Wonders of Michigan: Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island, the crown jewel of Michigan tourism
Mackinac Island, the crown jewel of Michigan tourism, is constantly evolving but remains wonderfully stagnant – like the cult film “Somewhere in Time” filmed there.
With an annual population of nearly 600 people, this small island is full of history, offers activities for everyone, and is famous far beyond the Great Lakes State.
“You can see that Mackinac Island is a number one destination in the world,” said Danielle Leach, who has lived there her whole life and is now Mackinac Island’s town clerk. “How do people in Russia and Japan know about this tiny island off Michigan’s Upper Peninsula? But I guess the information is out there. When you look at the top destinations, it pops up.”
Tourism on the island, where motor vehicles are banned and horses and bicycles are the main means of transport, has “exploded” over time, says historian Bob Tagatz of the Grand Hotel.
“Around 1900, the island was 90 percent tourism. During World War II, it was 95 percent. Today, it is 99 percent. The only thing we export here is a lot of caramel candies,” said Tagatz.
The heart of the island is Fort Mackinac, a military outpost located high on the cliffs overlooking the Straits of Mackinac, which is of central importance to the history and development of the island.
“I consider it the crown jewel of Mackinac Island, both physically – I mean, it’s a very picturesque fort – and historically,” said Jack Swartzinski, interpretive coordinator at Mackinac State Historic Parks.
From 1779 to 1781, the British moved their garrison and fur trading colony from Michilimackinac, now Mackinaw City, to Mackinac Island because they believed they could more easily defend the fort there from American attacks. They founded the village and built the fort.
The fort changed hands several times between the United States and the British before the British recaptured it in 1812. The U.S. attempted to regain control of the fort in the War of 1812, which resulted in 75 American casualties, including 13 who died in battle and another seven who succumbed to their injuries. After the Treaty of Ghent, the fort was returned to the Americans in July 1815.
After the 1830s, the island became quieter. The fur trade had shifted, the village lost importance, and few soldiers remained at the fort, Swartzinski said. The island could have easily developed over time – think mass development and automobiles – if it hadn’t been for an act of Congress.
“Immediately after the American Civil War … in 1875, much of Mackinac Island, about 50 percent of the island, was declared our nation’s second national park, and Fort Mackinac was to serve as the headquarters of that national park,” Swartzinski said.
The number of garrison members doubled, and 80-100 soldiers were stationed at the fort. The commandant of the fort doubled as the overseer of Mackinac Island National Park, while the soldiers also served as park rangers. The condition of the fort was also improved during this time.
“Thanks to the national park here, we can now preserve up to 85 percent of the island,” Swartzinski said. “And that’s what has preserved the unique historic charm not only of Fort Mackinac, but of all of Mackinac Island.”
In 1895, the park was closed by Congress. The fort and national park were transferred to the state of Michigan, which created Mackinac Island State Park, the first state park in Michigan, thus protecting all of the land from development.
“Thanks to the state park and the role that this fort played early on in the tourism culture here on Mackinac Island, we are able to preserve the natural look of Mackinac Island, preserve the buildings here at Fort Mackinac and build that kind of appreciation and culture of history that is so valued here on Mackinac Island,” Swartzinski said.
Getting there and experiencing this culture was never easy. You needed a boat. George Arnold founded the first commercial ferry company, Arnold Transit Co., to serve the island in 1878. Today, most tourists take ferries that travel to the island from either St. Ignace or Mackinaw City. You can also fly there, take a private boat, or drive across by snowmobile when the ice allows in the winter.
And recently, large cruise ships such as Viking’s Octantis and Polaris have begun stopping at Mackinac Island on their Great Lakes tours, reviving a tourism tradition on the island that began with steamships bringing passengers from Cleveland and Detroit.
“Cruise ships built us,” Tagatz said. “The Detroit Cleveland Steamship Navigation Co. was one of the third owners to build the hotel. The last steamships came here in the mid-1960s and something wonderful has happened – they’re coming back.”
“Cruise ships have always been a part of the Grand Hotel and Mackinac Island,” said Tagatz. The hotel, one of only 11 wood-frame hotels left in the United States, was built in 1887. “The island is the perfect place. Why? To get the rich Victorians out of the hot, dirty industrial cities.”
Tagatz noted that people still come today to enjoy the “healing breeze” from the lake while sitting in a rocking chair on the Grand Hotel’s 200-foot-long veranda. “That’s our purpose. We were built for the Victorian elite and now we serve everyone, and that goes for the island, too.”
According to Tagatz, business at the hotel really took off after the release of the 1947 film “This Time for Keeps.” The romantic musical was filmed on site and the pool is named after its star, Esther Williams. “That film probably did more for this hotel than anything else in our early history.”
However, it would not be the last or most memorable film to be shot there. The 1980 cult classic “A Killing Dream” starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour was also filmed in this hotel.
“If you love that movie, this is the place to experience it,” Tagatz said. “Ninety-five percent of the movie was shot on the island, 90 percent was shot here at our hotel.” Tagatz said not a day goes by that he isn’t asked about the movie. The hotel hosts a “Somewhere in Time” weekend every year, and actress Jane Seymour even made a surprise visit to the hotel last June.
Adding to the island’s historic charm are the many horse-drawn carriages that clatter around everywhere. Horseless carriages were banned on July 6, 1898, after a few automobiles began appearing on the island. Today, there are 500 to 600 horses on the island during the summer, doing everything from delivering supplies, including Amazon packages and everything else, to transporting tourists around the island.
Grand Hotel and Fort Mackinac are two of the most famous of the numerous attractions that don’t have four hooves. But the island has much more to offer. There are 13 fudge shops on the island. There are miles of hiking trails and natural formations like Arch Rock. There is an art museum, churches, water activities, biking, restaurants, golf and more.
“It’s such a special place with so much to do,” Leach said, adding, “It’s just always been an adventure” growing up on the island.
“We’ve been to the beach, we’ve been in the woods, we’ve been on boats, we’ve done everything – we’ve cycled around the island, visited friends in summer houses and gone snowmobiling in the winter. Even though it seems small and cramped, there’s always something new to discover or rediscover.”
