Black Sailors at Michilimackinac
In the late 18th century, a small number of sailing vessels crisscrossed the upper Great Lakes. Each vessel only required a few sailors to operate, with diverse crews that involved enslaved individuals.
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In the late 18th century, a small number of sailing vessels crisscrossed the upper Great Lakes. Each vessel only required a few sailors to operate, with diverse crews that involved enslaved individuals.
Mackinac State Historic Parks offers 10 stunning wedding venues throughout its family of historic sites and state parks. Learn about them here:
In 2024 Mackinac State Historic Parks accessioned 365 objects into our permanent collection. Here are a few:
Last month, we shared the story of a small boat from the reconstructed sloop Welcome, which was transferred to MSHP from the Maritime Heritage Alliance of Traverse City. A few weeks later, our staff returned to Traverse City pick up two large models of Welcome. The MHA is streamlining their historic maritime collection of small craft and interpretive objects, and MSHP and the Maritime Heritage Alliance have a long history of collaborating to preserve and interpret Great Lakes maritime history.
As the calendar flips to 2025, the Mackinac State Historic Parks team is hard at work protecting, preserving, and presenting the rich history of the Straits of Mackinac by creating new exhibits, galleries, and tours, improving visitor experiences, celebrating a major anniversary, expanding our collections area and library, and finishing major infrastructure improvements on Mackinac Island.
Music is an important part of the Christmas season for many people. What Christmas music would the residents of Michilimackinac have known?
As we prepare for the first official day of winter, let’s look at the amazing adaptations animals use to get ready for the long winter.
In the early 1970s, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission decided to reconstruct “Welcome,” a trading vessel originally built in the mid-1770s. A small boat to accompany the sloop was also built, and it’s now back home. Read on:
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:
