Mackinac Island

Like many historic places in the Great Lakes region, Mackinac Island's name derives from a Native American language, in this case Ojibwe language. The Anishinaabe peoples in the Straits of Mackinac region likened the shape of the island to that of a turtle, so they named it "Mitchimakinak" ({{langx|oj|mishimikinaak}}) "Big Turtle".{{cite book |last1=Nichols |first1=John D. |last2=Nyholm |first2=Earl |title=A Concise Dictionary of Minnesota Ojibwe |publisher=University of Minnesota Press |location=Minneapolis |year=1995}} Andrew Blackbird, an official interpreter for the U.S. government and son of an Odawa chief, said the island was known locally after a tribe that had lived there.Andrew Blackbird, "Earliest Possible Known History of Mackinac Island," History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan (Ypsilanti, MI: Ypsilanti Auxiliary of the Woman's National Indian Association, 1887) pp. 19-20 The French transliterated the word and spelled it as Michilimackinac. The British shortened it to the present name: "Mackinac."{{cite dictionary |last=Harper |first=Douglas |title=Mackinaw |dictionary=Online Etymology Dictionary |url=http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=Mackinaw |access-date=March 8, 2007}}{{cite web |last=Ferjutz |first=Kelly |title=Broadcloth, Brocade and Buckskin—Return to the past on Mackinac Island |publisher=FrugalFun.com |url=http://www.frugalfun.com/mackinack.html |access-date=March 8, 2007}} Michillimackinac is also spelled as Mishinimakinago, Mǐshǐma‛kǐnung, Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go, Missilimakinak, Teiodondoraghie, and in Ojibwe syllabics: ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ.

The Menominee traditionally lived in a large territory of {{convert|10|e6acre}} extending from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Historic references include one by Father Frederic Baraga, a Slovenian missionary priest in Michigan, who in his 1878 dictionary wrote:

{{blockquote|Mishinimakinago; pl.-g.—This name is given to some strange Indians (according to the sayings of the Otchipwes [Ojibwe]), who are rowing through the woods, and who are sometimes heard shooting, but never seen. And from this word, the name of the village of Mackinac, or Michillimackinac, is derived.{{cite book |last=Baraga |first=Frederic |title=A Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language |year=1878 |publisher=Beauchemin & Valois |location=Montreal |page=248 |volume=2}}}}

Maehkaenah is the Menominee word for turtle. In his 1952 book The Indian Tribes of North America, John Reed Swanton recorded under the "Wisconsin" section: "Menominee," a band named "Misi'nimäk Kimiko Wini'niwuk, 'Michilimackinac People,' near the old fort at Mackinac, Mich."{{cite book |last=Swanton |first=John R. |title=Indian Tribes of North America |url=https://archive.org/details/indiantribesofno00swan |url-access=registration |year=1952 |publisher=US Government Printing Office |location=Washington DC |pages=[https://archive.org/details/indiantribesofno00swan/page/250 250–256]}}

In an early written history of Mackinac Island (1887) by Andrew Blackbird, the Odawa historian, he describes that a small independent tribe called "Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go" once occupied Mackinac Island. They became confederated with the Ottawa from Ottawa Island (now Manitoulin Island), situated north of Lake Huron. One winter the Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go on Mackinac Island were almost entirely annihilated by the Seneca people from western New York, who were one of the Five Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Only two of the local natives escaped by hiding in one of the natural caves at the island. To commemorate the losses of this allied tribe, the Ottawa named what is now Mackinac Island as "Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong."{{cite book |first=Andrew J. |last=Blackbird (Mack-e-te-be-nessy) |title=History of the Ottawa and Chippewa Indians of Michigan: Earliest Possible Known History of Mackinac Island |location=Ypsilanti, Michigan |publisher=Ypsilanti Auxiliary of the Woman's National Indian Association |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bX8CAAAAYAAJ |year=1887 |pages=19–20|isbn=9780722200902 }} In 1895 John R. Bailey, the doctor at Fort Mackinac, published a history entitled Mackinac formerly Michilimackinac, describing some of the earliest French traders on Mackinac. They reportedly arrived in 1654 with a large party of Huron and Ottawa heading to Three Rivers; another visitor was an adventurer making a canoe voyage in 1665.

{{see also|Northern Michigan#History of Northern Michigan}}

Archaeologists have excavated prehistoric fishing camps on Mackinac Island and in the surrounding areas. Fishhooks, pottery, and other artifacts establish a Native American presence at least 700 years before European exploration, around AD 900. The island is a sacred place in the tradition of some of its earliest known inhabitants, the Anishinaabe peoples. They consider it to be home of the Gitche Manitou, or the "Great Spirit." According to legend, Mackinac Island was created by the Great Hare, Michabou, and was the first land to appear after the Great Flood receded.{{cite web|last=Zacharias |first=Pat |title=The breathtaking Mackinac Bridge |work=Detroit News |url=http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=156&category=locations |access-date=July 18, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20040508183849/http://info.detnews.com/history/story/index.cfm?id=156&category=locations |archive-date=May 8, 2004 }} The island was a gathering place for the local tribes, who made offerings to Gitche Manitou. It became the burial place of tribal chiefs.

The first European likely to have seen Mackinac Island is Jean Nicolet, a French-Canadian coureur des bois, during his 1634 explorations. The Jesuit priest Claude Dablon founded a mission for the Native Americans on Mackinac Island in 1670, and stayed over the winter of 1670–71. The missionary and explorer Jacques Marquette succeeded him, moving the mission to St. Ignace soon after his arrival in the region in the fall of 1671.{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Raphael N., S.J |title=Father Marquette |year=1970 |url=https://archive.org/details/fathermarquette0000unse |url-access=registration |publisher=William B. Eerdmans |location=Grand Rapids |page=[https://archive.org/details/fathermarquette0000unse/page/43 43]}}{{cite book |last=Boynton |first=James, S.J. |title=Fishers of Men: The Jesuit Mission at Mackinac, 1670–1765 |publisher=Ste. Anne's Church |year=1996 |location=Mackinac Island |pages=14–15}} With the mission as a focus, the Straits of Mackinac quickly became an important French fur trading location. The British took control of the Straits after the French and Indian War and Major Patrick Sinclair chose the bluffs of the island for Fort Mackinac in 1780.{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Eugene T |title=High Cliffs |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/general/history_highcliffes.html |access-date=March 4, 2007 |archive-date=February 13, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070213164009/http://www.mackinac.com/content/general/history_highcliffes.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=History |publisher=MackinacIsland.org |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/history.html |access-date=March 8, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070123150236/http://www.mackinacisland.org/history.html |archive-date=January 23, 2007}}

The Jesuit Relations (1671) contains a long description of Mackinac Island:

{{blockquote|its fisheries, its phenomena of wind and tide, and the tribes who, now and in the past, have made it their abode. A favorite resort for all the Algonkin tribes, many are returning to it since the peace with the Iroquois. On this account, the Jesuits have begun a new mission, opposite Mackinac, called St. Ignace. Thither have fled the Hurons, driven from Chequamegon Bay by fear of the Sioux, "the Iroquois of the West."{{cite report|url=http://puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/relations/relations_55.html |title=Jesuit Relations |year=1671 |page=12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321002351/http://www.puffin.creighton.edu/jesuit/relations/relations_55.html |archive-date=March 21, 2016 }}}}

File:Dwightwood Spring, on Mackinac Island's eastern shore.jpg

The Relations also indicate the tremendous strategic importance of Michilimackinac/Mackinac Island as

"the central point for all travel on the upper Great Lakes, and for a vast extent of wilderness and half-settled country beyond" to First Nations and Europeans (prior to the arrival of railroads). The tribes which had inhabited Mackinac Island had been driven away by the Iroquois, leaving the island practically deserted until 1670. The Huron people from Lake Superior, in fear of the Sioux, retreated to the shore north of Mackinac Island. Here Marquette continued his missionary labors with them at the site of the present St. Ignace. The 1688 memoir of Jacques-René de Brisay de Denonville, Marquis de Denonville, claimed that the French had inhabited the area since 1648. A small French garrison was sent there some time between 1679 and 1683.{{cite book |title=Documents relative to the colonial history of the state of New York |year=1855 |publisher=Weed, Parsons, and Co. |location=Albany, New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ09brod/page/383 383] |url=https://archive.org/details/documentsrelativ09brod |editor=O'Callaghan, E.B. |access-date=October 19, 2013 |volume=9}}

The name of Michilimackinac (later abbreviated to Mackinac) was applied generally to the entire vicinity, as well as specifically to the post at St. Ignace. Later still it was applied to the fort and mission established on the south side of the Straits of Mackinac.{{cite book |last=Thwaites |first=Reuben Gold |title=The Story of Mackinac |year=1898 |publisher=State Historical Society of Wisconsin |pages=1–16}}{{cite book |last=Cook |first=Samuel F. |title=Mackinaw in History |year=1895 |publisher=Robert Smith and Co. |location=Lansing, Michigan |url=https://archive.org/details/mackinawinhisto00bailgoog}}

Although the British built Fort Mackinac to protect their settlement from attack by French-Canadians and native tribes, the fort was never attacked during the American Revolutionary War. The entire Straits area was officially acquired by the United States through the Treaty of Paris (1783). However, Britain kept forces in the Great Lakes area until after 1794, when the Jay Treaty between the nations established U.S. sovereignty over the Northwest Territory.{{cite book |last=Brinkley |first=Alan |author-link=Alan Brinkley |title=American History: A Survey |year=2003 |edition=11 |publisher=McGraw-Hill Higher Education |location=New York |isbn=0-07-242436-2 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/americanhistory00alan/page/141 141, 173] |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/americanhistory00alan/page/141 }}

Freemasonry came to the Great Lakes region in the 1700s, with the earliest documented Lodge west of the Allegheny Mountains being Lodge #1 at Detroit (or Union #1, now Zion #1) (warranted by the Provincial Grand Lodge of New York, 1764) associated with the British 2nd Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot,{{Cite web |title=Zion Lodge #1 F. & A.M. |url=https://1-mi.ourlodgepage.com/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=1-mi.ourlodgepage.com}} and second with Harmony Lodge (Provincial Grand Lodge of New York, ca. 1764–1766) associated with the British 1st Battalion, 60th Regiment of Foot.Smith, J. Fairbairn, and Fey, Charles. History of Freemasonry in Michigan, Vol. 1. 1963, p. 58-60. Smith, Pemberton. Research into Early Canadian Masonry, 1759 to 1869. 1869, p. 20-23, 74. Mackinac Island was home to St. John's Lodge No. 15 (1782–1813), the third Masonic Military Lodge originally warranted on 15 November 1782 by John Collins, the Provincial Grand Master of the Provincial Grand Lodge of Quebec, for work in the Upper Canada territory that would later become Michigan.{{Cite press release |last=Berry |first=Wesley |title=Mysterious Freemason Celebrates 250th Anniversary in Michigan |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mysterious-freemason-celebrates-250th-anniversary-in-michigan-254266941.html |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.prnewswire.com |language=en}} As a Military Lodge associated with the British 84th Regiment of Foot (Royal Highland Emigrants) St. John’s #15 meetings were held at the newly constructed Fort Mackinac in one of the rooms in the Officers Stone Quarters{{Cite book |last=Robertson |first=John Ross |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DE85AQAAMAAJ&pg=270 |title=The History of Freemasonry in Canada: From Its Introduction in 1749; Compiled and Written from Official Records and from Mss. Covering the Period 1749-1858, in the Possession of the Author |date=1900 |publisher=G. N. Morang |language=en}} and also in the upper part of the West Blockhouse. {{Cite web |title=Lane's Masonic Records 1717-1894 |url=https://www.dhi.ac.uk/lane/record.php?ID=1308 |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.dhi.ac.uk}} Few records exist of this lodge, its membership, and activities, but the purported membership included prominent military and community members, such as Capt. Daniel Robertson, Major Robert Rogers, and Lt. George Clowes, Dr. David Mitchell,{{Cite web |title=Biography – MITCHELL, DAVID – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/mitchell_david_6E.html |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.biographi.ca}} George Meldrum,Frontier Freemasons: Masonic Networks Linking The Great Lakes To The Atlantic World, 1750–1820 by Kevin H. Nichols|https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3499&context=oa_dissertations Josiah Bleakley,{{Cite web |title=Biography – BLEAKLEY, JOSIAH – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography |url=http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/bleakley_josiah_6E.html |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=www.biographi.ca}} Benjamin Lyon, and George McBeath. The British Military Lodge St. John’s #15 was erased from the British rolls in 1813, following the War of 1812, and the later return of the fort to American control and the departure of the British military presence from the region after the Treaty of Ghent in December 1814.{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Dominick |date=2019-11-08 |title=Fort Mackinac: A Century of Military Service to the Country |url=https://www.mackinacparks.com/fort-mackinac-a-century-of-military-service-to-the-country/ |access-date=2023-11-29 |website=Mackinac State Historic Parks |language=en-US}} {{Relevance inline|paragraph|date=October 2024|discuss=Relevance of Freemasonry content?|reason=Undue weight given to this subject of Mackinac's history, making article bloated.}}

File:Pere Marquette Mackinac 2007.jpg, Jesuit priest and Great Lakes explorer, in front of Fort Mackinac]]

During the War of 1812, the British captured the fort in the siege of Fort Mackinac, the first battle of the conflict. The Americans were caught by surprise, not knowing that war had been declared. The victorious British attempted to protect their prize by building Fort George on the high ground behind Fort Mackinac. In 1814, the Americans and British fought a second battle on the north side of the island. The American second-in-command, Major Andrew Holmes, was killed and the Americans failed to recapture the island. The federal fur trade station at Mackinac, which had been established by the United States government in 1808, was then taken over by the British.Wesley, Edgar Bruce (1935). Guarding the Frontier. University of Minnesota Press, p. 40.

By the Treaty of Ghent of 1815, the British returned the island and surrounding mainland to the U.S. The United States reoccupied Fort Mackinac, and renamed Fort George as Fort Holmes after Major Holmes.{{cite web |last=Brennan |first=James |title=Fort Holmes |publisher=The Michigan Historical Marker Web Site |url=http://www.michmarkers.com/startup.asp?startpage=S0078.htm |access-date=March 4, 2007 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927184706/http://www.michmarkers.com/startup.asp?startpage=S0078.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |df=mdy-all }} The fort remained under control of the United States government until 1895. It provided volunteers to defend the Union during the American Civil War, and was used as a prison for three Confederate States of America sympathizers.

John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company was centered on Mackinac Island after the War of 1812 and exported beaver pelts for 30 years. By the middle of the nineteenth century, commercial fishing for common whitefish and lake trout began to replace the fur trade as the island's primary industry. As sport fishing became more popular in the 1880s, hotels and restaurants accommodated tourists coming by train or lake boat from Detroit.

Between 1795 and 1815, a network of Métis settlements and trading posts was established throughout what is now the U.S. states of Michigan and Wisconsin and to a lesser extent in Illinois and Indiana. As late as 1829, the Métis were dominant in the economy of present-day Wisconsin and Northern Michigan.{{cite book |last1=Peterson and Brown |title=The New Peoples |pages=44–45}} Many Métis families are recorded in the U.S. Census for the historic Métis settlement areas along the Detroit and St. Clair rivers, Mackinac Island and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, as well as Green Bay in Wisconsin. Many prominent mixed-race families, such as the Mitchell family of Mackinac, were formed in the late 18th- and early 19th-century fur trading era. The Métis have generally not organized as an ethnic or political group in the United States as they have in Canada, where they had armed confrontations in an effort to secure a homeland.

Mackinac Island’s second Masonic Lodge was Mackinac Lodge No. 71 F&AM (1853–1862). Mackinac #71 was granted dispensation by Grand Master Henry T. Backus on 20 June 1853, and was later granted a Charter by the Grand Lodge of Michigan’s Grand Master George W. Peck on 11 January 1855. Mackinac #71 operated as a ‘moon lodge’The Moon and Masonry. Ancient Accepted

Scottish Rite: Valley of Boston. 2024. Available: https://www.scottishriteboston.net/en/article_view.php?news_id=1398 {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311092242/https://www.scottishriteboston.net/en/article_view.php?news_id=1398 |date=March 11, 2024 }} with meetings held on Monday evenings, on or next proceeding the full moon,Mackinac Herald (Mackinac, Mich.), Aug 1860. in a rented Lodge Room. It boasted a membership of prominent community members, such as Dr. Joseph H. Bailey, Dr. John R. Bailey, Jonathan P. King, Bela J. Chapman, Reuben Chapman, Mathew Geary, John Biddle, and Ambrose R. Davenport. Some of the Lodge members were formerly associated with the local Sons of Temperance chapter, Mackinac Division No. 23 (1847–1851), whose weekly meetings were held Wednesday nights in a rented room in the CourthouseMackinac County Courthouse. Available: https://www.mackinaccounty.net/county-information/courthouse/ (previously in the Indian Dormitory).Opening May 30 on Mackinac Isle: Indian History told in Restored Dormitory. Petoskey News-Review (Petoskey, Mich.), 11 May 1966, p. 5. Mackinac Lodge No. 71 would become inactive in 1860 as a result of rising pre-American Civil War tensions, military enlistment, multiple member relocations, and the unfortunate combination of illness and/or death of a few key founding members. After two years of not submitting Lodge Returns, and no representatives sent to the Annual Communications, Mackinac #71‘s charter was forfeited by the Grand Lodge of Michigan in 1862.Conover, Jefferson S. Freemasonry in Michigan, Vol. 2, 1896, p. 524.|https://archive.org/details/Freemasonry_In_Michigan_Vol_Ii_-_Conover/mode/1up There was an attempt by seven Master Masons to revive Mackinac #71 a few years after the Civil War in February 1871,Masonic: Annual Communication of the Grand Lodge of Michigan. Address by Grand Master J. W. Champlin. Detroit Free Press (Detroit, Mich.), 11 Jan 1872, p. 3. an effort led by two of the original Lodge members, Dr. John R. Bailey and John Biddle, four Master Masons, and one Royal Arch Mason, however this action was unsuccessful. {{Relevance inline|paragraph|date=October 2024|discuss=Relevance of Freemasonry content?|reason=Undue weight given to this subject of Mackinac's history, making article bloated.}}

Following the Civil War, the island became a popular tourist destination for residents of major cities on the Great Lakes. Much of the federal land on Mackinac Island was designated as the second national park, spearheaded by the efforts of Dr. John R. Bailey, Mackinac National Park, in 1875, three years after Yellowstone National Park was named as the first national park. This was thanks to U.S. Senator Thomas W. Ferry, who was born on the Island and lobbied for the park.{{Cite web|title=April 15, 1875: Mackinac National Park becomes America's Second National Park {{!}} The Daily Dose|url=http://www.awb.com/dailydose/?p=2070|access-date=2021-03-30|language=en-US|archive-date=October 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211018051716/https://www.awb.com/dailydose/?p=2070|url-status=dead}} To accommodate an influx of tourists in the 1880s, the boat and railroad companies built hotels, including the Grand Hotel. Island residents established souvenir shops to profit from the tourist trade. Many wealthy business magnates built summer "cottages" along the island's bluffs for extended stays.

When the federal government left the island in 1895, it transferred all of the federal land, including Fort Mackinac, to the state of Michigan and this area was designated as Michigan's first state park. The Mackinac Island State Park Commission, appointed to oversee the island, has restricted private development in the park. Leaseholders are required to maintain the island's distinctive Victorian architecture.{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Eugene T |title=A Historic Treasure Preserved |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/general/history_nocars.html |access-date=March 5, 2007 |archive-date=March 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301072658/http://mackinac.com/content/general/history_nocars.html |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Eugene T |title=The Victorian Era: A Resort Meca |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/general/history_victorian.html |access-date=March 5, 2007 |archive-date=March 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130301072651/http://mackinac.com/content/general/history_victorian.html |url-status=dead }}

Motor vehicles were restricted at the end of the nineteenth century because of concerns for the health and safety of the island's residents and horses after local carriage drivers complained that automobiles startled their horses. This ban continues to the present, with exceptions only for city emergency vehicles (ambulance, police cars and fire trucks), city service vehicles, state park vehicles, and snowmobiles in winter.{{cite web|last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=Mackinac Island Fact Sheet |publisher=Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/pdfs/mackinacislandfactsheet.pdf |access-date=March 5, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529014639/http://www.mackinacisland.org/pdfs/mackinacislandfactsheet.pdf |archive-date=May 29, 2008 }} Thus, some controversy ensued in 2019 when Vice President Mike Pence was permitted to bring a motorcade to the island.{{cite web |last1=Swales |first1=Vanessa |title=A Motorcade on Mackinac Island? Pence's Visit Breaks a Long Tradition |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/22/us/mackinac-pence-motorcade.html |website=The New York Times |date=September 22, 2019|access-date=September 23, 2019}}

According to the 2020 United States census, the island has a year-round population of 583. The population grows considerably during the summer from tourists and seasonal workers. Hotels, restaurants, bars and retail shops hire hundreds of seasonal workers to accommodate the tens of thousands of visitors that visit the island between May 1st and October 31.{{cite web |title=Eselco Inc · 10-K405 · For 12/31/96 · EX-13 |publisher=SEC Info |date=March 31, 1997 |url=http://www.secinfo.com/dRqWm.8b28.d.htm |access-date=March 14, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Welcome to Mackinac Island |publisher=Superior Sights |url=http://www.superiorsights.com/cities/mackinacisland.html |access-date=March 14, 2007}}

File:Mackinac Island July 2010 13 (Arch Rock).JPG through Arch Rock]]

File:Straits of Mackinac crx.jpg

Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. It is about {{Convert|8|mi|km|0}} in circumference and {{Convert|3.8|sqmi|km2|1}} in total area.{{cite web |title=Stats And Facts – Mackinac Island |url=https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/mackinac-island-by-the-numbers |website=Mackinac Island |publisher=Mackinac Island Tourism Bureau |access-date=23 April 2024}} The highest point of the island is the historic Fort Holmes (originally called Fort George by the British before 1815), which is {{Convert|320|ft|m|0}} above lake level and {{Convert|890|ft|m|0}} above sea level.

Mackinac Island was formed as the glaciers of the last ice age began to melt around 13,000 BC. The bedrock strata that underlie the island are much older, dating to Late Silurian and Early Devonian time, about 400 to {{Nowrap|420 million}} years ago. Subsurface deposits of halite (rock salt) dissolved, allowing the collapse of overlying limestones; these once-broken but now solidified rocks comprise the Mackinac Breccia. The melting glaciers formed the Great Lakes, and the receding lakewaters eroded the limestone bedrock, forming the island's steep cliffs and rock formations. At least three previous lake levels are known, two of them higher than the present shore: Algonquin-level lakeshores dating to about 13,000 years ago and the Nipissing-level shorelines formed 4,000 to 6,000 years ago.{{cite web |author=William L. Blewett |title=Understanding Ancient Shorelines in the National Parklands of the Great Lakes |publisher=Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore |url=http://www.nps.gov/piro/naturescience/upload/August_2009_PIRO_Resource_Report_Blewett.pdf |access-date=May 22, 2010}} During an intermediate period of low water between these two high-water stages, the Straits of Mackinac shrank to a narrow gorge that discharged its water over Mackinac Falls, located just east of the island (beyond Arch Rock), into Lake Huron.{{cite web |title=Ancient Waterfall Discovered Off Mackinac Island's Shoreline |publisher=Mackinac Island Town Crier |url=http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007/0825/Front_page/003.html |access-date=September 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719181426/http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007/0825/front_page/003.html |archive-date=July 19, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

As the Great Lakes assumed their present levels, the waterfall was inundated and Mackinac Island took on its current size. The steep cliffs were one of the primary reasons for the British army's choice of the island for a fortification. Their decision differed from that of the French army, which had built Fort Michilimackinac about 1715 near present-day Mackinaw City. The limestone formations are still part of the island's appeal. One of the most popular geologic formations is Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch, 146 feet (45 m) above the ground. Other popular geologic formations include Devil's Kitchen, Skull Cave, and Sugar Loaf.

File:Blue Jay-27527.jpg

Mackinac Island contains a wide variety of terrain, including fields, marshes, bogs, coastline, boreal forest, and limestone formations. The environment is legally preserved on the island by the State Historic Park designation. About half of the shoreline and adjacent waters off Mackinac Island, including the harbor (Haldimand Bay) and the southern and western shore from Mission Point to Pointe aux Pins, is protected as part of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, a state marine park.{{cite news |last=Bailey |first=Dan Holden |title=Mackinac Straits |work=Diver Magazine |date=September 1999 |url=http://divermag.com/archives/sept99/mackinac_sep99.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060620215815/http://divermag.com/archives/sept99/mackinac_sep99.html |archive-date=June 20, 2006 |access-date=May 23, 2007}}

As it is separated from the mainland by 3 miles (4.8 km) of water, few large mammals inhabit the island, except those that traverse the ice during the winter months. Rabbits, fox, raccoons, otters, mink, gray and red squirrels, and chipmunks are all common, as are the occasional beaver and coyote.{{cite web |title=Coyote Population Begins To Cause Concern on Mackinac Island |last1=Gould|first1=Karen|work=St. Ignace News |url=http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2006/1026/News/100.html |access-date=April 12, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090502011007/http://www.stignacenews.com/news/2006/1026/News/100.html |archive-date=May 2, 2009}} Bats are abundant on the island, as it has numerous caves that serve as dwellings for them and a large insect population for the bats to prey on.{{cite book|page=240|title=Adventure Guide to Michigan|last1=Hillstrom|first1=Kevin|last2=Hillstrom|first2=Laurie Collier|year=1998|publisher=Hunter Publishing|isbn=9781556508202}}

The island is frequented by migratory birds on their trips between their summer and winter habitats, as it lies on a major migration route.{{cite book|page=60|title=Explore Michigan: Mackinac|last1=Cantor|first1=George|year=2005|publisher=University of Michigan Press|isbn=9780472031115}} Eagles and hawks are abundant in April and May, while smaller birds such as yellow warblers, American redstart, and indigo bunting are more common in early summer. Near the shoreline, gulls, herons, geese, and loons are common. Owls, including snowy owls and great grey owls, come to the island from the Arctic to hunt in the warmer climate. Other birds, such as chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers, live on the island year-round. Toads have also been found.{{cite web |last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=Ecosystem |publisher=MackinacIsland.org |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/ecosystem.html |access-date=May 17, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515092706/http://www.mackinacisland.org/ecosystem.html |archive-date=May 15, 2007}}

Mackinac Island contains over 600 species of vascular plants. Flowering plants and wildflowers are abundant, including trillium, lady slippers, forget-me-nots, violets, trout lily, spring beauty, hepatica, buttercups, and hawkweeds in the forests and orchids, fringed gentian, butter-and-eggs, and jack-in-the-pulpit along the shoreline. The island's forests are home to many varieties of trees, such as maple, birch, elm, cedar, pine, and spruce.

{{wide image|MarquetteParkMI.png|900px|Marquette Park on Mackinac Island|alt=A panoramic view of a park. To the left is a rocky cliff. A wide green space, named Marquette Park, can be seen in the foreground. Ships are docked in a harbor in the background, and another island is visible in the distance.}}

The island's newspaper is the Mackinac Island Town Crier. It has been owned and operated by Wesley H. Maurer Sr. and his family since 1957 as training for journalism.{{cite web |title=St. Ignace |work=Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula |publisher=Midwestern Guides |url=http://hunts-upguide.com/st__ignace_detail.html |access-date=May 22, 2007}} It is published weekly from May through September and monthly during the rest of the year.{{cite web |title=Contact Us |publisher=Mackinac Island Town Crier |url=http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/common/contactus.html |access-date=May 22, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315055450/http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/common/contactus.html |archive-date=March 15, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

File:Star Line's Mackinac Island Ferry, Mackinac Express.jpg

File:Mackinac Island's main town, looking west. Transportation on the island is by horse, bike, or foot..jpg

The island can be reached by private boat, by ferry, by small aircraft and, in the winter, by snowmobile over an ice bridge. The airport has a {{Convert|3500|ft|m|-1|adj=on}} paved runway, and daily charter air service from the mainland is available.{{cite web |title=By Air |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/gettinghere/byair.html |access-date=March 14, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071212165328/https://mackinac.com/content/gettinghere/byair.html |archivedate= 12 December 2007}} In the summer tourist season, ferry service is available from Shepler's Ferry and Mackinac Island Ferry Company (formerly Star Line) to shuttle visitors to the island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.{{cite web|title=Mackinac Island FAQs |publisher=Mackinac State Historic Parks |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/mackinac-island-faqs_39/ |access-date=March 14, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070320154540/http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/mackinac-island-faqs_39/ |archive-date=March 20, 2007 }}

Motorized vehicles have been prohibited on the island since 1898,{{cite web |title=What happened to a place in Michigan when cars were banned for 115 years? |date=February 26, 2013 |publisher=Bike Delaware |url=http://www.bikede.org/2013/02/26/the-isle-of-bike/ |access-date=February 28, 2013}}

with the exception of city emergency vehicles (ambulance, police cars and fire trucks), city service vehicles and snowmobiles during winter. Travel on the island is either by foot, bicycle, horse or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also allowed, except in the downtown area. Bicycles, roller skates/roller blades, carriages, and saddle horses are available for rent.

An {{convert|8|mi|km|adj=on}} road follows the island's perimeter, and numerous roads, trails and paths cover the interior.{{cite news |last=Dearle |first=Brian |title=Mackinac Island |publisher=The New Colonist |url=http://www.newcolonist.com/mackinac.html |access-date=March 14, 2007 |archive-date=March 16, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316191835/http://www.newcolonist.com/mackinac.html |url-status=dead }} M-185, the United States' only state highway without motorized vehicles, makes a circular loop around the island, closely hugging the shoreline.{{cite web |title=Mackinac Island State Park: Points of Interest |publisher=Mackinac State Historic Parks |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/mackinac-island-state-park/?l=0,1,10,13,105 |access-date=June 1, 2009 |archive-date=July 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726002033/http://www.mackinacparks.com/mackinac-island-state-park/?l=0,1,10,13,105 |url-status=dead }}

Mackinac Island State Park covers approximately 80 percent of the area of the island and includes Fort Mackinac, as well as portions of the island's historic downtown and harbor. No camping is allowed on the island, but numerous hotels and bed and breakfasts are available.{{cite web |title=Accommodations |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/accommodations/index.html |access-date=March 14, 2007 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070426070216/https://mackinac.com/content/accommodations/index.html |archivedate=26 April 2007}}

The downtown streets are lined with many retail stores and restaurants.

File:Little Stone Church.jpg

Most of the buildings on Mackinac Island are built of wood, a few are of stone, and most have clapboard siding.{{cite web|title=National Historic Landmark Nomination: Mackinac Island |publisher=United States Department of the Interior |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/pdfs/nationalhistoriclandmark.pdf |access-date=March 10, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080510030816/http://www.mackinacisland.org/pdfs/nationalhistoriclandmark.pdf |archive-date=May 10, 2008 }} The architectural styles on the island span 300 years, from the earliest Native American structures to the European-American styles of the 19th century.

The earliest structures were built by the Anishinaabe and Ojibwe (also called Chippewa in the United States) tribes before European exploration. At least two buildings still exist from the original French settlement of the late 18th century. Mackinac Island has the only example of northern French rustic architecture in the United States, and one of few survivors in North America.

Mackinac Island also contains examples of Federalist, Colonial, and Greek Revival styles. Given its rise as a tourist destination in the late nineteenth century, many of the island's structures were built in the later style of the Victorian era, which includes Gothic Revival, Stick style, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardson Romanesque and Queen Anne styles. The most recent architectural styles date from the late 19th century to the 1930s and include the Colonial and Tudor revival.{{cite web |last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=Architecture |publisher=Mackinacisland.org |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/architecture.html |access-date=March 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211105201/http://www.mackinacisland.org/architecture.html |archive-date=December 11, 2006}}

File:The Governors House on Mackinac Island. The Governor of Michigan, while in office, can use this residence as a vacation home..jpg

All of Mackinac Island was listed as a National Historic Landmark in October 1960. In addition, because of the island's long history and preservation efforts starting in the 1890s, eight separate locations on the island, and a ninth site on adjacent Round Island, are listed in the United States National Register of Historic Places. In 2022 Travel + Leisure named Mackinac Island the best island in the continental U.S. to visit.{{Cite web |title=The 15 Best Islands in the Continental U.S. |url=https://www.travelandleisure.com/worlds-best/best-islands-in-the-us-2022 |access-date=2022-07-13 |website=Travel + Leisure |language=en}}

• The entire island, Haldimand Bay, and a small shipwreck form a historic district.{{cite web |title=Michigan: Mackinac County |publisher=Nationalregisterofhistoricalplaces.com |url=http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/mi/Mackinac/state.html |access-date=March 9, 2007}}
• Built by the British in 1780, Fort Mackinac was closed as a fort by the United States in 1895 as it no longer had any strategic purpose. It has been restored to its late 19th-century state through efforts beginning in the 1930s.{{cite web |title=Fort Mackinac |work=Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula |publisher=Midwestern Guides |url=http://hunts-upguide.com/city_of_mackinac_island_fort_mackinac.html |access-date=May 23, 2007}}{{cite web|title=A Brief History of Fort Mackinac |publisher=Mackinac Island State Park Commission |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/a-brief-history-of-fort-mackinac_606/ |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613184444/http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/a-brief-history-of-fort-mackinac_606/ |archive-date=June 13, 2007 }}
• The Biddle House, one of the oldest structures on Mackinac Island, was built about 1780 and is interpreted in its role as a prosperous home for the Métis Biddle family during the height of the fur trade in the 1820s.{{cite web|url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/historic-downtown/index.aspx?l=0,1,10,12,190 |title=Historic Buildings |work=Mackinac State Historic Parks |access-date=February 4, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306020333/http://www.mackinacparks.com/historic-downtown/index.aspx?l=0%2C1%2C10%2C12%2C190 |archive-date=March 6, 2010 }}{{cite web |url=http://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm |title=Biddle House |work=michmarkers.com |access-date=February 1, 2010 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100315141338/http://www.michmarkers.com/Frameset.htm |archive-date=March 15, 2010 |df=mdy-all }}
• The McGulpin House, a working-class home possibly constructed prior to 1780, is interpreted as a frontier working-class home.
• The Agency House of the American Fur Company was built in 1820 as the residence for the company's Mackinac Island agent, Robert Stuart. It has been adapted as a fur trade museum and is open to the public.{{cite web |title=Market Street, 1820s fur trade center |work=Hunts' Guide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula |publisher=Midwestern Guides |url=http://hunts-upguide.com/city_of_mackinac_island_market_street__1820s_fur_trade_center.html |access-date=May 23, 2007}}
• The Mission House was built on Mission Point in 1825 by Presbyterian missionary William Montague Ferry as a boarding school for Native American and Métis children. It became a hotel in 1849 and a rooming house in 1939. It is restored and now houses State Park employees.{{cite web|title=Mission House |publisher=MI State Historic Preservation Objects |url=http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9195.htm |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927013242/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/hso/sites/9195.htm |archive-date=September 27, 2007 }}
• The 108-foot tall glassed-in Mission Point historical museum has five floors of historical exhibits and views of the Mackinac Straits. Exhibits include the maritime history of Mackinac Island, Great Lakes lighthouses, shipping, and shipwrecks, Mackinac Bridge construction, and the film Somewhere in Time, which was primarily filmed on Mission Point property.
• The Mission Church was built in 1829 and is the oldest surviving church building in Michigan. It has been restored to its 1830s appearance.{{cite web|title=Your Wedding at Mission Church |publisher=Mackinac Island State Park Commission |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/your-wedding-at-mission-church-_108/ |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070604152651/http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/your-wedding-at-mission-church-_108/ |archive-date=June 4, 2007 }}
• The Indian Dormitory was constructed under direction of U.S. Indian agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft after the US and area tribes signed the 1836 Treaty of Washington. It operated as a school and a place for Native Americans to stay while coming to the island to receive yearly annuities. The building was restored in 1966 and converted to a museum; it closed in 2003.{{cite web |last=Petersen |first=Eugene |title=Indian Dormitory |work=History of Mackinac Island |publisher=Mackinac.com |url=http://www.mackinac.com/content/general/history_indian.html |access-date=May 23, 2007 |archive-date=November 8, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108224232/http://mackinac.com/content/general/history_indian.html |url-status=dead }} On July 2, 2010, the building was reopened for use as The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. It showcases Mackinac art from prehistory to the present, and includes a children's art studio.{{cite web |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/mackinac-art-museum/ |title=Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum |publisher=Mackinac State Historic Parks |access-date=May 31, 2012 |archive-date=May 27, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527060410/http://www.mackinacparks.com/mackinac%2Dart%2Dmuseum/ |url-status=dead }}
• The Matthew Geary House, built in 1846 as a private residence, was added to the NRHP in 1971. Privately owned, it is available for lease for vacation rentals.{{cite web|title=Geary House Rental |publisher=Mackinac Island State Park Commission |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/geary-house-rental_583/ |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613174927/http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks/geary-house-rental_583/ |archive-date=June 13, 2007 }}
• The current Catholic Sainte Anne Church was built from 1874. It replaced earlier parish churches in use on Mackinac Island and the adjacent mainland; the parish register records participants in sacraments such as baptisms, marriages, and funerals from 1695.{{cite web|title=Ste. Anne Catholic Church on Mackinac Island, Michigan |publisher=Roman Catholic Diocese of Marquette |url=http://www.steanneschurch.org |access-date=June 3, 2017}}
• The Grand Hotel is a Victorian-style structure that opened in 1887. The 1980 film Somewhere in Time was shot on location at the hotel.{{cite web |title=Grand Hotel |publisher=Roadside America |url=http://www.roadsideamerica.com/hotels_motels/hotelinfo/93841.html |access-date=September 10, 2007}}
• The Round Island Lighthouse is located just south of Mackinac Island on the small, uninhabited Round Island, which is held and operated by the US Forest Service. The light was built in 1894 and automated in 1924. Extensive restoration began in the 1970s, and the exterior and structure have since been repaired.{{cite web |last=Pepper |first=Terry |title=Round Island Light |date=December 12, 2003 |url=http://www.terrypepper.com/Lights/huron/roundisland/roundisland.htm |access-date=May 23, 2007}}
• Wawashkamo Golf Club was laid out in 1898 as a Scottish links-type course. It is the oldest continuously played golf course in Michigan.{{cite web |title=Wawashkamo Golf Club |publisher=michmarkers.com |url=http://www.michmarkers.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19991127200927/http://www.michmarkers.com/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=November 27, 1999 |access-date=September 21, 2011}}
• The Michigan Governor's Summer Residence was built overlooking the harbor in 1902. It was purchased by the state in 1943 for use as a seasonal governor's residence.{{cite web|title=Governor's Summer Residence Tours |publisher=Mackinac Island State Park Commission |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/events.phtml?event=1&catid=24&month=8&year=2005&eventid=7 |access-date=May 23, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070417224335/http://www.mackinacparks.com/events.phtml?event=1&catid=24&month=8&year=2005&eventid=7 |archive-date=April 17, 2007 }}
• Anne's Tablet is an Art Nouveau sculptural installation added to a blufftop overlook in 1916.{{cite web |title=Traverse Classics: The Secret of Anne's Tablet on Mackinac Island |date=August 5, 2009 |publisher=mynorth.com |url=http://mynorth.com/2009/08/traverse-classics-the-secret-of-annes-tablet-on-mackinac-island/ |access-date=February 26, 2014 |archive-date=March 31, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160331145642/http://mynorth.com/2009/08/traverse-classics-the-secret-of-annes-tablet-on-mackinac-island/ |url-status=dead }}
• Several children's parks have been established on the island. The most popular ones include the playground on the schoolyard; Marquette Park; and Great Turtle Park, which includes a baseball field, skate park, barbecue area, and a play set.{{cite web |title=Mackinac Island State Parks |publisher=mackinacparks.com |url=http://www.mackinacparks.com/parks-and-attractions/mackinac-island-state-park/ |access-date=February 10, 2015}}

File:Fort Mackinac from water.jpg

Mackinac Island is home to many cultural events, including an annual show of American art from the Masco collection of 19th-century works at the Grand Hotel. Five art galleries operate on the island.{{cite web |last=Slevin |first=Mary McGuire |title=The Arts |publisher=Mackinacisland.org |url=http://www.mackinacisland.org/arts.html |access-date=March 10, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209040855/http://www.mackinacisland.org/arts.html |archive-date=December 9, 2006}}

Since 1949, the island's residents have been celebrating the island's native lilacs with an annual spring 10-day festival. It culminates in a parade of horse-drawn vehicles, which has been recognized as a local legacy event by the Library of Congress.{{cite web|title=History |publisher=Mackinac Island Lilac Festival |url=http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060420072053/http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.com/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 20, 2006 |access-date=March 11, 2007 }}{{cite web |title=Tocqueville's Mackinac |work=Tocqueville's America |publisher=University of Virginia |url=http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/TOUR/macktxt.html |access-date=July 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303174412/http://xroads.virginia.edu/~HYPER/DETOC/TOUR/macktxt.html |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |title=Summer on the Lakes, in 1843 |publisher=University of Illinois Press |url=http://www.press.uillinois.edu/pre95/0-252-06164-0.html |access-date=July 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060905061256/http://www.press.uillinois.edu/pre95/0-252-06164-0.html |archive-date=September 5, 2006}}{{cite web|title=Preservation of Thoreau Country |publisher=The Thoreau Society |year=2006 |url=http://www.thoreausociety.org/_resources_preservation.htm |access-date=July 20, 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070705043507/http://www.thoreausociety.org/_resources_preservation.htm |archive-date=July 5, 2007 }}{{cite web |last=Havranek |first=Carrie |title=Lose Yourself on the Tiny, Exclusive, Still-Affordable Mackinac Island |publisher=Frommer's |date=May 19, 2005 |url=http://www.frommers.com/articles/2834.html |access-date=July 20, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Michigan Salutes Mackinac Island |work=Documents News from Around the State |publisher=Michigan State University |date=June 1995 |url=http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/red_tape/stat9502.htm#3 |access-date=July 20, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070813155633/http://www.lib.msu.edu/harris23/red_tape/stat9502.htm#3 |archive-date=August 13, 2007 |url-status=dead}}{{citekill|date=May 2023}}

The July 20, 2019, running of the Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race was the 95th such annual event, with 202 sailboats registered in the 204-nautical mile-race from Port Huron to the island.[https://blackburnnews.com/sarnia/sarnia-news/2019/07/19/95th-running-race-mackinac/ "95th running of the race to Mackinac"], Blackburn News The race was reported to have continued over the years in spite of wars and economic depressions.[https://www.thetimesherald.com/story/news/2019/07/11/not-even-world-war-has-stopped-port-huron-mackinac-island-sailboat-race/1683376001/ "Not even a World War has stopped the Port Huron-to-Mackinac Island Sailboat Race"], The Times Herald[http://www.mackinacblog.com/?p=88 "2019 Bell’s Beer Bayview Mackinac Race – July 20 – 23, 2019"], Mackinac blog A similar sailboat race from Chicago to the island, most recently held on July 22 to 25, 2023, was the 114th event in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac, with 266 sailboats competing.{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20190720155801/https://www.cycracetomackinac.com/111th-cycrtm-a-tricky-tactical-race/ "111th CYCRTM: A Tricky, Tactical Race"]}}, CYC Race to Mackinac

The island is a destination for many regionally and nationally proclaimed conferences, including the Mackinac Policy Conference.{{Cite news|url=http://www.freep.com/story/news/2017/05/31/mackinac-policy-conference-2017-five-things/350441001/|title=Mackinac Policy Conference 2017: Five things to watch|work=Detroit Free Press|access-date=2017-07-07|language=en}}

Another special event that Mackinac island is known for is the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival which takes place in August. Phil Porter wrote a book called "Fudge: Mackinac's Sweet Souvenir" which explains how fudge became such a popular treat in Mackinac. After the fur trade, this island became a summer vacationing spot. The visitors began to associate sweets with the island. It originally started when Native Americans began collecting maple sugar but in the 1800s the Murdick family created the first real candy store. The world faced sugar rations in the first half of the 20th century due to the Great Depression and wars that were taking place. The fudge shops in the island had very little business, but the Murdick family did not give up hope! They would use fans to send the scent of their fudge out into the community to draw in customers. In later years, major interstates were created and made Mackinac Island well known to many. Mackinac Island’s visitors became known as "fudgies" because their main reason to travel to the island was for their famous fudge. Although fudge was not invented on the island, it is a very popular treat that people would travel from all over to devour.{{Cite web|url=https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/how-mackinac-island-became-fudge-capital-of-the-world/|title=How Mackinac Island Became Fudge Capital Of The World|date=June 4, 2018|website=mackinacisland.org|access-date=April 25, 2020}}

Epona, the Gallo-Roman Horse Goddess, is celebrated each June on Mackinac Island with stable tours, a blessing of the animals and the Epona and Barkus Parade. Mackinac Island does not permit personal automobiles; the primary source of transportation remains the horse, so celebrating Epona has special significance on this island.{{cite web|url=http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.org |title=Mackinac Island Lilac Festival |work=mackinacislandlilacfestival.org |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150202155236/http://www.mackinacislandlilacfestival.org/ |archive-date=February 2, 2015 }} The "Feast of Epona" involves the blessing of horses and other animals by a local churchman.{{cite web |url=http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2008-06-21/front_page/019.html |title=Animals Are Blessed During Feast of Epona |author=Caitlyn Kienitz |date=2008-06-21 |access-date=2015-06-29 |website=Town Crier (www.mackinacislandnews.com) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304095011/http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2008-06-21/front_page/019.html |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}

Every summer, Mackinac Island accommodates several Michigan Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and their leaders over alternate weeks. These scouts serve the state park as the Mackinac Island Governor's Honor Guard. The program began in 1929, when the State Park Commission invited eight Eagle Scouts, including Gerald Ford, later President of the United States, to the island.{{cite web|url=https://www.mackinacparks.com/girl-scouts-and-the-mackinac-island-scout-service-camp/|title=Girl Scouts and the Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp|website=Mackinac State Historic Parks|date=March 22, 2021|access-date=June 19, 2021}}

File:Mack isl view.JPG

In 1974, the program was expanded by Governor William Milliken to include Girl Scouts. The program is popular, selective, and a long-standing tradition. Scouts raise and lower twenty-seven flags on the island, serve as guides, and complete volunteer service projects during their stay. These Scouts live in the Scout Barracks behind Fort Mackinac.{{cite web |title=Mackinac Island Honor Scouts |publisher=Girl Scouts – Michigan Trails |url=http://www.gsmt.org/programs-mihs.shtml |access-date=March 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060624032832/http://www.gsmt.org/programs-mihs.shtml |archive-date=June 24, 2006}}{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=Suzanne |title=A 75-Year Tradition of Summer Service |work=Scouting Magazine |date=May–June 2005 |url=http://www.scoutingmagazine.org/issues/0505/a-year.html |access-date=March 11, 2007}}{{cite web |title=Mackinac Island Scout Service Camp |publisher=upscouting.org |url=http://www.upscouting.org/missc/media/2008MISSCFacts.pdf |access-date=March 11, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529014639/http://www.upscouting.org/missc/media/2008MISSCFacts.pdf |archive-date=May 29, 2008}}

Mackinac Island is the destination for two sailing races. The island has a sailing club, the Mackinac Island Yacht Club. It serves as the finish line for both the Port Huron to Mackinac Race and the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. The races are run a week apart, in July. They are both among the longest freshwater sailing races in the world{{cite news |last=Ely |first=Sean |title=World's Longest Freshwater Sailing Race Bound for Island Harbor |url=http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007-07-14/front_page/001.html |access-date=July 23, 2012 |newspaper=Mackinac Island Town Crier |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160321061840/http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007-07-14/front_page/001.html |archive-date=March 21, 2016 |url-status=dead }} and attract over 500 boats and 3,500 sailors combined.{{cite news |title=350 boats start Chicago-Mackinac race on Lake Michigan |url=http://www.freep.com/article/20120722/SPORTS18/207220602/Metro-state-350-boats-start-Chicago-Mackinac-race-on-Lake-Michigan |access-date=July 23, 2012 |newspaper=Detroit Free Press}}{{cite press release |title=Bayview Yacht Club Retains Jonathan Witz & Associates to Manage Sponsorship, Marketing & Public Relations for Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race |url=http://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm?NewsID=181 |access-date=July 23, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074805/http://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm?NewsID=181 |url-status=dead }} Both races are historical events, having been run every year since the 1920s.{{cite web |title=FAQ Race to Mackinac |url=http://www.cycracetomackinac.com/faq/ |access-date=July 23, 2012}}{{cite press release |title=Bayview Yacht Club Retains Jonathan Witz & Associates to Manage Sponsorship, Marketing & Public Relations for Bell's Beer Bayview Mackinac Race |url=http://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm?NewsID=180 |access-date=July 23, 2012 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304073007/http://www.bycmack.com/raceupdates.cfm?NewsID=180 |url-status=dead }}

The swimming pool at the Grand Hotel is named for Esther Williams, who starred in the 1947 film This Time for Keeps. This featured many scenes filmed on Mackinac Island.{{cite web |author=Keith Stokes |url=http://www.mightymac.org/island.htm |title=Mackinac Island Michigan photographs |publisher=Mightymac.org |access-date=May 31, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.grandhotel.com/activities/esther-williams-pool|title=esther williams pool - America's True Grand Hotel|date=July 31, 2020 }}

The majority of the 1980 film Somewhere in Time was filmed at Mission Point on Mackinac Island.Mission Point historical museum {{cite web|url=http://www.missionpoint.com/resort_activities/tower_museum/ |title=Observation Tower and Exhibits |access-date=2014-06-11 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140620131654/http://www.missionpoint.com/resort_activities/tower_museum/ |archive-date=June 20, 2014 }} Retrieved June 11, 2014 Several landmarks are visible in the film, including the Grand Hotel and the lighthouse on nearby Round Island. The film's director said he needed to "find a place that looked like it hadn't changed in eighty years."{{cite web|url=http://www.findtravelguide.com/america/mackinac-island |title=Mackinac Island |date=September 18, 2009 |publisher=Find Travel Guide |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120430033541/http://www.findtravelguide.com/america/mackinac-island |archive-date=April 30, 2012 }}

Mackinac Island was featured on two episodes of the mid-2000s TV series Dirty Jobs. Host Mike Rowe interviewed a Mackinac Bridge maintenance worker, and a horse manure and garbage removal/composting collector.{{cite web|url=http://www.michigan.gov/filmoffice/0,1607,7-248-46449-174459--,00.html |title="Dirty Jobs" airs Mackinac Island episode August 28. |publisher=Michigan Film Office |access-date=June 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220083421/http://www.michigan.gov/filmoffice/0%2C1607%2C7-248-46449-174459--%2C00.html |archive-date=December 20, 2007 |url-status=dead }}{{cite news |url=http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007/0602/Front_Page/002.html |title=Island Work Featured on 'Dirty Jobs': Discovery Channel Show Gets the Dirt on Toughest Island Jobs |last=Gould |first=Karen |date=June 7, 2007 |publisher=Mackinac Island Town Crier |access-date=June 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080818054144/http://www.mackinacislandnews.com/news/2007/0602/Front_Page/002.html |archive-date=August 18, 2008 |url-status=dead }}

In the Netflix show Emily in Paris season 2, episode 6, Emily says that she went on a Vespa fudge tour with her mom around Mackinac Island when she was younger; however in real life Vespas aren't allowed on Mackinac Island.{{Cite web |date=2022-01-15 |title=These Emily in Paris Secrets Will Have You Saying "Mon Dieu" |url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1316029/these-emily-in-paris-secrets-will-have-you-saying-mon-dieu |access-date=2023-10-25 |website=E! Online}}

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• John Penn Arndt, merchant, member of the Wisconsin Territorial Legislature.
• William Beaumont, a surgeon in the U.S. Army who became known as the "Father of Gastric Physiology" following his research on human digestion.
• Agatha Biddle, Métis fur trader (specifically Odawa & French), and community leader.{{Cite news|url=https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/archive/mackinac-island-finally-telling-native-side-of-history-5UI0AK2BCEm4JEcvJu8ppA/|title=Mackinac Island Finally Telling Native Side of History - IndianCountryToday.com|work=IndianCountryToday.com|access-date=2018-10-09|language=en-US}}
• Sophie Biddle, Métis fur trader, and community leader. Daughter of Agatha Biddle.{{cite web |title=Métis Women of Mackinac |url=https://www.mackinacparks.com/metis-women-of-mackinac/ |website=Mackinac State Historic Parks|date=April 22, 2016 }}
• Gerald F. Bogan, Senior admiral during WWII and Navy Cross recipient.
• Michael Cudahy, meatpacking CEO and land developer.
• Peter Warren Dease, fur trader and Arctic explorer. Married into the Métis fur trade via his wife, Elizabeth Chouinard.
• Hercules L. Dousman, fur trader and real estate financier, son of Michael Dousman.
• Michael Dousman, fur trader and sawmill owner. Acquired the plot of farmland that was eventually developed into what is now the Wawashkamo Golf Club
• Frank Dufina, early Native American golf professional. Born on Mackinac Island and pro at Wawashkamo Golf Club. Was a descendant of the original Mishinimakinago and innumerated as a member of the Mackinac Island Band of Indians on the Durant Indian Rolls.
• Thomas W. Ferry, member of the United States House of Representatives from Michigan in 1865–1871, and of the United States Senate from Michigan in 1871–1883, was born on the island.
• William Montague Ferry, Presbyterian minister and missionary established a mission on the island.
• William Montague Ferry Jr., Michigan and Utah politician, was born on the island.
• Porter Hanks, Artillery lieutenant in command of Fort Mackinac who surrendered the island to the British in July 1812.{{cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/prisoners-war/|title=Prisoners of War - War of 1812 - PBS|website=PBS|access-date=September 4, 2017|archive-date=September 2, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902160849/http://www.pbs.org/wned/war-of-1812/essays/prisoners-war/|url-status=dead}}{{Cite web|url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_mackinac_island_1812.html|title=Battle of Mackinac Island, 17 July 1812|website=www.historyofwar.org}}
• Jane Briggs Hart, aviator and wife of Senator Philip Hart.
• Philip Hart, member of the U.S. Senate from Michigan in 1959–1976. Buried at St. Anne's Catholic Cemetery.
• Gurdon Saltonstall Hubbard, fur trader and pioneer Chicago CEO.
• Madeline La Framboise, Métis fur trader and businesswoman, inducted in 1984 into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
• Jacques Marquette, Jesuit priest and missionary.
• John McCabe, Shakespeare teacher, film historian, and biographer.
• Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, noted ethnographer and U.S. Indian agent, named many counties and places in Michigan in his official capacity; husband of Jane Johnston Schoolcraft.
• Jane Johnston Schoolcraft, ethnographer, translator, folklorist, and poet of mixed Ojibwa & Scots-Irish parentage; inducted in 2008 into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
• Elizabeth Mitchell, Métis businesswoman.
• Alexis St. Martin, French fur trapper, and patient for William Beaumont's research.
• Elizabeth Whitney Williams, lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes from 1872 to 1913
• G. Mennen Williams, governor of Michigan in 1949–1961. In fact, the state owns a residence on the island for the current governor's use; some governors use it extensively, while others have used it only for special occasions.
• Pearl Louella Kendrick, was an American bacteriologist known for co-developing the first vaccine for whooping cough.

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• {{Portal inline|Michigan}}
• Populated islands of the Great Lakes
• Love Valley, North Carolina, where automobiles are also banned

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Mackinac Island, Michigan|Mackinac Island}}

{{Wikisource1911Enc|Mackinac Island}}

• [http://www.michiganhighways.org/listings/MichHwys180-199.html#M-185 M-185 Route Listing] at Michigan Highways
• {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090728183137/http://www.michigan.gov/hal/0,1607,7-160-15481_19267_20424-54596--,00.html Michigan History, Arts, and libraries]}}, Mackinac Island
• [http://www.mightymac.org/island.htm Mackinac Island guide and photographs]

{{Authority control}}

Category:Astor family

Category:Islands of Mackinac County, Michigan

Category:National Historic Landmarks in Michigan

Category:Religious places of the Indigenous peoples of North America

Category:Ojibwe in Michigan

Category:Métis

Category:Populated places established in 1781

Category:Tourism in Michigan

Category:Car-free islands of the United States

Category:Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan

Category:Islands of Lake Huron in Michigan

Category:Coastal resorts in Michigan

Category:National Register of Historic Places in Mackinac County, Michigan

Category:Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States

Category:Michigan State Historic Sites in Mackinac County