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European fur traders and settlers established a stockade village
on the Straits of Mackinac, a key strategic point in the Upper
Great Lakes. This settlement was called Michilimackinac, now
preserved in time as Colonial Michilimackinac. Outside of the
settlement, today's Mackinac City offers visitors adventures
found nowhere else. In the mix of old and new there are 3 other
National Historic Sites along with Colonial Michilimackinac. Old
Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Historic Mill Creek, and Fort
Mackinac, all within the backdrop of the Majestic Mackinac
Bridge.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Erected in 1892, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse served as a
beacon of safety in the Straits for more than 60 years. The
castle-like structure, whose design is unique in the Great
Lakes, has been restored to its 1910 appearance. On the fully
accessible first floor, you'll find period settings and hands-on
exhibits that let you test your nighttime navigation skills,
light up a miniature Fresnel lens, and try on a lighthouse
keeper's clothing.
Wilderness State Park is just a bit east and the majority of the
many miles of shoreline consist of wide sandy beaches with
scattered cobble, backed by one of the best developed and most
diverse forested dune and swale complexes in Michigan, with some
spectacular wetland areas mixed throughout. The scattered cobble
beach areas provide some of the best habitat in Michigan for the
federally endangered piping plover. In fact, almost the entire
shoreline of the proposed natural areas is designated as
critical habitat for the piping plover
These are just a few of the treasures that await in Mackinac
City. For more visit our sponsor
www.thegablesbnb.com .
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Old Mission Light |
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Photo by Richard Galosy
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Waugoshance Point
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