We have spent a glorious day wandering around the gorgeous little town of Charlevoix, Michigan. It is a pretty, relaxed place, located on the edge of Lake Charlevoix which leads out to Lake Michigan. There is money here, you can tell from the boats in the marina, the manicured lawns and the homes that dot the bay.

The town is named in honour of Father Piere Francis Xavier De Charlevoix, born in 1682 during the reign of Louis XIV. At the age of 16 he joined the “Society of Jesus,” known more familiarly as the Jesuits, and while a deacon at the age of 23 was sent to Quebec in Canada where for four years he taught grammar. He returned to France in 1709 to study theology.

Through his historical writings and pulpit eloquence, Father Charlevoix attracted considerable attention in Europe and was appointed by the king of France to a double mission, that of determining the exact extent of the English possessions in Canada and the discovery of an overland northern route to the sea at the West, now known as the Pacific Ocean.

How little did this modest priest dream as he sailed past these shores that his name would one day be written upon this city, “Charlevoix the Beautiful.”

 

The picturesque bay of Charlevoix.

To the right of this picture is a concert dome where in summer the town hosts musical events on the green over-looking the bay.

One of the many, seriously gorgeous homes dotting the bay.