There’s a Legend Behind Michigan’s 45th Parallel Line

What’s one thing that makes you feel like you’re a tourist in your own state?
Stopping along the road to get a photo of yourself standing next to one of Michigan’s ‘45th Parallel’ road signs.

I gotta admit, I did the same thing myself many years ago.

The 45th parallel may be real, but it’s also an imaginary line – part of a latitude circle - that marks the halfway point between the North Pole and the Equator..... and it’s cool that it runs straight through Michigan.

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The line is approximately 140 miles from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron; not a straight line to follow, but it’s real, nonetheless. Most main roads and highways that run north and south through Michigan have a road sign that marks the location; smaller side roads usually do not.

There are a good number of these markings that you more than likely have come across:

1) The Old Mission Point lighthouse, north of Traverse City, at the end of the drive in the Old Mission Peninsula.
2) Kewadin, near Torch Lake, at the Hugh J. Gray memorial rock display. This is a cool monument that contains stone pieces from all 83 Michigan counties, in honor of Hugh J. Gray, a Michigan man who helped our state’s tourist trade.
3) Other sites include Alpena, Gaylord, Sutton’s Bay, and a handful of others. In fact, many towns reside in the 45th parallel.

One last thing: are there any legends concerning the 45th Parallel?
Why yes, there is.
It’s believed that anyone who bathes or swims in a river crossed by the 45th parallel will be cured of any sickness. Considering the thousands of lakes, streams, rivers, brooks, ponds, etc. in northern Michigan, there should be plenty of options.