods to a quiet cemetery on the north bank of the Michipicoten River.
I only ask that you please respect this beautiful area.