Mackinac Island

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Mackinac Island (pronounced Template:IPA, note the silent "c") is a small island, 4.4 square miles (11.3 km²) in area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, which lie between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island's strategic position amidst the commerce of the fur trade of the Great Lakes led to the establishment of Fort Mackinac on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the scene of two strategic battles during the War of 1812.

In the late 19th century the island became a popular tourist attraction and summer colony. It continues to be famous for its lack of automobiles and its Victorian resort hotels, especially the Grand Hotel with its 660-foot front porch. The 1947 movie This Time For Keeps and the 1980 movie Somewhere in Time were filmed on Mackinac Island. Of the island's total area, over 82 percent is preserved as Mackinac Island State Park. The City of Mackinac Island occupies the entire island as well as all of Round Island, which sits across the passage just to the south. (Round Island is currently uninhabited and is owned by the U.S. Forest Service in its entirety, part of the Hiawatha National Forest.)

1 Description
2 History
3 References
4 External links

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Description

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The island has a year-round population of approximately 500, mostly in the historic community of Mackinac Island located on the southern tip and in the community of "Harrisonville" farther inland. The population grows considerably in the resort season, when it is crowded with tourists, accommodating an average of 15,000 people a day. The highest point of the island is the historic Fort George (since 1815 officially called Fort Holmes), which is 320 feet (97 m) above the lake level and about 890 feet (270 m) above sea level. The spectacular Mackinac Bridge dominates the view from the west side of the island.

Mackinac Island is accessible by private boats, by ferry, and by small planes. The airport has a 3,500 foot (1,070 m) paved runway, and charter air service from the mainland is available. In the summer tourist season, three competing ferry firms shuttle visitors to the island from St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. During the winter months when the lake is frozen, the island is often accessible by snowmobile. Residents take their Christmas trees to British Landing (the site of an 1812 assault on the fort), and place them along a route marking 5 miles (8 km) of relatively safe ice.

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Motorized vehicles are prohibited on the island with the exception of emergency vehicles, service vehicles, and, during the winter, snowmobiles. Travel on the island is largely by foot, bicycle, or horse-drawn carriage. Bicycles, carriages, and saddle horses are available for rent, although inexperienced carriage drivers and riders are advised to avoid busy town areas. An 8.0 mile (13 km) road rings the island and numerous roads, trails and paths cover the interior. The road encircling the island and most closely hugging the shoreline is Michigan State Highway M-185, one of the few highways in the United States without motorized vehicles.

The island is famous for the multiple candy shops that line the streets of the village. The most popular items at these stores are the locally-produced fudge and taffy, leading to the popular nickname of visiting shoppers as "fudgies". Spring brings a popular Lilac Festival to the island.

The island has a significant number of hotel and bed and breakfast rooms for overnight guests, and some cottages for rent. No camping is allowed on the island.

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History

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The island was at the center of a thriving fur industry beginning in the 17th century and lasting into the early 19th century. The Mackinaw Fur Company was merged with the Southwestern Fur Company by John Jacob Astor to form his American Fur Company.

The island changed hands from the French to the British after the French and Indian War. The British controlled the island for a time after the American Revolutionary War and built and garrisoned Fort Mackinac in 1781. The British relinquished Fort Mackinac to the United States in 1796, but maintained a military presence nearby at St. Joseph Island in Lake Huron. The British continued to exert a strong influence over the area in 1796-1812, and maintained friendships with local native tribes. A British detachment from St. Joseph Island captured the fort in the first engagement of the War of 1812 and held it against subsequent American attacks until the end of the war, when it was returned to the US by the Treaty of Ghent in 1815. In 1875, much of the island was designated as Mackinac National Park, the second national park of the United States (after Yellowstone National Park, created three years earlier). When Fort Mackinac was decommissioned in 1895, the land was given to the state of Michigan and it became Michigan's first state park, Mackinac Island State Park.

The name of the island has been shortened from "Michilimackinac." One interpretation of this name is that it means "large turtle" in the Ottawa and Chippewa language. The island is fancifully said to be shaped like a turtle.

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