Paradise, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Paradise is an unincorporated community in Whitefish Township
, Chippewa County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
.
Paradise is on the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the western side of Whitefish Bay
, Lake Superior
, about 60 miles (96.6 km) by road from Sault Ste. Marie
and about 55 miles (88.5 km) north of the Mackinac Bridge
. Its zip code is 49768, and the area code and telephone prefix are (906) and 492 respectively.
Founded in 1925, Paradise is surrounded by state and national forests and its main business is tourism. It is considered one of two gateways to the Tahquamenon Falls
area and Tahquamenon Falls State Park
. (The other gateway is Newberry
, about 40 miles (64.4 km) to the southwest.) The area draws hunters, fishers, campers, backpackers, snowmobilers and birdwatchers. The region harvests blueberries and cranberries in season. Lake Superior shipping lanes are several miles off shore. The Paradise post office opened May 1, 1947.
Whitefish Point with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
, beach, Whitefish Point Lighthouse
and prime birding area, is 11 miles (17.7 km) north. Whitefish Point is a designated Important Bird Area
. The Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
, an affiliate of the Michigan Audubon Society, operates a research and education facility at Whitefish Point.
Whitefish Point is the nearest navigation mark to the wreckage of the ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald
, which sank in 1975. Every vessel entering or leaving Lake Superior must pass Whitefish Point. Whitefish Point remains one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the Great Lakes
. More vessels have been lost in the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior. The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
protects the shipwrecks in a portion of the bay for future generations of sports divers.
John Dreves, known as the "Can Man" from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is from Paradise. Dreves collects, sorts and redeems cans to help fund local athletics. In the past six years, he has contributed more than $20,000 to Whitefish Township Community School and its 50 K-12 students. Providing new uniforms, equipment and transportation, Dreves has also been named the "Paradise Angel." John was featured on ESPN
's Outside the Lines
.
The Sufjan Stevens
album Greetings from Michigan
contains a song entitled "For The Widows In Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti."
Whitefish Township, Michigan
Whitefish Township is a civil township of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 588 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Chippewa County
Chippewa County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge* Hiawatha National Forest * Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge-Demographics:...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
.
Paradise is on the northeastern portion of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the western side of Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay
Whitefish Bay is a large bay on the eastern end of the southern shore of Lake Superior between Michigan and Ontario. It begins in the north and west at Whitefish Point in Michigan, about 10 miles north of Paradise, Michigan and ends at the St. Marys River at Sault Ste. Marie on the southeast...
, Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
, about 60 miles (96.6 km) by road from Sault Ste. Marie
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
and about 55 miles (88.5 km) north of the Mackinac Bridge
Mackinac Bridge
The Mackinac Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac to connect the non-contiguous Upper and Lower peninsulas of the U.S. state of Michigan. Opened in 1957, the bridge is the third longest in total suspension in the world and the longest suspension bridge between anchorages...
. Its zip code is 49768, and the area code and telephone prefix are (906) and 492 respectively.
Founded in 1925, Paradise is surrounded by state and national forests and its main business is tourism. It is considered one of two gateways to the Tahquamenon Falls
Tahquamenon Falls
The Tahquamenon Falls are two different waterfalls on the Tahquamenon River. Both sets are located near Lake Superior in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The water is notably brown in color from the tannins leached from the cedar swamps which the river drains...
area and Tahquamenon Falls State Park
Tahquamenon Falls State Park
The Tahquamenon Falls State Park is a 46,179-acre state park in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the second largest of Michigan's state parks. Bordering on Lake Superior, most of the park is located within Whitefish Township in Chippewa County, with the western section of the park extending...
. (The other gateway is Newberry
Newberry, Michigan
Newberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County. Located within McMillan Township at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township. The population was 2,686 at the 2000 census.The village was named in...
, about 40 miles (64.4 km) to the southwest.) The area draws hunters, fishers, campers, backpackers, snowmobilers and birdwatchers. The region harvests blueberries and cranberries in season. Lake Superior shipping lanes are several miles off shore. The Paradise post office opened May 1, 1947.
Whitefish Point with the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is located at the Whitefish Point Light Station north of Paradise in Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The light station property was transferred to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society , the Michigan Audubon Society , and the United States...
, beach, Whitefish Point Lighthouse
Whitefish Point Lighthouse
The Whitefish Point Light is a lighthouse in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.-History:Construction on the first light began in 1847, and the lighthouse was said to resemble that at Old Presque Isle Light....
and prime birding area, is 11 miles (17.7 km) north. Whitefish Point is a designated Important Bird Area
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird Area is an area recognized as being globally important habitat for the conservation of bird populations. Currently there are about 10,000 IBAs worldwide. The program was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife International...
. The Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
Whitefish Point Bird Observatory
The Whitefish Point Bird Observatory is located in Chippewa County, Michigan, USA, adjacent to the Whitefish Point Unit of the Seney National Wildlife Refuge. It operates as a non-profit, affiliate education and research facility of the Michigan Audubon Society. The Society and the WPBO together...
, an affiliate of the Michigan Audubon Society, operates a research and education facility at Whitefish Point.
Whitefish Point is the nearest navigation mark to the wreckage of the ore freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald
SS Edmund Fitzgerald
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains...
, which sank in 1975. Every vessel entering or leaving Lake Superior must pass Whitefish Point. Whitefish Point remains one of the most dangerous shipping areas in the Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. More vessels have been lost in the Whitefish Point area than any other part of Lake Superior. The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve
The Whitefish Point Underwater Preserve was established in 1987 to protect and conserve shipwrecks and historical resources on of Lake Superior bottomlands in Whitefish Bay and around Whitefish Point, Michigan. The formation of the Michigan Underwater Preserves helped stop controversy over...
protects the shipwrecks in a portion of the bay for future generations of sports divers.
John Dreves, known as the "Can Man" from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, is from Paradise. Dreves collects, sorts and redeems cans to help fund local athletics. In the past six years, he has contributed more than $20,000 to Whitefish Township Community School and its 50 K-12 students. Providing new uniforms, equipment and transportation, Dreves has also been named the "Paradise Angel." John was featured on ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines
Outside the Lines, or also referred to as OTL, is an American television program on ESPN that looks "outside the lines" and examines critical issues in American sports on and off the field of play....
.
The Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer-songwriter and musician born in Detroit, Michigan. Stevens first began releasing his music on Asthmatic Kitty, a label co-founded with his stepfather, beginning with the 1999 release, A Sun Came...
album Greetings from Michigan
Michigan (album)
Bonus tracks included on the double-disc vinyl release:#"Marching Band" – 3:41#"Niagara Falls" – 2:22#"Pickerel Lake" – 3:11#"Presidents and Magistrates" – 4:16#"Vito's Ordination Song" – 5:25#"Wolverine" – 2:10...
contains a song entitled "For The Widows In Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti."