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Mackinac State Historic Parks Blog

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As we gather this Thanksgiving, may we be grateful for a bountiful harvest, the natural wonders around us, and family and friends to share them with, just as William and Amanda Ferry did in 1831.
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:
The 2024 archaeological field season was concluded. What did we learn?
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?
Mackinac Associates are friends preserving and sharing Mackinac's heritage, providing crucial support in the development of new MSHP exhibits.
 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.
Not only do stereoviews and stereoscopes allow us to see these historic photos of Mackinac, but they allow us to see them in 3-D!
We're halfway through the 2024 archaeological field season, and we've met one of our major goals for the season. Learn more:
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.
The clothes our historic interpreters wear are a major part in telling the story of the historic residents of the Straits of Mackinac. A lot of research goes into making these outfits accurate, and here's a little peek at one of the new outfits you'll find in Colonial Michilimackinac this summer.