A Love Hate Relat...
Apr 09, 2024
Mackinac Island is approximately a 4-1/2 hour drive north from my home in Waterville, OH (suburb of Toledo, OH). I have visited the island at least two times in my life, but it has been a long time. My goal is to visit every destination emblazoned on our stickers but, unfortunately, this awesome endeavor has not yet been realized (or been possible....at least not at this time). Of course, one of my wife and my life goals is to have the freedom to travel the country in a motor home (preferably in the space-age styling of an Airstream touring coach), visiting cities, towns, and destination places all along our merry way. (I imagine this is a dream I share with many of my fellow humans.) Okay, so back to my story....
The last time I visited Mackinac (and only real memory I have of visiting the Island) was with my family in 1995. I had just finished my Junior year of high school, and it was a good time in my life. (It was all downhill from there.) The occasion of our visit was to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my grandparents, Don and Audrey Entenman. We met the extended family on Mackinac Island and enjoyed a big private dinner and stayed overnight at the Grand Hotel. At the conclusion of our dinner, the family presented my grandparents with a wonderful commissioned portrait of the smiling couple by northwest Ohio artist William (Bill) Kuhlman. At some time during that brief trip, I made my way to the playground basketball courts, with my basketball and Sony Discman in hand. An older guy (it seemed to me at the time, although he probably was not yet 30 years of age) who told me he had played D-III college basketball, challenged me to a game of one-on-one. He smoked me. Humiliated me 15-2. I was a lousy basketball player, but I always enjoyed shooting around.
That's the end of my personal narrative, now on to some of the facts about this beautiful gem of an Island.
The Anishinaabe (Native American) peoples in the Straits of Mackinac region likened the shape of the island to that of a turtle so they named it "Mitchimakinak", which translates to "Big Turtle" in the Ojibwe language. Following the Civil War, the island became a popular tourist destination for residents of major cities on the Great Lakes. Much of the federal land on Mackinac Island was designated as the second national park, Mackinac National Park, in 1875, three years after Yellowstone National Park was named as the first national park. When the federal government left the island in 1895, it transferred all of the federal land, including Fort Mackinac, to the state of Michigan; this area was designated as Michigan's first state park.
You technically cannot drive to Mackinac Island. In fact, if you Google driving directions, you will likely be informed that your destination is not possible, or that you'll have to swim. That's because the island can be reached only by private boat, ferry, small aircraft and, in the winter, by snowmobile over an ice bridge. You'll notice on Mackinac that people get around by foot, bike, and horse-drawn carriages, because pedestrian motor vehicles have been prohibited on the island since the late-late 19th Century. And if you left your horse at home , never fear, because bicycles, roller skates/blades, carriages, and saddle horses are available to rent. All of Mackinac Island was listed as a National Historic Landmark in October 1960. The downtown streets are lined with many retail stores and restaurants.
Points of Interest If You Visit:
Special thanks to Wikipedia (a most excellent and helpful aggregate site) for providing much of the content in this blog.
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