Movie by the Bridge Posted February 11, 2020 Enjoy The Avengers in Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City with the Mackinac Bridge as your background. Bring a blanket or a chair and a snack. #thisismackinac
Movie in the Fort Posted February 11, 2020 Settle in under the stars at Fort Mackinac and enjoy Ghostbusters on the Parade Ground. Bring a blanket or a chair and a snack. #thisismackinac
Movie by the Bridge Posted February 11, 2020 Enjoy Back to the Future in Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City with the Mackinac Bridge as your background. Bring a blanket or a chair and a snack. This movie contains adult themes and may not be suitable for younger visitors. This is a free event. #thisismackinac
Movie in the Fort Posted February 11, 2020 Settle in under the stars at Fort Mackinac and enjoy Up on the Parade Ground. Bring a blanket or a chair and a snack. #thisismackinac
Mackinac Parks: 125 Posted February 7, 2020 Mackinac State Historic Parks turns 125 years old in 2020. Established in 1895 when the federal government shuttered the country’s second national park, Mackinac National Park, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission has pursued the important mission of protecting, preserving and presenting Mackinac’s natural and historic wonders. Today, Mackinac State Historic Parks is a family of living history museums and nature parks located in Mackinaw City and on Mackinac Island. (more…)
Greatcoats: Another Cold Winter Garment Posted January 31, 2020 With winter descending on the Straits of Mackinac, it can be difficult to image what life was like here in centuries past. When guests visit Colonial Michilimackinac during the summer months, they see historical interpreters dressed for pleasant weather in the 1770s, but people often wonder: what did they do they when it got cold? (more…)
2019 Collections Acquisitions Posted January 24, 2020 German made souvenir porcelain china. In 2019, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission accessioned 188 gifts and 107 purchases to the historic object and archival collection. The park purchased or was gifted several large collections of souvenirs, paintings, glassware and postcards. Some of the interesting items were a large collection of souvenirs, paintings and other items related to Mackinac Island purchased from a long-time collector. Several black and white press photographs and an invoice from the business of an islander was acquired. Donations included the engine room plate from a Straits of Mackinac shipwreck, several pieces of Kriesche glassware and photographs and archival material belonging to a former Mackinac Island State Park Commissioner. (more…)
The Winter Table at Michilimackinac Posted January 17, 2020 Michilimackinac in the 18th century was an important transshipment point for the fur trade. With the abundance of material goods and huge shipments of supplies coming through the Straits of Mackinac on the waterways all summer long, there were many opportunities to source fresh and tasty foods. Some items were sourced from the farms at and around Detroit, while others came through the Great Lakes from Albany, New York and beyond. Once the lakes and rivers froze, however those shipments stopped and the eating habits of the Michilimackinac population had to change. (more…)
America’s 19th Century Christmas Traditions: A Connection Between the Past and Present Posted December 20, 2019 Many of the Christmas holiday traditions Americans honor in the early 21st century were shaped in the 19th century as this image from an issue of Harper’s Weekly in January 1869 reflects. Christmas in the United States is not only a federal holiday but arguably the most celebrated holiday in the country, as evidenced by more retail and holiday decoration sales devoted to it than any other holiday during the year. However America’s celebration of this holiday has not always been universal and indeed, its traditions as celebrated in the United States are much more recent than most Americans likely are aware of, with most present day variations of American holiday traditions descended from the 19th century Victorian era. This was also the main time period Fort Mackinac was in active use as a military garrison and this heritage of holiday traditions is also reflected in the history of the fort and local inhabitants. (more…)
Chief Wawatam Archival Collection Posted December 12, 2019 In the fall of 1911, the railroad ferry Chief Wawatam arrived in the Straits of Mackinac to begin a career which lasted 73 years. The Mackinac Transportation Company built the ship to haul railroad cars between Mackinaw City and St. Ignace. The ship could carry 18-26 cars depending upon their size and unlike previous ferries that worked the straits, the Chief Wawatam was built entirely of steel. Along with freight cars, the ship carried passenger train cars, automobiles, soldiers and passengers. At 338 feet, she was the largest railroad ferry at the straits and served the longest, until 1984. (more…)
