Saint Ignace, gateway to Michigan’s eastern Upper Peninsula and county seat of Mackinac County, is located on the north side of the Straits of Mackinac and the Mackinac Bridge, at the junction of US-2 and I-75. Always a favorite for both Michigan travelers and out of state visitors, this resort town offers plenty to do, including shopping, fishing, sightseeing.<br> In 1671, Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit, founded the mission of St. Ignace, named for the founder of the Jesuits, Ignatius Loyola. The first settlers called it Mackinaw. The land was owned and occupied before 1812 by Francis LaPointe.<br> On November 3, 1874, Peter W. Hombach became the first postmaster. In 1882, the settlement was incorporated as a village and in 1883 as a city.