LANSING, Mich.–The Historical Society of Michigan has announced the winners of its 2022 Upper Peninsula History Awards.

Each year, the Historical Society of Michigan presents two U.P.-based awards: the Charles Follo Award for individuals and the Superior Award for historical organizations in the Upper Peninsula. The awards recognize individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the preservation and promotion of U.P. history.

The Charles Follo Award is named in honor of Charles Follo, a schoolteacher from Escanaba who worked to establish historical societies and promote the history of the Upper Peninsula. This year’s recipient is Theresa Weller of St. Ignace, Mich. A member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, Weller has dug deeply into the genealogies of people in the St. Ignace region.

Her work has linked the people of the present with the people of the past and helped countless families connect with their long-forgotten ancestors. Weller’s research into the lives of Native women involved with the Agatha Biddle Band has resulted in public presentations, a genealogy center created for the Michilimackinac Historical Society, development of the Mackinac Area Genealogy and Family History Facebook page, and the 2021 book release “The Founding Mothers of Mackinac Island: The Agatha Biddle Band of 1870.”

The Historical Society of Michigan established the Superior Award in 2006 to recognize historical societies, museums and other historical organizations that have preserved and advanced U.P. history. This year’s recipient is the Iron Ore Heritage Trail.

The 47-mile trail connects walkers, bikers and other travelers to historic sites across the central Upper Peninsula. Complete with interpretive signs detailing the region’s iron-mining history, the multiuse trail serves as a place of recreation and education. The trail starts along the Lake Superior shore west of Marquette. From there, it heads west and south through Negaunee, Ishpeming, Clarksburg and Humboldt, until reaching its terminus in Republic. At each of the trail’s town detours, educational opportunities await travelers through the path’s various interpretive signage, artwork and museum sites.

The Historical Society of Michigan is the state’s oldest cultural organization, founded in 1828. A nongovernmental nonprofit, the society focuses on publications, conferences, education, awards and recognition programming, and support for local history organizations to preserve and promote Michigan’s rich history.