Lost Hotels of Mackinac: St. Cloud Place Posted March 19, 2018 The original St. Cloud, ca. 1875 Located just a few doors from Island House hotel, nearly at the corner of Bogan Lane, is St. Cloud Place. Since acquired by the Chippewa Hotel in 1962 it has been used as a dormitory for summer staff. However, for most of the years from the mid-1870s to 1962 it served as both a private home and boarding house. An often overlooked fact of the building’s history is that it is one of two “St. Cloud” buildings to occupy the site. (more…)
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse Construction Update Posted March 9, 2018 We’ve been hard at work this winter at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. Join Museum Historian Craig Wilson for a tour through the house and updates visitors can expect in 2018:
Behind the Scenes at MSHP Posted February 23, 2018 Serving as the winter archives intern with Mackinac State Historic Parks has kept Jessica Marks busy, from inventorying the library to labeling archival boxes, to … gilding candlesticks? (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…)
Coming Soon to Old Mackinac Point Posted February 9, 2018 Although the museums and historic sites are closed, winter is a busy time here at Mackinac State Historic Parks! One of many projects currently taking place is the installation of a new science and technology exhibit at the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. (more…)
Colonial Michilimackinac Update Posted February 1, 2018 We’ve been busy this winter! Museum Historian Craig Wilson walks us through the new and exciting developments at Colonial Michilimackinac: Colonial Michilimackinac opens for the 2018 season on May 2. For more information on the site, or to purchase tickets, visit mackinacparks.com/admission.
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…)
Queen Charlotte’s Birthday: January 18 Posted January 18, 2018 On January 18, 1780, a barrage of artillery fire rolled across the frozen Straits of Mackinac. The guns of Michilimackinac boomed as artillerymen loaded and fired 12 pounds of gunpowder. Why were they shooting in the dead of winter, when not much ever happened at the isolated outpost? To celebrate Queen Charlotte’s birthday! (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…)
