Mackinac Island State Park in situated in Mackinac Island, Michigan State in the United States. It is in Lake Huron the middle of Upper Peninsula andLower Peninsula. There are three Islands there, they include; Mackinac, Bois Blanc and Round. The island covers a total of 9.78km2 with a coast line which acts as its circumference and it is 13km. The highest point of the island is 217 meters; it is called Fort Holmes. Its population is 492 in habitation and about fifteen thousand tourists on daily basis in the peak period according to the statistics of 2010.
It is believed that the Native Americans lived there before the arrival of the explorers from Europe in 17th century. It was an ideal center of commerce so the British grubbed it, during the American revolutionary movement. The Americans attempt to reclaimed provoked the British to fight back 1912 but the Americans manage to reclaim it. Towards the end of 19th century, the Island started attracting tourists and was immediately turned into a summer colony and tourist attraction centre. This Island however has stored a lot of historic material and has been included in the US national historic centers. Most of Mackinac Island land has been preserved as State Park.
Since Mackinac Island is an island, air and water transport are the simplest means of getting there. In water you can use ferry or private boats. In air one can use a small aircraft; it has airport that a landing paved way of over 1 km. The Island has two major seasons, winter and summer, during winter, may use ice roads and snowmobiles. However, the most commonly used means during summers is the ferry since it commonly available and cheap. There are several ferries from different companies. Private and public vehicles are prohibited in the Island; travelers can either walk, ride bikes, ride horses, roll using skates or roll using blades.
The town itself has a good number of different types of shops and restaurants. In candy shop, ‘Mackinac Island Fudge’ is available. The product commonly referred to as a ‘fudgie’ and it is locally manufactured and distributed to the whole of the United States.
According to the studies conducted by the Archaeologists, Mackinac Island was a fishing ground for the Natives. It is also believed to have been the secret place where some kinds of gods were dwelling. It acted as a shrine where people would meet to offer sacrifices to their gods. It was at this very point where the tribal chiefs of the Native Americans were buried too.
The first European to see Mackinac Island is believed to be Priest Claude Dublin in around 1670 when he was in a mission in Native America. The first missionaries to the region opened up the area and were soon followed by traders; the first traders in the area were from France and were searching for fur to buy. The French trader transacted business with the native but later disagreement between them and the Indians provoked conflicts.
The British moved in to intervene, in the process, they took the full control of the Island. It was after all these that the building Fort Mackinac was started by the British. This structure was a shield site for British during attack by the Natives, French or Canadians. They later build Fort George on the highest ground in the Island to reinforce it. In the process of building the fort George, another war broke with the Americans but they were able to kill one of their most influential members in the military hence defeating them.
After several fights between the Americans and the British, the British were sent out of the Island and United States took over the control of the Island. The Island became peaceful again people started visiting the Island; it became a tourist attraction center. Hotels and summer corteges were building and the tourist’s attraction site became profitable and soon it was give to the State of Michigan. In the19th Century, the Islanders thought that motor vehicles were not doing them good, they were affecting their health and peace of their horses. The motor vehicles were bunt from the island till today. However, only emergency and service vehicles remained in the Island. The name of the Island was derived from the languages of the Native American as it does many islands in the region.
The island almost 5km far from the shores of the mainland and therefore most huge mammals have never managed to cross to the Island except those that can cross the lake during the winter. However rodents, birds, minks and raccoons inhibit the island. Bats are the most common of all the mammals; this could be attributed to their ability to cross the water. The island is endowed with more than 500 species of plants; they include both flowering and the not flowering plants. The region has a small forest. It acts as home for big trees and some small wild animals like the rabbits, squirrels and the raccoons. Pine, cedar and birch are common in the Island among other big trees.
This Island accommodates several cultural events, for example, American Arts at Grand Hotel, which originally came from the Masco anthology in 19th century. This is just one among the five collections that are found in the Island. The Island has also been set as a common setting for film shooting. We should not forget the fact that the Mackinac Island hosts Girls Guides and Boy Scouts and their facilitators in some weeks. The program has been run for a very long time and is honored. Whenever they are in the Island, 26 flags are flown and community projects attended to by this guides and scouts. The scouts and guides camp in Scout Barracks behind Fort Mackinac.
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