Jaymie Depew

Three new murals that pay homage to the area’s history can now be found in Munising.

After months of brainstorming ideas during virtual meetings with Mike Stockwell of Graphic Designs, Signs Now installed the Alger County Chamber of Commerce and Munising Downtown Development Authority’s latest murals recently on two buildings.

One of the displays showcases two Michigan State Constables horseback in the early 1900s. The old Munising Railway Co. Depot is seen behind the officers, which was located near the city dock and destroyed by fire in 1956. The mural is located on the Alger Co. Sheriff Department’s building at 101 E. Varnum St. and was graciously sponsored by Deanna Boyak and the Fuzzy Boyak Memorial Fund.

The other two murals are found on the west side of the bathroom building at Munising’s Bayshore Park and were funded by the Munising DDA.

One installation shows a Cleveland Cliffs Iron Company boat along the Pictured Rocks shoreline. Prior to the days of Pictured Rocks Cruises, Cleveland Cliffs offered tours of the national lakeshore in the early 1900s.

The other mural shows people enjoying the park while the SS South American, a steam powered Great Lakes cruise ship, is anchored at the Munising Docks. The SS South American made trips to the Munising area in the 1950s and 1960s. The arrival of the ship always brought crowds of people to the park – passengers were even welcomed sometimes by a marching band.

These projects were made possible through the efforts of the Chamber, Munising DDA, Cranking Graphics, Signs Now, and Deanna Boyak and the Fuzzy Boyak Memorial Fund. The murals are Mike Stockwell’s renditions of historical photographs that were provided by Duane Hargis of the Alger County Historical Society.

Editor’s note: Jaymie Depew is the communications and special project assistant for the Alger County Chamber of Commerce/Greater Munising Bay Partnership for Commerce Development, Munising Downtown Development Authority and Munising Visitors Bureau.