The current sign at Marquette Lions Lakeside Park, which will be replaced this summer. (Photo courtesy of Mary Rule)

MARQUETTE — The Marquette Lions Lakeside Park will receive a new, updated sign this summer, and will see the conclusion of a years-long effort to improve the park’s landscaping and view of Lake Superior.

The Marquette Lions Club, chartered in 1919, is the premier Lions Club in the state of Michigan. The Lions Club is the largest humanitarian service organization in the world.

“Legend has it late summer of 1919 was very rainy and wet,” said Mary Rule, secretary of the Marquette Lions Club, “and the dirt roads downtown were muddy and impassable. By mid-October, the deep, slippery mud prevented the horse drawn wagons from being pulled up the Washington Street hill. Goods off-loaded from the merchant ships could not be delivered to the businesses up the steep hill to Front Street and beyond.

“The newly formed Marquette Lions Club, motivated by their international motto, “We Serve,” came to the rescue by calling on friends and neighbors to collect gravel and rock from their farms and the shoreline. They completed their first service project by coordinating the laying of rock and gravel on the muddy road to secure a safe surface for the horses to pull the wagons up the hill.”

The park on North Front Street is a part of that history as well, as it is the site of the Marquette Lions Club’s first meeting back in 1919.

“There’s been a plaque there for many years, recognizing that that was the footprint of the Lions Club in Michigan,” said Rule. “Not just Marquette, but all of Michigan.”

The park’s name was officially changed from Lakeside Park to Marquette Lions Lakeside Park in 2019 in celebration of the club’s centennial.

The Marquette Lions Club is contributing $25,000 towards the park’s sign, in addition to $5,000 towards the renovation of the space.

“One of the first things that took us to being concerned about the status of the park was that we noticed that we had been in the park for years, painting and managing it, but the ridgeline, which is on the back of the park, had been badly overgrown,” said Rule.

“It’s the last remaining viewing of Lake Superior when you come through Marquette now. By the time you hit the city limits and you start coming into Marquette, it’s all commercialized now. But our park has got the last viewing site, so we wanted to preserve that viewing.”

The Marquette Lions Club raised the necessary funds with help from the Shiras Institute, the Hirvonen Foundation, the Marquette Community Foundation and membership donation.

“We’ve raised all of the money that needs to be used for this project, “ said Rule.

Rule said that the landscaping aspect of the project should be done by June 1st, and that, while there is not currently a timeline for the sign, it should be ready by fall.

“This is something that we’re very excited about,” said Rule. “It’s been a long time coming, and we just hope that we can continue to develop plans to honor our legacy in that park throughout the next year or two.”

Annie Lippert can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 550. Her email address is alippert@miningjournal.net.