Day 69: September 25: Up early as usual, we enjoyed another lovely sunrise. Fort Mackinac was on our agenda so we headed up the hill and waited for the gate to open at 9:30.
We visited the fort for several hours, enjoying a walking tour, historical videos, a discussion about the evolution of the rifles used by the soldiers stationed at the fort and a cannon firing demonstration. The following is a brief synopsis of the fort's history.
In 1780 the British moved the fort (originally called Fort Michillimackinac) from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island because they thought the island provided more protection. The Americans took control in 1796 only to lose the fort to the British in 1812 during the first land engagement of the War of 1812 in the U.S. After the war, the fort was returned to the U.S and remained active until 1895. During this time the island shifted from a fur trading hub to a summer vacation destination. Today Fort Mackinac is open to the public as a living museum.
The view from the fort which overlooks the harbor.
Pictures of some buildings and rooms.
We left the fort and stopped at the boat for lunch before heading out on the bikes to check out some more sites including Fort Holmes, Sugar Loaf, the Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Tours barn, the West Bluff and Little Stone Church. Here is a brief description of these landmarks.
After the British captured For Mackinac they built a small outpost on the highest point of the island, calling it Fort George. When the Americans regained the fort by treaty at the end of the War of 1812, it was renamed Fort Holmes in recognition of Major Andrew Hunter Holmes who was killed in battle.
Sugar Loaf towers 75 feet above the surrounding terrain and is the largest of the island's limestone formations. More than 11,000 years ago the erosive power of the ancient Lake Algonquin washed the softer material around Sugar Loaf and created this huge isolated stack. The Anishnaabek of Northern Michigan tell two different versions about how Sugar Loaf was created. In one story, the rock is a place often visited by Gichi-manidoo, the Great Spirit. Story two tells of ten young men who traveled to the island to find Nanabozho, a powerful spirit with human traits who helped to shape the world of the Anishnaabek. The men presented the spirit with gifts and then asked to have a personal wish granted.
The Grand Hotel is definitely grand. We did not venture inside but rode our bikes past this luxurious facility. We did visit the hotel's stable where the horses used to pull the carriages as well as antique buggies are housed. They are absolutely gorgeous!
The West Bluff boasts "cottages" that are not cottages as I know them. They are spectacular. We learned they are on leased Mackinac Island State Park land. Cottage lots within the National Park along the West and East Bluffs were first made available in 1885. After 1895 the Mackinac Island State Park Commission continued leasing lots, although development of new leased property ended by 1920. Supposedly the earliest cottages were fairly modest. Many of them were enlarged or replaced with grander versions following the opening of the Grand Hotel in 1887.
In the distance from the bluff stand two monuments that symbolize the Great Lakes State-Round Island Lighthouse and the Mackinac Bridge! Michigan has over 120 lighthouses, the most in the nation. The Round Island Lighthouse stands on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac. The Mackinac Bridge is 5 miles long, linking the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan and spans the Straits, connecting Lake Huron with Lake Michigan.
Finally, we rode by the Little Stone Church, established in 1900.
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