Fascinating history of Mackinac Island is captured in 360 historic photographs and drawings.
The military and the fur trade dominated the Island’s life during the 19th century, but tourist have been visiting its historic and scenic attractions for more than 125 years. Mackinac Island is one of the most popular tourist resorts in the Midwest. Each summer over half a million people make their pilgrimage to the ‘Island of the Big Turtle’.
Visitors to Mackinac have described the Island with pen, brush, and camera. Untold numbers of pictures of Mackinac Island survive and are dispersed throughout the country. During the past several years the Mackinac Island State Park Commission has collected originals and copies of several thousand Island pictures as an aid to the restoration of the historic buildings at Fort Mackinac and elsewhere. These pictures, especially the photographs which so faithfully record a split second of the past, have proven invaluable in making accurate restoration possible.
Rather than keep these rich resources to ourselves, we have decided to make a sampling available to all. This selection covers the broad range of Mackinac’s varied history from the fur trade to the tourists. A careful examination of the pictures will show how much of the past still remains and yet how much has been lost.
Mackinac has thus far resisted the pressures of our automobile-dominated society. Transportation by leisurely horse-drawn vehicle prevails, and one can recapture a deep feeling and understanding of the past.
For those who have visited Mackinac Island it is hoped that this book will evoke a multitude of fond memories. For those whose path have never led to the area, this publication will serve as a record of a vanishing heritage and a dream to visit in the future.
