We Attack Mackinac

Unfortunately, in spite of the great title of this footprint, the locals don’t pronounce the name of this place as it is written. They pronounce it Mackinaw. But it’s still a very interesting site. The name comes from a Native American word that means “Turtle Island.” It was, and still is sacred to them. They bury their chiefs here in Skull Cave. They weren’t disturbed until the French came.

Father Marquette established a French Mission here, and the French stayed here trapping animals for the fur trade long after the English took possession in the middle of the 18th century. The first American multi-millionaire, John Jacob Astor, made his fortune here. The English found the fur trade here so lucrative that many English traders stayed here long after the American Revolution. In the War of 1812 the British won back the fort, but had to relinquish it after the Treaty of Ghent ended that fruitless conflict.

A few Confederate POW’s were imprisoned here, and a garrison of Irish-American soldiers assisted in the Indian Wars. There is an excellent team of re-enactors who demonstrate what military life was like here in the last half of the 19th century. Shortly after that the millionaires built their mansions on the island, the Grand Hotel was built, and since then it has become a major summer playground for midwesterners.

No automobiles are allowed here, so every activity from Amazon deliveries to funerals takes place using horse-drawn carriages and wagons. We saw one horse-drawn hearse built in the 1880’s that is still in regular use. Horses outnumber the people here. Although the island has only 500 residents, the vast majority of them leave to go south in October. But in the summer months the vacationing population swells to three times the number of residents. We passed the Grand Hotel, but we didn’t go in. Just to pass through the doors of this magnificent building costs $10, and an overnight room starts at $800.

Two movies were filmed at the Grand Hotel: “This Time for Keeps” starring Esther Williams was made in 1947. They built the swimming pool for that film. More recently Christopher Reeves and Jane Seymour starred in “Somewhere in Time.”The leading man travels in time to the last century and falls in love. The hotel was lifted right out of the 19th century so the scenery was perfect for Seymour’s Victorian character.

The streets today were crowded with tourists on horses and bicycles. Mackinac Island is famous for its fudge, and during the vacation season the 70 fudge stores here consume 15 tons of sugar per month. It’s hard to know what draws people here—history, nature or holiday spirit. The Island is some strange sort of mixture combining Williamsburg, Fort McHenry and Disney World. But no matter what draws tourists to this remarkable place, there is nowhere else in the world like Mackinac Island.En savoir plus