The restored Kawkawlin Indian Church gleams in the sunlight as re-dedication nears.

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Kawkawlin Indian Church to be Rededicated by Tribal Officials Tuesday

April 22, 2007       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

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The church bell will ring again like it did when it called Indians to worship 160 years ago.

The historic Ogaukawning Church on North Euclid Avenue near Hidden Road will be rededicated at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday by Chippewa tribal officials.

Established in 1847, the Indian Mission Church was built by Methodist missionaries to serve the Chippewa Indians. It was the first church in Bay County, predating the Roman Catholic St. Joseph Church, first Catholic church in the Saginaw Valley, by about five years.

A bell raising will be part of the activity as restoration of the Kawkawlin church reaches culmination. Volunteers will be erecting the restored bell tower on the historic church.

The church is considered the most visible reminder of early Native American inhabitants who populated the area around and on the banks of the Kawkawlin River in Bangor Township.

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The church and its grounds were the social and religious center of the Kawkawlin Chippewa community until the late 1940's. Today the Mission Church is under the trusteeship of the remaining members of the off-reservation Chippewas. The church has been restored by a small group of individuals, some under the auspices of Delta College, who want to preserve the memory of the Chippewa in the history of this community.

The restoration has been completed with a grant from the Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation. Also involved in the restoration have been the Ogaukawning Indian Mission Board of Directors, Bangor Township, former State Rep. Joseph Rivet, Sequin Lumber, R&R Ready Mix Concrete Co., Van Poppelen Block, Gougeon Bros., Bay Arenac Career Center.

Delta College students in residential construction and architectural technology have worked with community volunteers headed by Patrick Trahan on the project.

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Dave Rogers
Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read, respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City. (Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com) More from Dave Rogers

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