Ben Garbacz/Daily Mining Gazette Copper artifacts are currently on display in one area of the Baraga County Historical Museum. A potential donation from Jay Wakefield could see the artifact display expand to an entire room or two.

BARAGA — The Baraga County Historical Society discussed possible events for the upcoming summer and fall seasons at its recent meeting. The Society may receive a donation to further expand the size of the Baraga County Historical Museum and will be looking to incorporate historical role players to the museum in the fall.

The possible donation from Jay Wakefield would expand the museum’s size and could include an entire section dedicated to ancient artifacts. The expansion would ensure ancient artifacts have a room or two dedicated to them instead of only one display.

The Village of Baraga has expressed interest in the expansion of the museum believing it contributes to an increase in tourism for the area. If the expansion were to occur, it would be constructed under the direction of architect Barry Polzin.

The interaction between visitors and local history could become more personal with historical role-players from the Society acting out the roles of fur traders in starting in September. The Baraga and L’Anse areas were significant to fur trading during the days of French occupation from the 1600s to the mid 1700s.

Other role players could include British occupants, though the historical society is also interested in contacting the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community to see if anyone from the tribal community would be interested in portraying their ancestors from the same time period.

The Historical Society has also expressed an interest in rejoining the Baraga Chamber of Commerce, which the Society left at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. By rejoining the chamber, the group would be able to network with local businesses and become more involved with the local community.

The Society says it is always looking for new members, and its Secretary and Treasurer Nancy Mannikko said the group can be great for meeting other people.

“Even if you don’t have a big interest in history, it can be fun volunteering here, because we get visitors from all over the world,” she said. “We’ve had tourists in the past from Germany and from England. We’ve had people come from Finland because of connections with relatives.”

The museum will open for the summer on May 29.