MARQUETTE — Travel Marquette is inviting people to take a deeper look at Michigan’s Upper Peninsula through two distinct experiences: the debut of the Marquette History Pass, a new self-guided trail connecting more than 20 historic sites across the county, and a lineup of seasonal haunted attractions and Halloween events that spotlight Marquette’s mysterious side. 

The Marquette History Pass is a free, mobile-exclusive pass that guides visitors through the region’s mining, maritime, and cultural landmarks. Available through Travel Marquette’s website, the pass allows travelers to check in at participating locations, unlock stories, and collect digital badges along the way.

Highlights include:

• William Burt House (Marquette) – Home of the surveyor whose compass went haywire in 1844, leading to the discovery of magnetic iron ore and the birth of the region’s mining industry.

• Jackson Pit Mine (Negaunee) – The first open-pit mining site in the Lake Superior region and birthplace of the area’s iron ore boom.

• Iron Ore Heritage Trail – A 47-mile multi-use trail tracing over 160 years of mining history, with interpretive signage and art installations.

• Cliffs Shaft Mine Museum (Ishpeming) – A preserved 19th-century mine complex featuring the only existing Koepe Hoist System in the U.S.

• The Mather Inn (Ishpeming) – A 1930s landmark once hosting Richard Nixon, Duke Ellington, and the film Anatomy of a Murder.

• The Gossard Building (Ishpeming) – Former textile factory where the “Gossard Girls” led a groundbreaking 1949 labor strike.

• Marquette Historical Courthouse – Site of President Theodore Roosevelt’s famous 1913 libel trial.

• Marquette Maritime Museum & Lighthouse – A Great Lakes landmark offering guided tours and nautical exhibits.

• Historic Thunder Bay Inn (Big Bay) – Once owned by Henry Ford, later featured in “Anatomy of a Murder.”

• Father Marquette Park (Marquette) – Home to the 1897 statue honoring the city’s Jesuit namesake.

Additional stops include the Lower Harbor Ore Dock, Carp River Furnace, Michigan Iron Industry Museum, St. Peter Cathedral, and the KI Sawyer Heritage Air Museum, among others.

Together, these landmarks tell the story of how Marquette County was built by explorers, innovators, and everyday people whose legacies still shape the region, states a press release from Travel Marquette. And while the Marquette History Pass celebrates that enduring heritage, autumn brings another dimension to Marquette’s past, one filled with folklore, ghost stories, and spirited seasonal traditions that offer a different kind of connection to history.

While the Marquette History Pass focuses on the region’s heritage, Marquette’s spooky season leans into its folklore, haunted history, and family-friendly fun.

Haunted sites include:

• The Lilac Room at the Landmark Inn – Home to the ghostly “Lilac Lady,” said to still await her sailor lost to Lake Superior.

• Thunder Bay Inn – Once Henry Ford’s property, now rumored to host friendly spirits from its early logging days.

• Old Catholic Cemetery – A 19th-century burial ground where ghostly voices are said to echo through the woods.

• Marquette Harbor Lighthouse – Sightings of a young girl’s apparition have been reported when the lake falls eerily still.

• Old Town Negaunee – Abandoned remnants of a mining town swallowed by collapsing earth, now a hauntingly beautiful hiking area.

Halloween events:

• Haunted Hayrides at the Marquette County Fairgrounds (Oct. 16-18) – Evening rides through the “Scaregrounds” featuring haunted barns, live characters and surprises along the trail.

• Halloween Cookie Decorating Event (Oct. 18) – Doozer’s in Ishpeming hosts its third annual cookie decorating event featuring a family-friendly atmosphere, free face painting, a kids’ play area, and a silent auction benefiting UP Pink Power.

• Queen City Trick or Trot 10K/5K and Kids Monster Mile (Oct. 25) – A spirited downtown race and costume celebration ending at Ore Dock Brewing Company.