It’s a beautiful place.
Michigan’s Mackinac Island is considered the State’s crown jewel. Thousands of tourists each year visit a place filled with Victorian charm. It’s well warranted. There are no automobiles allowed on the Island. Modes of transportation consist of horse-drawn carriages, bicycles, or walking, and goods are transported to the stores by horse-drawn drays.
As a tourist walks along the business district, the air is filled with the aroma of fudge being made at candy stores. With horses used as the primary mode of transport, the gentle sound of clip-clop is everywhere, and various souvenir stores, restaurants, bars, and the like are prevalent.
Overlooking the downtown from a high bluff is historic Fort Mackinac. It’s considered the oldest building in the State of Michigan, and it houses exhibits that describe a variety of subjects, including military training and military medicine. The fort comes alive with demonstrations for tourists throughout the summer.
Beyond the downtown area, there are geologic structures and outcroppings that are cloaked in Native American legend. With names like Arch Rock, Devil’s Kitchen, and Skull Cave, they’re a must-see.
As a visitor approaches the Island by ferry or by air, one of the first noticeable structures is the beautiful Grand Hotel. It boasts the longest porch in the world at over 650 feet.
Cedar trees are ubiquitous to the island, and they grow in clumps that provide enough shade to prevent the growth of other plants beneath them. Other trees around the Island include both the Red Pine and White Pine in addition to Balsam and Firs.
British Landing sits on the northwest side of the Island. It’s the location where British forces and Native American allies came ashore in 1812 and forced the surrender of Fort Mackinac. Lt. Porter Hanks, with only 57 soldiers at the fort, abdicated without a shot being fired. A lone cannon still sits along the shore where the British came ashore so long ago.
Mackinac Island is located in Lake Huron, sitting in the Straits of Mackinac. In the shadow of the Mackinac Bridge, it defines a great deal of history in the development of Michigan. It’s steeped in Native American legend and folklore, and it’s the destination point for two world-renowned yacht races each summer.
With all its beauty, history, legend, and folklore, it seems an almost magical place, and as one tourist wrote in 1937, “Here on this magic Isle, strange things happen casually.”
Source: Mackinac Island Town Crier, July 24, 1937
GRIM PARADISE, available now, explores the chilling murder of Frances Lacey on Mackinac Island in July 1960.
Despite an extensive investigation, the case went cold, leaving the killer unidentified. The book delves into the details of this perplexing case, revealing the secrets of one of Michigan's most baffling, unsolved murders, and raises the question of whether advanced DNA technology could potentially provide answers, similar to its role in solving cases like the Golden State Killer.
