Mackinac State Historic Parks Celebrates 125 Years

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.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, Mackinac State Historic Parks will have 125 days of events throughout the 2020 season, spread across its family of sites and parks. Some highlights include Movies by the Bridge in Mackinaw City every Saturday and Movies in Fort Mackinac every Tuesday during the summer, unforgettable evening cannon firing events at Colonial Michilimackinac and Fort Mackinac, numerous events sponsored by the Mackinaw City Area Arts Council themed to the anniversary, special themed weekends at all of our historic sites, intriguing “Hidden History” evenings at Colonial Michilimackinac, guided and narrated treks to some of Mackinac Island’s most beautiful natural and historic sites, and a special gala day, July 25, with free music and fireworks to mark the actual anniversary.

“Mackinac has such a special place in the history of our state and the hearts of Michiganders,” said Phil Porter, Mackinac State Historic Parks Director. “We look forward to sharing this 125th anniversary celebration with our visitors this summer through an exciting and engaging slate of activities and events.”

New exhibits will also debut as part of the celebration. On Mackinac Island, the Biddle House, featuring the Mackinac Island Native American Museum, will open May 5. Here, you will be able to step into the home of Agatha and Edward Biddle, merchants who moved in around 1830. For Agatha, and other Anishnaabek and indigenous people, the 1830s were a time of critical change. This new exhibit, created in conjunction with tribal partners, explores that story and how it still resonates on Mackinac Island and throughout northern Michigan.

At Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, in Mackinaw City, the public will be able to explore the second floor of the lighthouse for the first time in the storied station’s existence. A new gallery space and two bedrooms restored to their appearance in 1910 will tell the story of the Keeper George Marshall, his wife Maggie, and their extended family as they lived and worked at the lighthouse.

The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum on Mackinac Island will host “A Day in the Park – Celebrating 125 Years of Mackinac Island State Park” in the second-floor gallery. This juried exhibition will be on display May 4 – October 11.

An update to 100 Years at Mackinac, published in 1995, will include everything that has happened in the past 25 years, including the reopening of Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, the opening of The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, the construction of the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Museum, the addition of the Adventure Tour at Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park, the reconstruction of Fort Holmes, the addition of the Peace Garden, and the reinterpretation of the Biddle House.

Bière de Mac Brew Works in Mackinaw City will brew a special beer in honor of the celebration, a farmhouse ale that connects to Michilimackinac with its French roots. An official release of the beer will happen in June. Ryba’s Fudge Shops, with numerous locations on Mackinac Island, will create a special fudge to celebrate. This should prove to be one of the more delicious aspects of the anniversary.

Most of the events taking place throughout the 2020 season will be free. Others will be included with regular admission to MSHP’s historic sites. Mackinac State Historic Parks wouldn’t be where it is today without the tremendous support of visitors to its state parks and historic sites. Offering a full season of events is a small way the park can say thank you for 125 wonderful years.

The Mackinac Parks: 125 Celebration is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and the Richard and Jane Manoogian Foundation, with additional support from Mackinac Associates.

The Mackinac Island State Park Commission was created when the federal government shuttered Mackinac National Park in 1895. It held its first meeting in July of that year. Today the commission does business as Mackinac State Historic Parks and is chaired by Daniel J. Loepp. Porter has served as director since 2003. The commission manages Fort Mackinac, The Richard and Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum, Biddle House, Historic Downtown Mackinac and Mackinac Island State Park on Mackinac Island, and Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park and Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City.

A full schedule of events can be found at mackinacparks.com/mackinac125. Pictures, as well as the Mackinac Parks: 125 logo, are available upon request. A downloadable version of this release can be found here. For more information please visit mackinacparks.com or call (231) 436-4100.

Remembering the Straits Military Past on Veterans Day

Veterans Day originated as “Armistice Day” on this date 100 years ago…November 11, 1919 – on the first anniversary of the end of World War I. Congress passed a resolution in 1926 for an annual observance, and November 11 became a national holiday beginning in 1938. In 1954, the holiday was changed to “Veterans Day” in order to account for all veterans in all wars.

Michigan is home to countless memorials, monuments and parks dedicated to the men and women who served our country. Several of our historic military forts are also still standing as a testament to our state’s earliest history as well.

Built by the French in 1715, Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City is perched at the tip of the mitt and the base of the five-mile Mackinac Bridge (where an American flag flies proudly on Veterans Day and other military holidays). After the French an Indian War, the British assumed control of the fort and it remained in service until 1781 when the British consolidated forces at Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. Today, this site operates as Colonial Michilimackinac, one of Michigan’s most popular seasonal tourist historic and cultural attractions, under the auspices of the Mackinac State Historic Parks. This fortified community became the great fur trade center of the northwest, where according to MackinacParks.org, “fur traders and Indians rendezvoused, French and British officers organized war parties and explorers began their journeys into the vast western unknown.”

In 1780, during the American Revolutionary War, the British built Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island. Also operating as part of the Mackinac State Historic Parks, this site served as more than just a military outpost, it was a home for soldiers and their families. From 1875 until 1895, it served as the headquarters for Mackinac National Park (the second American National Park after Yellowstone and Michigan’s first State Park). Today, it proudly welcomes the thousands who visit the island each year. MackinacParks.org states “The stone ramparts, the south sally port and the Officer’s Stone Quarters are all part of the original fort built over 225 years ago. The other buildings in the fort are of more recent origin, dating from the late 1790s to 1885. The buildings have been restored to how they looked during the final years of the fort’s occupation.”

Mackinac Island is also home to the recently recreated Fort Holmes, which sits atop the highest elevation on Mackinac Island. The small wood and earthen fort (originally named Fort George in honor of Britain’s King George III), was constructed by British soldiers in 1914to protect Fort Mackinac against any attacks during the War of 1812 by the United States. According to MackinacParks.org, “That attack came in the summer of 1814 although the fort was not directly involved in the battle. When United States soldiers peacefully reoccupied the island after the War of 1812 the fort was renamed Fort Holmes in honor of American Major Andrew Hunter Holmes who was killed in the 1814 battle of Mackinac Island.”

According to its website, “The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) National Cemetery Administration maintains 139 national cemeteries in 40 states (and Puerto Rico) as well as 33 soldier’s lots and monument sites.” In Michigan, four such cemeteries exist including Fort Mackinac Post Cemetery on Mackinac Island. FindAGrave.com states this cemetery, on Garrison Road just across the street from St. Ann’ Catholic Cemetery, “was used from the War of 1812 to about 1900 when Fort Mackinac was abandoned. The cemetery holds burials from both British and American Soldiers; having 108 graves with only 39 of those identified. The U.S. Congress granted $1,000 to Mackinac Island State Park Commission and the cemetery was landscaped and the white picket fence & arched entrance sign were added in 1906-1907. A cannon from Fort Sumter, South Carolina was mounted on a field carriage and placed near the center of the cemetery. A turnstile at the front gate was originally erected to keep cows out of the cemetery. It is currently maintained by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which contracts upkeep with the Mackinac Island State Park Commission. The Post Cemetery flag continually flies at half-mast; it is one of four National Cemeteries with this honor. During the summer months various Scout troops working on the island raise and lower the flag here.”

For additional historic sites in the Straits Area (like British Landing and the 1814 Battlefield, now home of Wawashkamo Golf Course), visit Mackinac State Historic Parks.

ROAD TRIP DESTINATIONS:

Just an hour north of Mackinaw City is Fort Brady, in Sault Ste Marie. According to the Michigan Department of Military & Veterans Affairs, “The original Fort Brady, established by Colonel Hugh Brady in 1822, established United States authority over the northern Great Lakes region. It was abandoned in 1892 and the New Fort Brady was completed in 1893. The New Fort Brady site is now on the campus of Lake Superior State University and has 14 of the original fort buildings repurposed and in use.”

Further north some 312 miles, in the Keweenaw Peninsula, sits Fort Wilkins in Copper Harbor “begun in 1844, Fort Wilkins was designed to keep the peace. Although re-garrisoned briefly in the 1860s, the Army abandoned Fort Wilkins only a few years after it was started.” Today, it is the focal point of Fort Wilkins State Park.

The Sweetest Side of the Straits

Certain American cities or regions are known for their specialized cuisine – Philly for its steak sandwiches, New England for its clam chowder, Texas for its bar-b-cue, Atlantic City for its salt water taffy. Here in Michigan, we have Coney dogs in Detroit, pasties in the Upper Peninsula and fudge right here in the Straits of Mackinac!

The sweet history of fudge dates back more than 130 years when Henry and Sara Murdick arrived on Mackinac Island. Henry and his son, Jerome, were commissioned to create canvas awnings for the Grand Hotel which opened in 1887. While they were busy working on that project, Sara put her talents to work as well. Noted for her “exquisite confectionary skills and recipes” she is credited with opening the island’s first candy shop – Murdick’s Candy Kitchen (today, known as Original Murdick’s Fudge…with a location on the Island, one in St. Ignace and one in Mackinaw Crossings). Noted as the longest-operating fudge shop in Michigan, the company is owned by Bob Benser, who still uses Sara’s time-tested recipes.

The first Joann’s Fudge Store was opened by Joan and Frank Nephew on Mackinac Island in 1969 (a second opened the following year there) and in 1980, a third location was established in Mackinaw City. Today, this third-generation family business offers up more than two dozen flavors (like Rocky Road, Raspberry Truffle and Vanilla Salted Carmel) as well as a variety of hand-dipped chocolates, brittles, candies and ice cream.

Devon’s Mackinac Island Fudge & Popcorn Co. is located inside Mackinac Bay Trading Company. Established in 1997, this family-opened and -operated shop boasts more than 3,200-square feet where visitors will find an endless supply of candy, taffy, fudge and popcorn.

Just how BIG is the fudge business in the Straits? In peak season, the more than 20 fudge shops in the Straits of Mackinac area utilize about 10 tons of sugar per week and 10 tons of butter per year just to make these delicious treats. Tourists (affectionally referred to as fudgies) collectively buy as much as 10,000 pounds of fudge per day as sweet souvenirs from their visit to the area. It is said that in one summer week, Original Murdick’s Fudge uses 200 pounds of butter, 200 gallons of cream and 5,000 pounds of sugar (80% of which comes from the thumb area of Michigan) to create its various fudge flavors.

To learn more about this region’s fudge history, pick up “Fudge: Mackinac’s Sweet Souvenir” by Phil Porter of Mackinac State Historic Parks (2001, 40-pages, $7.95). Also, make plans to attend the 2019 Mackinac Island Fudge Festival, coming up August 23-25.

Pressed Pennies: Shiny Souvenirs from the Straits of Mackinac

By Jhai Smith and Dianna Stampfler

Pressed pennies are definitely one of the most affordable souvenirs to “purchase” when visiting the Straits of Mackinac. Also known as “elongated coins,” they are quite a collector’s item for people traveling here from around the state and across the globe.

“An elongated coin (or pressed penny) is one that has been flattened or stretched, and embossed with a new design. Such coins are often used as commemorative or souvenir tokens, and it is common to find coin elongation machines in tourism hubs, such as museums, amusement parks, and natural or man-made landmarks,” according to Wikipedia. ”Private engravers make special-issue elongated coins to commemorate historical events, personal landmarks (such as marriage or birth of a child), or other events warranting celebration. They also design elongated coins for private clubs and organizations.”

The first elongated coins showed up at the World’s Columbian Exposition, held in Chicago in 1893 with four designs issued to commemorate the widely attended event (imagine having one of THOSE coins in your collection). Those earliest coins are what collectors classify as “oldies” that were produced for nationwide events like the Pan American Exposition in 1901 in Buffalo, New York and the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair.

Between 1965 and 1985 is what is known as the “Modern Elongateds” period, as private rollers came on the scene setting up machines at more tourist-focused regions throughout the United States to encourage collecting by the traveling public.

The “Contemporary Elongateds” era includes any coin presses and pennies from 1988 until present. It was during this time period that Disney stepped into the game, working on prototypes in 1986 but not releasing its first Mickey Mouse coin until 1987.

PennyPresses.net is a great resource which shows over 3,300 of the machine locations around the country. So, if you’re traveling to the Straits of Mackinac, you can look up Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island and St. Ignace to find out where machines are located to build up (or start) your collection.

How does it work?

It’s been calculated that it takes more than 2,500 pounds of force to properly press a penny. The noted website PennyCollector.com states “an elongated coin is made by a coin, token, medal or metal blank being forced between two steel rollers. An engraving is on one or both of the rollers and as the coin passes through the rollers it is squeezed or elongated under tremendous pressure from the original round shape to one of an oval and the engraved design impressed into the coin at the same time.”

Today, you will mostly find self-crank machines where you can watch the inner workings of your penny-turned-souvenir, tempting both children and adults to enjoy its simple magic. The cost is typically 51 cents (two quarters and of course, the penny).

Choosing the perfect penny!

According to the blog TouringPlans.com, “the best pennies to use are from prior to 1982, when the pennies were made 95% of copper. For those coins, when you smash them, you will get a uniform color throughout. After 1982, pennies are made from approximately 99% zinc with a copper coating, and so you will get silver-colored streaks in the penny as it is pressed.”

Of course, the condition of the penny also plays a factor in its clarity when pressed, as older coins may be discolored with age.

Is it legal?

According to U.S. Code Title 18, Chapter 17, Section 331, it is illegal to use altered coins as money but it is not actually illegal to deface the coin if not intended for fraudulent purposes. Meaning, if you’re pressing a penny as a souvenir, you aren’t breaking any laws!

However, pressing pennies in Canada IS illegal, as it is against the law to vandalize anything with the Queen’s face on it. In other countries where pressing said country’s currency is illegal, you may find a penny machine where you insert a U.S. PENNY and the local currency to pay for your perfect souvenir.

For more information (or for serious collectors), check out tecnews.org, the website of The Elongated Collector – a non-profit organization founded in 1966 with a mission to “educate, encourage and promote the study, acquisition and exhibition of elongated coins.”

Below is a list of where you can find pressing machines in the Straits of Mackinac area (from PennyPresses.net)…please note, this list is subject to change.

Mackinaw City

Mackinac Island

St. Ignace

 

 

Mackinaw City at the Heart of Northern Michigan Rum Running

The 110-foot USRC Mackinac, later USCGC Mackinac, was built in Baltimore, MD in 1903. It was stationed in Sault Ste. Marie and served the United States Revenue Cutter Service from 1903 to 1915 and in the United States Coast Guard from 1915 to 1917 and again from 1919 to 1939, patrolling the Straits of Mackinac for rum running. 

By Russell M. Magnaghi

Today as you stand on the south shore of the Straits of Mackinac looking at the iconic bridge spanning the Straits, you can hardly imagine the activity on water and land as people sought to evade the national Prohibition law. Passed by popular vote in Michigan in May 1918, the amendment to the U.S. Constitution went into effect in 1920.

At the time Mackinaw City was a tourist destination lined with resorts. The summer resorters wanted refreshment and thus provided a market for local bootleggers or distillers. Illegal liquor was made locally within Mackinaw City, neighboring towns and on farms. Since the economy was poor at the time this was an easy way to bring in cash. Stills popped up in every hidden spot. Although the newly formed Michigan Constabulary, later known as the State Police, tried their best to end the business it was a losing proposition. The liquor poured through the countryside. The Bootlegger House at 212 Jamet was home to a widow who supported her family by selling illegal liquor out of the house.

To the north was Canada where liquor literally poured into the United States. Again private individuals with fast speedboats picked up the liquor, many times aided by young Coast Guardsmen, brought it through the labyrinth waterways of the St. Mary’s River. Mackinac Island, across the Straits from Mackinaw City, was the staging area. Liquor reached the Grand Hotel much to the delight of guests who also enjoyed gambling. Liquor landed at the island was then shipped south to Capone in Chicago and to the Purple Gang in Detroit. However Mackinaw City was the terminus of the notorious Purple Gang’s run running highway north.

Across the Straits at St. Ignace, a fellow known as Black Jack was an outlet for Canadian rye whiskey. He operated quietly using his home as a front selling maple syrup. When raided at one point by Treasury agents they wanted to know who would buy 36 bottles of maple syrup? Black Jack naturally had no idea except that they were eating piles of pancakes.

On the Straits boats plied their illegal cargoes. Sometimes coal caring boats had liquor stored in sacks beneath the coal. At one point in May 1928 the Coast Guard chased the Geronimo loaded with 4,000 cases of liquor worth $250,000 on its way to Chicago. It was in the wee hours of the morning and the captain thought either he could outrun the cutter or he would be lost in the mist. The captain refused to stop; the Coast Guard fired a warning shot, and then disabled the vessel west of the straits. Two years later it was seized again, this time loaded with $600,000 worth of booze. The placid and magnificent Straits was busy during the era of Prohibition.

For those seeking bars and restaurants with Prohibition connections within a short drive (or boat ride) from Mackinaw City should check The Antler’s in Sault Ste. Marie, which was an ice cream parlor but never ordered a gallon of ice cream; Horn’s Bar and Restaurant on Mackinac Island, which had an ice cream parlor on the first floor and a speakeasy on the second floor, and Hessel E.J. Mertaugh Boat Works in Hessel, which once sold fast speed boats that brought liquor from Canada.

 

Russell Magnaghi, noted and award-winning historian of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, is the author of “Prohibition in the Upper Peninsula: Booze & Bootleggers on the Border” published in 2017 by The History Press. He is a graduate of the University of San Francisco and St. Louis University, and retired from Northern Michigan University after teaching for 45 years.

Make it Mackinaw for Memorial Weekend

Mackinaw City is considered the “Crossroads of the Great Lakes” for good reason – it is central to dozens of unique locations and activities along both the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron shorelines, as well as the vast woods and waters of both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas. This autumn, bring the family, friends or consider a solo trip to the “Tip of the Mitt” to explore Michigan’s most colorful season.

Warmer than normal temperatures are forecast for September, according to the 2017 U.S. fall forecast released by AccuWeather.com. Yet, according to AccuWeather expert long-range forecaster Paul Pastelok, it’s too early to tell how the hotter than normal September and rain will affect the vibrancy of fall foliage.

Generally, the annual seasonal show peaks in stages, beginning at the top of the state in the Upper Peninsula, where it gets cooler first. Peak color is usually found in the U.P. between mid-September and early October; in the northern Lower Peninsula between late September and mid-October and so on.

Color patterns, however, depend greatly on the weather as well as other factors including lake-effect warming, which delays color changes near Great Lakes and inland water shorelines. In addition, cooler valleys or exposed hills may see color changing faster. Weather conditions in summer and early September largely determine how brilliant each season’s colors will be.

There are nearly 150 different species of trees in Michigan’s 18.6 million acres of forest. Our state boasts a colorful mix of yellows, reds, golds and oranges. Some of the most beautiful colors are displayed by such hardwoods as aspen, maple, birch, sumac and oak. When combined with a background of evergreen forest, the result is one of the best shows in the nation.

As you make plans to visit the Straits of Mackinac area during the fall season, consider these unique ways to enjoy the color show!

Collect leaves. Remember in high school biology when you had to collect leaves as part of a class project. This is a great multi-generational project to get you out on the local trails and in the parks to hand select the prettiest of leaves. Consider pressing them between pieces of wax paper, just like when you were a kid. Head out into the trails at Wilderness State Park, The Headlands or Historic Mill Creek to begin your search!

Go on an Elk Viewing Excursion. Just about 80 miles south/southeast of Mackinaw City is one of the state’s prime elk viewing sites—the Pigeon River Country State Forest and Elk Range in Gaylord, one of the largest free-roaming elk herd east of the Mississippi (with 105,000 acres). The most popular time to view elk is during the breeding season in September and October when they are feeding in open grassy areas and bulls are bugling. The best times to view elk are at dawn and dusk. NOTE: Elk should be appreciated at a distance and individuals should not try to approach the animal.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has published a Viewing Guide online, to provide more information about this unique experience.

Photograph Waterfalls. The Upper Peninsula is home to more than 300 waterfalls, ranging in size from under five feet to more than 48-foot vertical drops. Michigan’s largest falls is Tahquamenon – located just 80 miles from Mackinaw City. The centerpiece of Tahquamenon Falls State Park’s 50,000 acres, the Upper Falls is one of the largest waterfalls east of the Mississippi with a drop of nearly 50 feet and more than 200 feet across with a water flow of more than 50,000 gallons per second.

Moon viewing. The Full Harvest Moon will make its appearance on September 6 and the Full Hunters Moon on October 6. While there are plenty of open air places around Mackinaw City to look at the stars, the Headlands International Dark Sky Park is the premier location for unobstructed views.

Take a Scenic Drive. Michigan is home to many Pure Michigan Byways which celebrate the state’s outstanding natural beauty and many sites of historical, scenic, recreational and cultural significance. Several of these routes are easily accessible from Mackinaw City, including:

State Scenic Byways:

* M-119 “Tunnel of Trees” (Cross Village / Good Hart)
* US-2 “Top of the Lake Scenic Byway” (St. Ignace to Manistique)
* Tahquamenon (Lake Superior, intersecting with the Whitefish Bay National Forest route)

State Recreation Byways:

* M-23 “Sunrise Coast” (Mackinaw City to Standish, intersecting with the River Road National Scenic Byway – All American Road in Oscoda and along the AuSable River)
* North Huron Recreational Trail (I-75 north of St. Ignace to Drummond Island)

National Forest Scenic Byway:

* Whitefish Bay National Forest (Lake Superior near Paradise, intersecting with the Tahquamenon route.

Click here to download the official tour guide to the Pure Michigan Byways.

The Mackinaw Area Visitors Bureau has even established a specific Fall Color Tour Route, which will take you along some of the most scenic sites in northern Michigan!

Hike the North Country Trail. The North Country National Scenic Trail passes through seven northern states, from New York to North Dakota—traveling extensively through Michigan’s two peninsulas. When completed, the 4600-mile trail will be the longest continuous hiking trail in the United States. Coming out of Petoskey, the trail travels through Mackinac State Forest and Wilderness State Park where it follows the Lake Michigan Shoreline to Mackinaw City. The trail enters town on the southern border and its entire one-mile stretch inside the village is also a paved DNR Rails-to-Trails project named the North Western State Trail. From the trailhead, there is also access to the DNR’s North Central State Trail, which will take you from Mackinaw City south to Gaylord. For those wanting to continue north via the Mackinac Bridge, The Bridge Authority provides a shuttle to the trail’s Upper Peninsula connector.

Explore Michigan’s National Forests & Lakeshores. In the 1920s and 1930s, the US Government started a “resettlement program” which provided for direct purchase of marginal ag land and resettled those people onto more productive lands. Most of the purchased land was set aside for National or State forests. Michigan has four National Forests, two of which are within close proximity to Mackinaw City.

Huron-Manistee National Forest: Lying between the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron in the northern half of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the nearly one-million-acre Huron-Manistee National Forests are in a transition zone between forested lands to the north and agricultural lands to the south. The Huron-Manistee National Forests contain rare ecological features, such as dry sand prairie remnants, coastal marshlands, dunes, oak savannahs, fens, bogs and marshes.

Hiawatha National Forest: Located in Michigan’s wild and scenic Upper Peninsula, the Hiawatha National Forest’s dramatic shorelines lie nestled up to Lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan — three of the five great lakes. Six historic lighthouses stand on Hiawatha’s Great Lakes shorelines, five of which are owned entirely or in part by the Forest Service. The Hiawatha also boasts four distinctly different Great Lakes islands.

Those up for a longer trek (130 miles) can venture to Munising in the Upper Peninsula to visit the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore along the Lake Superior shoreline.

Go on a Cemetery Tour. Take a ferry ride over to Mackinac Island and explore one of the three cemeteries found there—two civilian and one military. Ste. Anne’s Catholic Cemetery is the largest of the three; the Protestant Cemetery is referred to by locals as “The Mackinac Island Cemetery”; and The Post Cemetery is the military site with grave dating back to the War of 1812 with both British and American soldiers buried there. The Post Cemetery is designated as a National Historic Landmark and the flag here continually flies at half-mast—one of only four National Cemeteries with this honor. All three are adjacent to each other on Garrison Road, in the middle of the island, and are open to the public during daylight hours.

Count Birds. The 2017 Mackinac Straits Raptor Watch waterbird count began on August 20 and continues through November 10. MSRW invites anyone interested to come to McGulpin Point, on the west edge of Mackinaw City, during this period to observe the migrating waterbirds and talk with migration experts who are conducting the count. In the fall of 2016, a professional counter observed a total of 44,302 waterbirds during 661 hours of work. As many as 20,000 long-tailed ducks and 4,000 white-winged scoters were counted in 2016, in combined spring and fall totals. The waterbird count began in 2015 with volunteer counters finding that there were substantial numbers of migrating waterbirds coming through the Straits of Mackinac area in the Fall. In 2015, counting for only 170 hours, a total of 18,164 birds were observed of 28 different species.

Try Geocaching. This high-tech treasure hunt involves using a GPS to find a container (or cache) using specific coordinates. Northern Michigan’s many geocache spots combine hiking, birding, wildflower and leave viewing, wildlife and other outdoor recreation and natural attractions. There are hundreds in the Straits Area and some unique and amazing locations in Mackinaw City. To get started sign up at geocaching.com and download waypoints to your smart phones or visit the Mackinaw Public Library computer lab for coordinates.

Cast a Line. Michigan boasts more freshwater coastline than any other state (3,177 miles of Great Lakes shoreline) as well as more than 11,000 inland lakes (more than Minnesota, FYI) and 36,000-plus miles of rivers and streams…with nearly 150 different species of fish. There are also many “Blue Ribbon Trout Streams” within a short drive of Mackinaw City such as the AuSable, Maple and Sturgeon Rivers in the Lower Peninsula (among 35 total) and Tahquamenon, Fox and Two Hearted in the Upper Peninsula (among 13 total). For more about fishing in the area, click here.

Go on a Self-Guided Sculpture Tour. Scattered around Mackinaw City are several wooden sculptures carved by Jerry Prior, each depicting a personal of historical importance in town. He started wood sculpting in 1989, shortly after he retired from the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), where he worked as a road designer. The first was completed was Chief Wawatam, which stands in Wawatam Park. Next, it was a statue of Alexander Henry—a fur trader at Fort Michilimackinac; followed by British Major Arent Schuyler DePeyster—who once commanded Fort Michilimackinac; Perry Darrow—a civic-minded village resident; Edgar Conkling—Mackinaw City’s founder (standing proudly in the park that bears his name); and Hattie Stimpson—one of the city’s first residents.

Climb a Lighthouse. Michigan has more lighthouse than any other state (at nearly 120) and the Straits area is home to more than a dozen of these historic navigational aids. Among those open for tours during the fall season are Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse (1892-1957) and McGulpin Point Light (1869-1906). Read more about the history of our area lights here.

Swing the Sticks. Fall is a perfect time for a round of golf—the crowds, bugs and prices are reduced versus the peak summer season. In the Mackinaw City area, check out Cheboygan Golf & Country Club or The Mackinaw Club.

Take a Trolley Tour. The Mackinac Old Time Trolley offers narrated historical tours of Mackinaw City’s timeless historic sites including the Mackinac Bridge, Colonial Michilimackinac, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse and the Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw. In the morning, the one-hour tour stays in town while the two-hour evening historical trip heads up over the five-mile Mighty Mac for a tour of Upper Peninsula sites.

Sample Beer & Wine. Make plans to visit on Saturday, September 9 for the 2nd Annual Mackinaw City Beer & Wine Festival, held in Conkling Heritage Park along the shores of Lake Huron. Food and music round out the weekend at this family-friendly festival. Click here for a list of other upcoming events.

Scare Yourself! It is Halloween season, after all. Fort Fright is a “haunted” experience held October 6-7 (6:30-9:30pm) at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City. Explore the wooden palisade of the Fort at twilight and experience the legends and lore of the Native Americans, French Canadians and British who called this site their home.

The Mackinaw Area Historical Society & Heritage Village is hosting two ghostly events in October. A “Ghost Supper” is planned from 2-4pm on Sunday, October 15 and “Triple Fright Night” will run from 6-8pm on Saturday, October 21.

If you’re headed to Mackinac Island, check out the Haunted Theater or Mackinaw Manor Haunted House, both located right downtown on Huron Street.

As you’re out and about experiencing the Straits of Mackinac area this fall season, be sure to share your photos (including selfies) online using the hashtag #MakeItMackinaw and #MackinawCity whenever possible.

For lodging reservations for the fall season in Mackinaw City, visit MackinawCity.com/stay/.