For the Love of Mackinac!

Mackinac Island Hat Tricks and Other Stories

The magic that is Mackinac. With its emerald blue waters, it is an island that is full of wonder and mystique as you venture back in time. Welcome to Mackinac Island, 'Michilimackinac' in ancient Ojibwa for the land of the great turtle. With its sweet aroma of fudge and horse droppings Mackinac is to Michigan what Monte Carlo is to Monaco...the Midwest’s principality.
"Mackinaw", derives originally from "michibou", who was a God of the waters and forest spirits.
Mackinac Island was the burial ground for ancient tribal chiefs. In the 17th century the Straits of Mackinac was the fur trading commercial center of North America. The fort at Mackinac provided security to a then young nation and played a pivotal role in the War of 1812 as it changed hands with the British after battle. After the Civil War, Mackinac Island became the nation's second national park.
In 1895 the War Department turned over the property deeds of more than 70% of the island to the State of Michigan. It became Michigan's first state park. At the turn of the century, Midwestern lumber barons built several palatial hotels for summer tourists. They would arrive by large ships or by train to escape the heat and humidity of the big cities to vacation in the cool northern breezes (except in 2001!) of the Great Lakes. The Grand Hotel, which boasts the world's largest front porch was the jewel of these wooden palaces.
The general allure to Mackinac Island is other than the afore-mentioned refreshing cool summer breezes, is its unique recapturing of geologic & American history. The center piece of Mackinac’s summer are the July yacht races; one which starts in Chicago, Illinois, sailing up the Lake Michigan shoreline and the other which originates near Detroit, Michigan, proceeding up the treacherous emerald waters of Lake Huron. Topping off these sailing extravaganzas are the hats of course! No Mackinac Race is complete without the baseball cap.
The hat trick stories provide the drama of which many dreams may lie. The key to the Port Huron hats is tracking down the voluptuous Bacardi Girls early and often. It isn't too hard to spot these 6ft. girls with their day glow hair.
As far as the Mt. Gay caps the tack is much trickier. These puppies are few and far between. My son helped me score mine during the Y2K blackout in 2000. Mt Gay has been a longtime sponsor of the Chicago-Mac Race. While trying to get our hands on the other popular item that year, the fortuitous glow sticks, we ran into the Mt. Gay Representative who heartily obliged us with the luminous sticks, but the hat were a different matter. Anyway, to make a long story short, he unselfishly tracked me down the next day and gave me his own hat!
The Bayview YC's awards ceremony, the infamous Bacardi Party, takes place on the front lawn of the Mission Point Resort. Rocker Bob Seger in his boat Lightning has taken race winning honors home on a couple of occasions and the Grand Hotel plays host to the Chicago Yacht Club’s reception. 1987’s gala was interrupted with Pied Piper’s exciting record shattering performance as Dick Jenning’s Santa Cruz 70 (now Great Lakes 70) showed up under the Mackinac Bridge during the party!
The Port Huron Race concludes off Cedar Point on Mission Point’s southeastern shore. Being able to sit on the beach and watch some 200 + yachts finish, gliding wistfully under a beautiful summer moon or under a bright blue sunshine and turquoise waters sporting a variety of colorful spinnakers (weather permitting) is truly brilliant!
MPR is located on the island's east end. The resort takes its name from the original Mission House, built in the 1820's by Reverend William Ferry as a school for the local Indian children.
In the late 1940's an organization led by Frank Buchman launched a global vision of peace and honesty known as the MRA "Moral Re-Armament" society. The group added to their international conference center campus throughout the 50's before deeding the property to Mackinac College in 1966.
In 1987 Mission Point was born again and is referred to as "Mackinac Island's Friendly Resort" has become the island's premier family destination.
What was once the MRA's "Great Hall" is now MPR's main lobby. It is one of the most awe-inspiring structures imaginable. Constructed with 65ft. timbers of Michigan virgin pine, the trusses were floated across the Straits of Mackinac from nearby Bois Blanc Island to resemble an Indian tepee.
The "Great Hall" fulfills the Ojibwa prophesy that, "someday on the east end of the island a great tepee will be erected. All nations will come there and learn about peace.
Several years ago MPR began recruiting food & beverage/hotel management students from England, Ireland and Scotland to meet the demands of a longer season. The students are fulfilling their internships. Their presence has given Mission Point an ambience and international flair that allows the original educational mission to continue.
Unbeknown to the crews at the start of Y2K's Chicago to Mackinac Race, the island began experiencing a series of power outages. What began shortly after the conclusion of the Bacardi Bayview Race as sporadic interruptions, reached epic proportions two days after the start and by the arrival time of a majority of the fleet the Mayor of Mackinac Island, Margaret Dowd had declared a state of emergency and imposed a midnight curfew.
As anyone who is on the island during the yacht races know; by midnight the overflow crowds of sailors at the Pink Pony, Horne's, the French Outpost and all the other bar crawl venues are just beginning shake off those sea legs. Luckily, even with a lack of power the weather was blue skies and as long as the beer was cold, the majority made due the CYC crowd is generally a fairly hearty contingent.
What had occurred in this "once in a lifetime" event was a corrosion of some of the seven cables which lead to the island, leading to a massive overload. By mid-week the island was humming with generators from large to small.
The Grand Hotel brought over a generator the size of a semi-trailer. Most had portable units left over from the New Year hype, which of course had failed to materialize. Needless to say the hardware stores in Petoskey and Cheboygan kept busy.
Unlike most northern islands Mackinac has little or no mosquito problems thanks to an energetic bat population.
The bats, which on an individual basis can consume hundreds to thousands of the menacing pests every evening find a creative path around people as they kamikaze their way to dinner. Once you get used to their frolicking acrobatics you appreciate the work they do.
Yes, fudge, loads and loads of it. According to legend, fudge making began on Mackinac Island in 1887 by Rome Murdick. Over the last 50 years several other prominent island families began producing their own recipes and who makes the best fudge is subject to interpretation.
Fudge shops dot Main Street and the sweet smell is unmistakable....almost. Which leads us to Mackinac Island's other great tradition, horses. No cars allowed. When the noisy automobile was first introduced at the turn of the century they disrupted the horse population in such a profound way that the city's fore-fathers has the insight to ban on the island in the infancy of their existence.
This led to the island's world signature; an authentic horse driven culture. All shipments and luggage on the island are delivered by horse dray or bicycle. Horse powered taxis conveniently provide a relaxing or romantic interlude towards your destination. During the winter months the horses are transported off the island to a farm complex in the Upper Peninsula.
The island is not without its struggles for the future. The State of Michigan has wrestled for years over the idea of a new marina on the island to accommodate the needs of recreational boaters during the summer months.
An angry division resounded between the Michigan DNR and preservationists. A majority of island residents felt a new marina would infringe on the Victorian charm and historical nature of Mackinac. The DNR poured fuel on the fire by submitting design plans that resembled the Taj Mahal.
Thankfully, compromise appears to have been reached by a plan to expand facilities within Hallemand Bay, by redirecting ferry traffic and constructing an additional break wall & adding dock space. This year the old Arnold Lines Coal Dock is getting a long overdue rework.
Though with all things It is important to recognize the difference between what you think you need and what you actually need. The charm of Mackinac Island is that you still feel like you are stepping back “somewhere in time”. Stay tuned.