Mackinac Island is an island and resort area in the U.S. state of Michigan. It covers 4.35 square miles (11.3 km²) in land area. The island’s name in Odawa is Michilimackinac, and in Ojibwemowin, it is called "Mitchimakinak," which means "Great Turtle." Located in Lake Huron, the island sits at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Before European colonization began in the 17th century, the island was home to an Odawa settlement and earlier indigenous cultures. It played an important role in the fur trade around the Great Lakes. During the American Revolutionary War, the British built Fort Mackinac on the island. The island was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the United States gained control of the area.

In the late 19th century, Mackinac Island became a popular tourist destination and summer colony. Many of the island’s buildings have been carefully preserved and restored. Because of its historical importance, the entire island is listed as a National Historic Landmark. The island is known for cultural events, a variety of architectural styles, including the Victorian-era Grand Hotel, and a rule that limits motor vehicles. Only city emergency vehicles (ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks), city service vehicles, and snowmobiles in winter are allowed to use motor vehicles. More than 80 percent of the island is protected as Mackinac Island State Park.

Etymology

Mackinac Island's name comes from a Native American language, specifically the Ojibwe language. The Anishinaabe people who lived near the Straits of Mackinac compared the island's shape to a turtle and called it "Mitchimakinak," which means "Big Turtle" in Ojibwe. Andrew Blackbird, an official interpreter for the U.S. government and the son of an Odawa chief, explained that the island was also named after a tribe that once lived there. French people wrote the name as "Michilimackinac," and the British later shortened it to "Mackinac." Other spellings of the name include "Mishinimakinago," "Mǐshǐma‛kǐnung," "Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go," "Missilimakinak," "Teiodondoraghie," and in Ojibwe syllabics: ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ.

The Menominee people traditionally lived in a large area covering 10 million acres, which is about 40,000 square kilometers, stretching from Wisconsin to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. In his 1878 dictionary, Father Frederic Baraga, a Slovenian missionary in Michigan, wrote that the Menominee word for "turtle" is "Maehkaenah." In his 1952 book The Indian Tribes of North America, John Reed Swanton noted that the Menominee were also called "Misi'nimäk Kimiko Wini'niwuk," meaning "Michilimackinac People," near the old fort at Mackinac, Michigan.

In his 1887 book about Mackinac Island, Andrew Blackbird, an Odawa historian, wrote that a small tribe called "Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go" once lived on the island. This tribe later joined the Ottawa people from Ottawa Island, now known as Manitoulin Island, which is north of Lake Huron. One winter, the Mi-shi-ne-macki naw-go on Mackinac Island were nearly wiped out by the Seneca people from western New York, who were part of the Iroquois Confederacy. Only two people from the tribe survived by hiding in a natural cave on the island. To honor the lost tribe, the Ottawa people named the island "Mi-shi-ne-macki-nong."

In 1895, John R. Bailey, a doctor at Fort Mackinac, published a book titled Mackinac formerly Michilimackinac, which described some of the earliest French traders who visited the island. These traders arrived in 1654 with a group of Huron and Ottawa people heading to Three Rivers. Another visitor was an adventurer who traveled by canoe in 1665.

History

Archaeologists have found prehistoric fishing camps on Mackinac Island and nearby areas. Items such as fishhooks, pottery, and other objects show that Native Americans lived there at least 700 years before Europeans arrived, around AD 900. The Anishinaabe people, who lived there long ago, consider the island sacred. They believe it is the home of Gitche Manitou, meaning "Great Spirit." According to a legend, Mackinac Island was created by the Great Hare, Michabou, and was the first land to appear after a great flood. The island was a place where local tribes gathered and made offerings to Gitche Manitou. It also became the burial site for tribal leaders.

The first European likely to have seen Mackinac Island was Jean Nicolet, a French-Canadian explorer, during his 1634 journey. A Jesuit priest named Claude Dablon started a mission for Native Americans on the island in 1670 and stayed through the winter of 1670–71. Later, Jacques Marquette took over the mission but moved it to St. Ignace in 1671. With the mission as a center, the Straits of Mackinac became an important location for French fur trading. After the French and Indian War, the British took control of the area. In 1780, Major Patrick Sinclair chose the island’s bluffs for Fort Mackinac.

The Jesuit Relations, a record from 1671, describe Mackinac Island in detail. It also shows how important the island was for French trade and military purposes. The name Michilimackinac (later shortened to Mackinac) was used for the whole area and for the post at St. Ignace. Later, it referred to the fort and mission on the south side of the Straits of Mackinac.

Although the British built Fort Mackinac to protect their settlement from attacks, the fort was never attacked during the American Revolutionary War. The entire Straits area was officially given to the United States in the Treaty of Paris (1783). However, Britain kept forces in the Great Lakes area until after 1794, when the Jay Treaty established U.S. control over the Northwest Territory.

During the War of 1812, British forces captured Fort Mackinac in the first battle of the war. American soldiers were surprised because they did not know the war had started. The British built Fort George nearby to protect their position. In 1814, another battle happened on the island. The American leader, Major Andrew Holmes, was killed, and the Americans could not take back the island. The U.S. government’s fur trade station at Mackinac, established in 1808, was then taken over by the British.

By the Treaty of Ghent in 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. The fort remained under U.S. control until 1895. It provided soldiers to defend the Union during the American Civil War and was used as a prison for three Confederate sympathizers.

After the War of 1812, John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company used Mackinac Island as a base. They sold beaver pelts for 30 years. By the 1850s, fishing for whitefish and lake trout became more important than the fur trade. As sport fishing grew popular in the 1880s, hotels and restaurants were built to welcome tourists traveling by train or boat from Detroit.

Between 1795 and 1815, Métis people, who were of mixed European and Native American descent, created settlements and trading posts in what is now Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. In the 1

Demographics

According to the 2020 United States census, the island has a year-round population of 583. The population increases a lot during the summer because of tourists and seasonal workers. Hotels, restaurants, bars, and retail shops hire hundreds of seasonal workers to handle the many thousands of visitors who come to the island from May 1st to October 31st.

Geography

Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the Upper and Lower Peninsulas of the state. The island is about 8 miles (13 km) around and covers 3.8 square miles (9.8 km²) in total area. The highest point on the island is Fort Holmes, which was originally named Fort George by the British before 1815. This location is 320 feet (98 m) above the lake and 890 feet (271 m) above sea level.

Mackinac Island was formed when glaciers from the last ice age began to melt around 13,000 BC. The bedrock beneath the island is much older, dating back to the Late Silurian and Early Devonian periods, about 400 to 420 million years ago. Salt deposits (called halite) dissolved over time, causing the limestone layers above them to collapse. These broken rocks later solidified and are now known as the Mackinac Breccia. As glaciers melted, they formed the Great Lakes. The water from the lakes eroded the limestone bedrock, creating the island’s steep cliffs and rock formations. At least three different lake levels are known from the past, two of which were higher than today’s shoreline. These include the Algonquin-level shoreline from about 13,000 years ago and the Nipissing-level shoreline from 4,000 to 6,000 years ago. Between these two high-water periods, the Straits of Mackinac became a narrow gorge, and water flowed over Mackinac Falls, located just east of the island near Arch Rock, into Lake Huron.

As the Great Lakes reached their current levels, the waterfall was covered by water, and Mackinac Island reached its present size. The steep cliffs were a key reason the British army chose the island for a fort. This decision was different from the French army’s choice to build Fort Michilimackinac near present-day Mackinaw City around 1715. The limestone formations remain a major attraction on the island. One popular feature is Arch Rock, a natural limestone arch that is 146 feet (45 m) above the ground. Other notable formations include Devil’s Kitchen, Skull Cave, and Sugar Loaf.

Mackinac Island has a variety of landscapes, including fields, marshes, bogs, coastline, boreal forest, and limestone formations. The environment is protected by the State Historic Park designation. About half of the shoreline and nearby waters, including Haldimand Bay and parts of the southern and western shores, are preserved as part of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, a state marine park. The island is separated from the mainland by 3 miles (4.8 km) of water, so few large mammals live there except during winter when animals cross the ice. Common animals include rabbits, foxes, raccoons, otters, mink, gray and red squirrels, and chipmunks. Beavers and coyotes are also seen occasionally. Bats are common because the island has many caves and a large insect population.

Mackinac Island is a stop for migratory birds traveling between summer and winter homes. Eagles and hawks are often seen in April and May, while smaller birds like yellow warblers, American redstarts, and indigo buntings are common in early summer. Near the shoreline, gulls, herons, geese, and loons are frequently spotted. Owls, including snowy owls and great grey owls, travel from the Arctic to hunt on the island. Chickadees, cardinals, blue jays, and woodpeckers live on the island year-round. Toads have also been found on the island.

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

Media

The newspaper on the island is called the Mackinac Island Town Crier. Wesley H. Maurer Sr. and his family have owned and run it since 1957 as part of journalism training. The newspaper is published every week from May to September and once each month during the other months of the year.

Transportation

The island can be reached by private boat, ferry, small aircraft, or snowmobile during the winter season, which crosses an ice bridge. The airport has a 3,500-foot (1,070 m) paved runway, and daily charter flights from the mainland are available. During the summer tourist season, ferry service is offered by Shepler's Ferry and Mackinac Island Ferry Company (formerly Star Line) to transport visitors from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City to the island.

Motorized vehicles have not been allowed on the island since 1898, except for city emergency vehicles (ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks), city service vehicles, and snowmobiles in the winter. Travel on the island is done by walking, bicycle, horse, or horse-drawn carriage. Roller skates and roller blades are also permitted, except in the downtown area. Bicycles, roller skates/roller blades, carriages, and saddle horses can be rented.

An 8-mile (13 km) road runs along the island’s perimeter, and many roads, trails, and paths are found in the interior. M-185, the only state highway in the United States without motorized vehicles, forms a circular loop around the island, following the shoreline closely.

Mackinac Island State Park covers about 80 percent of the island’s area. It includes Fort Mackinac, as well as parts of the island’s historic downtown and harbor. Camping is not allowed on the island, but many hotels and bed and breakfasts are available.

The downtown area has many retail stores and restaurants.

Architecture

Most buildings on Mackinac Island are made of wood, some are made of stone, and many have clapboard siding. The types of buildings on the island show changes in design over 300 years, from the earliest homes built by Native American groups to the styles used by European-American settlers in the 1800s.

The first buildings on the island were made by the Anishinaabe and Ojibwe (also called Chippewa in the United States) before Europeans arrived. At least two buildings from the original French settlement in the late 1700s still exist today. Mackinac Island is the only place in the United States with an example of northern French rustic architecture, and one of the few places in North America where this style survives.

The island also has buildings in styles such as Federalist, Colonial, and Greek Revival. Because Mackinac Island became a popular tourist spot in the late 1800s, many buildings were built in the Victorian style. This style includes Gothic Revival, Stick style, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardson Romanesque, and Queen Anne. The most recent styles on the island date from the late 1800s to the 1930s and include Colonial and Tudor Revival.

Points of interest

Mackinac Island was listed as a National Historic Landmark in October 1960. Because of the island's long history and preservation efforts that began in the 1890s, eight locations on the island and a ninth site on nearby 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 United States to visit.

• The entire island, Haldimand Bay, and a small shipwreck form a historic district.
• Fort Mackinac was built by the British in 1780. The United States closed it as a fort in 1895 because it no longer had a strategic purpose. Restoration work started in the 1930s to return it to its late 19th-century appearance.
• The Biddle House, one of the oldest buildings on Mackinac Island, was built about 1780. It shows how the Métis Biddle family lived during the height of the fur trade in the 1820s.
• The McGulpin House, a working-class home possibly built before 1780, shows how frontier families lived.
• The Agency House of the American Fur Company was built in 1820 as the home for the company’s Mackinac Island agent, Robert Stuart. It was changed into a fur trade museum and is open to the public.
• 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 was restored and now houses State Park employees.
• 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, shipwrecks, Mackinac Bridge construction, and the film Somewhere in Time, which was filmed on Mission Point property.
• The Mission Church was built in 1829 and is the oldest surviving church building in Michigan. It was restored to look like it did in the 1830s.
• The Indian Dormitory was built under the direction of U.S. Indian agent Henry Rowe Schoolcraft after the 1836 Treaty of Washington. It operated as a school and a place for Native Americans to stay while visiting the island for yearly payments. The building was restored in 1966 and converted to a museum; it closed in 2003. On July 2, 2010, it reopened as The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum. It displays Mackinac art from prehistory to today and includes a children’s art studio.
• The Matthew Geary House, built in 1846 as a private home, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971. It is privately owned and available for vacation rentals.
• The current Catholic Sainte Anne Church was built from 1874. It replaced earlier churches on Mackinac Island and the mainland. The church’s records show participants in sacraments like baptisms, marriages, and funerals dating back to 1695.
• The Grand Hotel is a Victorian-style building that opened in 1887. The 1980 film Somewhere in Time was filmed at the hotel.
• The Round Island Lighthouse is located on the small, uninhabited Round Island, which is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The lighthouse was built in 1894 and automated in 1924. Restoration work began in the 1970s, and the building has since been repaired.
• Wawashkamo Golf Club was created in 1898 as a Scottish links-style course. It is the oldest continuously played golf course in Michigan.
• The Michigan Governor’s Summer Residence was built in 1902 overlooking the harbor. The state purchased it in 1943 for use as a seasonal governor’s home.
• Anne’s Tablet is an Art Nouveau sculpture added to a blufftop overlook in 1916.
• Several children’s parks have been established on the island. 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.

Culture

Mackinac Island has many cultural events. One event is an annual display of American art from the Masco collection of 19th-century works at the Grand Hotel. Five art galleries are located on the island.

Since 1949, the island’s residents have celebrated the island’s native lilacs with an annual spring 10-day festival. The festival ends with a parade of horse-drawn vehicles. This parade is recognized as a local legacy event by the Library of Congress.

The July 20, 2019, Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race was the 95th such event. It included 202 sailboats competing in a 204-nautical-mile race from Port Huron to the island. The race has continued through wars and economic challenges over the years. A similar race from Chicago to the island, most recently held July 22–25, 2023, was the 114th event in the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. It had 266 sailboats competing.

Mackinac Island is a destination for many conferences, including the Mackinac Policy Conference.

Another event is the Mackinac Island Fudge Festival, held in August. Phil Porter wrote a book called Fudge: Mackinac's Sweet Souvenir, which explains how fudge became popular on the island. After the fur trade, the island became a summer vacation spot. Visitors began to associate sweets with the island. Native Americans first collected maple sugar, and in the 1800s, the Murdick family opened the first real candy store. During the early 20th century, sugar shortages limited business for fudge shops. The Murdick family used fans to spread the smell of their fudge to attract customers. Later, the construction of major highways made the island well known. Visitors came to enjoy fudge, and they became known as "fudgies." Although fudge was not invented on the island, it is a popular treat that people travel to enjoy.

Epona, the Gallo-Roman Horse Goddess, is celebrated each June with stable tours, a blessing of animals, and the Epona and Barkus Parade. Mackinac Island does not allow personal cars, so horses are the main form of transportation. Celebrating Epona is especially meaningful here. The "Feast of Epona" includes a local church official blessing horses and other animals.

Every summer, Mackinac Island hosts Michigan Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts and their leaders in alternate weeks. These scouts serve as the Mackinac Island Governor’s Honor Guard in the state park. The program began in 1929 when the State Park Commission invited eight Eagle Scouts, including Gerald Ford, who later became president, to the island. In 1974, Governor William Milliken expanded the program to include Girl Scouts. The program is popular, selective, and a long-standing tradition. Scouts raise and lower 27 flags, guide visitors, and complete volunteer projects during their stay. They live in the Scout Barracks behind Fort Mackinac.

Mackinac Island is the destination for two sailing races. The Mackinac Island Yacht Club is the finish line for both the Port Huron to Mackinac Race and the Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac. The races are held a week apart in July. Both are among the longest freshwater sailing races in the world and attract over 500 boats and 3,500 sailors combined. The races have been held every year since the 1920s.

The swimming pool at the Grand Hotel is named for Esther Williams, who starred in the 1947 film This Time for Keeps. The film included many scenes shot on Mackinac Island.

Most of the 1980 film Somewhere in Time was filmed at Mission Point on Mackinac Island. The film includes landmarks such as 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 80 years.

Mackinac Island was featured in two episodes of the mid-2000s TV series Dirty Jobs. Host Mike Rowe interviewed a Mackinac Bridge maintenance worker and a person who collects horse manure and garbage for composting.

In the Netflix show Emily in Paris, season 2, episode 6, Emily mentions going on a Vespa fudge tour with her mom around Mackinac Island when she was younger. However, Vespas are not allowed on Mackinac Island.