Mackinac Island displays living historical ambiance

Two hundred miles and 100 years away from Ann Arbor is a tiny island that attracts millions of tourists each year.

Unlike Michigan tourist spots such as the Henry Ford Museum, Mackinac (pronounced Mackinaw) Island allows visitors to experience history firsthand and immerse themselves in the past. The island, with an eight-mile circumference, keeps tourists spellbound with natural and architectural beauty and historical landmarks.

Also unlike the Henry Ford Museum, Mackinac Island does not allow cars.

The majority of visitors to Mackinac Island arrive by ferries, which run from April to January. Because there is no bridge to Mackinac Island, the only other way to get there during the summer is by airplane. The main forms of transportation on the

EMILY LAMBERT/Daily The columned porch of the Grand Hotel is a landmark for visitors to Mackinac Island.

island are bicycles and horses, which add to its historic flavor.

Cars were banned in 1898, said Phil Porter, chief curator for Mackinac State Historic Parks, which manages 80 percent of the island's land.

"The first car that came scared the horses," he said. Business owners, who also worried that cars would interfere with horse-drawn tours, took the matter to the village council. Next summer is the centennial of the ban on motorized vehicles, which, Porter said, did more than protect business.

"In the long run, it preserved Mackinac's historic ambiance," he said.

Margaret Doud, Mackinac Island's mayor for 23 consecutive years, said it is the City Council's duty to preserve Mackinac Island's historical qualities.

"You have to be sensitive to the historic nature of the island," Doud said.

Doud said that preserving old ordinances, such as the ban on motorized vehicles, is an important factor in attracting tourists. But she said some vehicles must be allowed for special occasions such as the annual yacht races that end at Mackinac Island.

"We have to allow leeway for special circumstances," Doud said.

The yacht races, one of which will celebrate its centennial next year, are late additions to Mackinac Island's history, which Porter sums up in six f-words - "faith, furs, fish, fun, forts and fudge."

Faith was central to Jesuit missionaries who settled on the island three centuries ago and to Native Americans, many of whom still consider Mackinac Island a sacred place, he said.

Later, furs became an equally important element in Mackinac Island's history when the island became a focal point of the North American fur trade. In the 19th century, the town was a small but bustling metropolis as Native Americans and traders flocked there to do business. John Jacob Astor, president of the American Fur Company, became the country's first millionaire in large part due to his dealings on Mackinac Island.

Life during this time is re-enacted daily during the summer months at five historic buildings downtown. At one, the Beaumont Memorial, a costumed staff member tells the story of voyageur Alexis St. Martin, who was accidentally shot at the site, formerly a store, in 1822. St. Martin's wound never healed, and he became the subject of medical experiments that revealed much about the digestive system.

When the fur trade died down in the later part of the century, the fishing industry took over. And by the time the majestic Grand Hotel was built in 1887, tourism was emerging as the new big industry on Mackinac Island. Today, tourism is the island's only source of income.

Mackinac Island, famous for its fudge, was also the site of the first land action in the War of 1812, when the British recaptured Fort Mackinac. The fort, which sits on limestone bluffs above the Great Lakes, is now a museum that attracts about half a million visitors every year.

Summer has always been the most hectic time on Mackinac Island.

"Mackinac has the character of always being a summer gathering place," Porter said. "It is a pattern that is repeated through time with different people and different purposes."

LSA senior Jason St. Onge, one of two University students who hail from Mackinac Island, said Mackinac in the summer is similar to the University, due to the many college students who work in his hometown.

"Mackinac Island is a college without books," St. Onge said.

Although he left an island with only 500 year-round residents for a campus of more than 35,000 students, St. Onge said he did not experience culture shock.

"The transition wasn't that big of a deal," St. Onge said.

St. Onge worked with college students every summer on Mackinac Island, so he was accustomed to university lifestyles. But he said being from Mackinac is a wonderful conversation piece.

"If I want to be the center of attention, I say I'm from Mackinac Island," St. Onge said.

In the winter, the lakes freeze, and the only ways to travel to and from the island are by plane and snowmobile. Because of that isolation, St. Onge said living on Mackinac Island was a unique experience.

"It wasn't average. People who live on islands are different," St. Onge said. "You learn dependence on one another because you have to get through the winter."

Although St. Onge said he gets annoyed by the constant questions asked by tourists, he acknowledged that without them, Mackinac Island's economy would be in ruins.

"They're your bread and butter," St. Onge said.

Doud said Mackinac Island provides an escape from everyday life and allows tourists to "stop and smell the roses."

"It's quaint. It's a break from the fast pace of life," Doud said. "People come to relax."

Len Trankina, executive director of the Mackinac Island Chamber of Commerce, said Mackinac Island's all-American setting attracts many international tourists.

"More and more people visit here from other countries," Trankina said. "They can tell their families they saw America. This is the real American experience."
EMILY LAMBERT/Daily
The Windermere is one of Mackinac Island's many hotels, which cater to the busy tourist trade.

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