Mackinac Island

Blockhouse in Fort Mackinac

It was only about an hour’s drive down to Lake Michigan, where we camped at the Mackinac City KOA. Shepler’s Ferry to the island provides shuttle service to each of the hotels and campgrounds in the area, removing all the hassles of parking in town. It’s only a 20 minute ferry trip to the island, where they have banned cars since the early 1900’s. Thus there are a lot of bicycles for rent here or you can take a carriage ride around the island. We started by having lunch at Millies on Main, trying out a Yooper Beef Pastie – it was quite good, but then we like meat pies. It was a few block walk to Fort Mackinac, but the last part was uphill to the bluff above the town. This fort was built in 1780 by the British, while the Americans took control in 1796 after the Revolutionary War. It was also the site of the first land battle of 1812,^th century barracks, hospital, officer’s quarters, school, and what I found unique: a bathhouse built in 1885 where the men had to take a bath every week! 

as the British attacked with over 500 men (versus the 60 in the Fort), the Americans quickly surrendered seeing that the case was hopeless. The other interesting factoid is this Fort and the surrounding land became America’s second National Park in 1875, an attempt to preserve the natural setting of the area. The fort then was charged with managing the park until it was decommissioned in 1895 and the federal government gave the park to the State of Michigan as a state park. The history is well explained in the park movie. The entire time we were there costumed interpreters were busy explaining what life was like in this fort throughout the decades, even getting the tourists marching to various commands. The buildings of the Fort are well preserved including the original blockhouse from 1798 up to the 19^th century barracks, hospital, officer’s quarters, school, and what I found unique: a bathhouse built in 1885 where the men had to take a bath every week!

Re-enacting an attack