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Category: Natural History

Chimney Rock Revisited

Our Park Naturalist, Kyle, is ready to set the story straight: Chimney Rock and Sunset Rock are not one and the same. Let’s revisit Chimney Rock:

A glacial erratic boulder found on the Lake Huron lakeshore, brown or rust colored with a black stripe.

Lost Rocks & Mackinac Millstones

The millstones currently on display at Historic Mill Creek are the originals, and they had a wild ride to get back to the site. But also – how were they made? And how did those rocks end up here at the Straits?

Wild Hay for the King’s Cattle

 More than 240 years have passed since wooden sloops brought wild hay to the King’s Cattle on Mackinac Island. During your next visit, scan the watery horizon and imagine the scene from a bygone era. Perhaps you’ll glimpse a broad, white sail billowing in the wind. Or listen closely, and just maybe you’ll hear soft, clanking cowbells as supper makes its way across the Straits of Mackinac.

Feathers Over Mackinac (1889–1891)

More than 230 species of birds have been recorded on Mackinac Island and in the surrounding straits region. Here, we take a look at some detailed observations that a summer resident and ornithologist made in 1893.

Ice Fishing at Mackinac

Ice fishing has been an important part of the Straits for thousands of years, but dramatic scenes of net poles so numerous that they appeared almost as a forest are now nearly forgotten.

The Seasons of Mackinac

What’s the best season to visit the Straits of Mackinac? All of them! Learn a little about each season at the Straits:

The Famous Mackinaw Potato

When you think of Mackinac, you might think of fudge, or no cars, or horses, or the fort. But potatoes? “The best potatoes in the world grow at Mackinac.” Or at least they did. Read on!