The Story of Sleeping Bear Dune
This is a legend told by the Anishinaabek Indians.
bear
bear
Once upon a time, a mother bear lived with her two little cubs in a great forest. This forest was on the west side of Lake Michigan in what is now the state of Wisconsin. One summer day, during a big thunderstorm, lightening struck the top of a tall pine tree and started a terrible forest fire. The mother bear and her two cubs were driven into Lake Michigan by the raging flames. They swam and swam but after a while the two little cubs became very tired and lagged far behind. Mother Bear finally reached the opposite shore and climbed up to the top of a bluff to watch and wait for her cubs. But sadly, they had become too tired to swim any farther and they drowned.
Today, one of the largest dunes, called Sleeping Bear Dune, marks the spot where Mother Bear waited and watched for her cubs. From the top of Sleeping Bear Dune you can look out across the Lake and see two small islands. They are the two little cubs who never made it to shore.
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| Manitou Islands (The two lost bear cubs) |
