Mary Ella Cowles Posted March 1, 2018 Mary Ella Cowles Mary Ella Hitchcock was born in 1855 in Rochester, New York. At 18 years old, she, her younger sister Kate, and parents Charles and Eliza Hitchcock headed west. Her father had purchased a silver mine near Prescott, Arizona, but the family was caught in a snowstorm for several days. They retreated to Fort Verde on December 27, 1873 and were under the protection of the soldiers. Just days prior, a young lieutenant named Calvin Duvall Cowles had arrived at the post with the 23rd Infantry. He was soon smitten with Mary Ella and, within six months, they were married. For the next ten years, the Cowles family lived at ten different posts. Twice Calvin left on campaigns, with Mary Ella caring for home and family. Their first child, Mary – called Toosie to avoid confusion with her mother Mary – was born in 1875. Sons Robert, William, Calvin, Jr., and Josiah followed. To reorganize a household on an annual basis, and move with young children and infants was hard on the family, especially Mary Ella. It was also a struggle financially to move the family so often. Mary Ella was frustrated with the lack of amenities and help to care for their growing family. (more…)
A Peek Into The Past: The Pratt Photo Album Posted February 16, 2018 Companies E and K, 23rd Infantry, at Fort Mackinac, 1886 Mackinac State Historic Parks is fortunate to have an ever-expanding collection of original objects related to the sites we preserve and interpret. These objects help us share the many stories of Mackinac with our visitors. One of the more unique pieces in the collection is an original photo album and scrapbook assembled by Edward Pratt, a U.S. Army officer who served at Fort Mackinac and several other stations around the world at the end of the 19th century. (more…)
From the Archives: Passenger Travel Posted January 26, 2018 1926 Today, most visitors arrive at the Straits of Mackinac via automobile. Before the 1880s nearly all arrived by water aboard passenger steamers. Great Lakes passenger ships continued to ply the inland seas into the twentieth century, but in ever dwindling numbers through the decades, and ended in the late 1960s. The railroads reached here in the early 1880s, allowing easy land transportation for the first time. Automobile travel gradually supplanted rail beginning in the 1910s. (more…)
2017 Collections Acquisitions Posted January 16, 2018 Charles E. Waltensperger painting showing the coal dock on Mackinac Island. In 2017, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission accessioned 102 gifts and 85 purchases to the historic object and archival collection. Among the objects acquired was a 1934 map of Mackinac Island showing Civilian Conservation Corps projects, several black and white snapshots taken by tourists and photographic equipment used to document the state park collection in the 1970’s and 80’s. During the year, the park received several new paintings, became the caretaker for archival collections from Wawashkamo Golf Club, Little Stone Church and the Brown family and home for one of the largest models of a Straits of Mackinac railroad ferry. (more…)
The Hanging for the Murder of Hugh Flinn Posted December 29, 2017 Private James Brown entered the mess room of the Soldiers’ Barracks at Fort Mackinac the evening of December 5, 1828. A loud blast filled Muster roll for Comapny G, 5th Infantry with entries for Corporal Hugh Flinn and Private James Brown. the room and Corporal Hugh Flinn fell to the floor, bleeding from his neck. The fifteen witnesses in the room saw Pvt. Brown lower a musket to his hip and exclaim, “My God, what have I done?” (more…)
The Christmas Mutiny at Fort Mackinac Posted December 25, 2017 Summer on Mackinac Island buzzed in the 1820s with the booming fur trade. Fort Mackinac was busy regulating the fur trade during this bustling time. The winter was a different story of long nights and monotonous work. This was the time that one of the most dramatic episodes to ever play out at Fort Mackinac happened, the Christmas Mutiny of 1829. (more…)
Where’s The Rest of Fort Mackinac? Posted December 15, 2017 Today, visitors to Fort Mackinac experience a wonderfully complete example of a late 19th century American military post. Preserved since 1895 as a museum and historic site, the fort’s 14 original buildings appear much as they did between 1885 and 1889. Most other Army posts from this time period have either decayed into ruins or have been so thoroughly modernized that their historic character is largely invisible. However, the preserved Fort Mackinac open to visitors represents only about half of the post as it existed historically. Although some elements are gone from the landscape, a lot more of Fort Mackinac remains outside the walls- you just need to know where to look. (more…)
This Time For Keeps Photo Album Posted December 13, 2017 2017 marks the 70th anniversary of the release of Metro-Goldwyn-Meyer’s This Time for Keeps. The Esther Williams “water ballet” musical was the third she made in this genre. About a third of the 90-minute movie is set on Mackinac Island. A number of exterior shots and all interior scenes set on the island were filmed at the M-G-M studio in Culver City, California. However, a number of outdoor scenes were shot on the island. This included winter footage of the docks, downtown, the Stewart Woodfill residence, and wooded trails. These were filmed in February 1946, some using doubles to represent the principals. Most of the principal cast, including Esther Williams, Johnnie Johnston, Jimmy Durante and Lauritz Melchior came to Mackinac Island for several weeks in July 1946 for scenes shot along Main Street, at the Coal Dock, in front of Grand Hotel and at the hotel’s swimming pool. More than 200 extras were also employed for these scenes. (more…)
It Could Be Another Good Winter To See Snowy Owls Posted December 7, 2017 Snowy Owls have recently been observed on Mackinac Island, in St. Ignace, Mackinaw City, and Cheboygan and on the Mackinac Bridge. It is still the first week of December but these beautiful arctic visitors are appearing throughout the Midwest in relatively large numbers. If they continue to arrive at this rate, we may be able to enjoy watching them in the Straits area all winter long. (more…)
Winter Recreation on Victorian Mackinac Island Posted November 24, 2017 Most stores have closed, many hotels and cottages have been boarded up, and we have had the first snow of the season on Mackinac Island. Winter on Victorian Mackinac Island was much like it is today – boats stopped running, winter provisions were stocked, and the smaller island population could be cut off the from mainland often. While ice breakers, the internet and planes keep present-day Mackinac Island more connected than ever before, what did island residents do in the past in the wintertime? (more…)
