Posts Tagged: Lake Huron
Privy Addition at Old Mackinac Point
Restoring a historic site to its original appearance is usually an ongoing activity. At the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, restoration has been underway since 2004 to return the station buildings and grounds to the way they looked just over a century ago. This summer, another small historic addition appeared at the lighthouse that you may not have noticed. Attached to the back of the station barn, you can now see a reconstructed privy cleanout, which allowed the keepers to maintain the privy located in the barn between 1892 and 1928. (more…)
Tags: 20th Century, Archaeology, Barn, Great Lakes, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lighthouse, Lighthouse Keeper, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinac State Historic Parks, Mackinaw City, New, Old Mackinac Point, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Privy, Restoration, Straits of Mackinac
Winter at Old Mackinac Point
At most light stations on the Great Lakes, winter was a quiet time for the lightkeepers. With commercial freighters and passenger vessels frozen in their harbors for the winter, there was little traffic on the lakes to warrant keeping light stations operational. Some remote lights were even abandoned every winter, with crews returning only when the ice began to break up in the spring. At Old Mackinac Point, however, keepers stayed at the station and even continued to work once snow started falling. (more…)
Tags: Chief Wawatam, Freighter, Ice, Ice Fishing, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lighthouse, Mackinac Bridge, mackinac island, Michilimackinac State Park, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, Radio, Radio Beacon, St. Ignace, St. Marie, Straits of Mackinac, Winter
Harold D. Corbusier arrived at Fort Mackinac as a 9-year old boy in 1882. His father, Dr. William H. Corbusier was the post surgeon, and the family lived on the west side of the fort. Harold began keeping a diary in early 1883, which provides an illuminating look at the life of a kid in the 19th century. (more…)
Tags: 19th century, American Military, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Diary, Fort Mackinac, History, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, mackinac island, Military, Snow, Straits of Mackinac, Thanksgiving
From the Archives: Sunday School Minute Book
Mackinaw Mission Sunday School Minute Book, 1825 1955.217.1 Donated by Austin G. Packard
Mackinac States Historic Parks archival collections preserves thousands of items documenting all aspects of Mackinac history. In this ongoing series we highlight some of these treasures. (more…)
Tags: American History, Archives, Collection, Great Lakes, History, Lake Huron, mackinac island, Mackinac State Historic Parks, Massachusetts, Mission, Mission Church, Mission House, New England, Protestant, Sunday School, Treasures
Les Feu Follet
The following is excerpted from Were-Wolves and Will-O-The-Wisps: French Tales of Mackinac Retold, written and illustrated by Dirk Gringhuis. The stories in this book are the basis for Fort Fright, taking place October 5 and 6 at Colonial Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City. The book is available at the Colonial Michilimackinac Visitor's Center, and tickets for Fort Fright are available by clicking here.
Tags: Book, Colonial Michilimackinac, Excerpt, Folklore, Fort Fright, French, History, L'Arbre Croche, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Les Feu Follet, Spooky, Straits of Mackinac, Were-Wolves and Will-O-The-Wisps
The Fog Whistle
Plans for a Lighthouse Service 10-inch whistle, from the 1902 Instructions to Light-Keepers.
Although the light at the top of the tower may be the defining feature of most lighthouses, stations like Old Mackinac Point usually had another, equally valuable signaling system to help keep sailors safe. The light, while valuable in relatively clear conditions, couldn't always be seen through haze, smoke, driving rain, or fog. During times of low visibility, the keepers turned on Old Mackinac Point's other signaling system: the fog whistle. (more…)
Tags: Demonstrations, Fog Whistle, Great Lakes, Interpretation, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lighthouse, Mackinac Bridge, Mackinaw City, Old Mackinac Point, Sailing, Straits of Mackinac, Technology
Guarding the Straits: The St. Helena Light Station
St. Helena Light Station as it looks today. Photo courtesy Craig Wilson.
Old Mackinac Point is just one of over a dozen light stations that helped guide sailors through the Straits of Mackinac. On a clear day, five of these stations can still be seen from the top of Old Mackinac Point's tower. About eight miles to the northwest, in Lake Michigan, is the St. Helena light, which shared a great deal of history with Old Mackinac Point.
The island of St. Helena was home to a thriving fishing village for much of the 19th century. Steamships stopped at St. Helena to replenish their supply of wood for fuel, and sought shelter in the island's natural harbor. However, dangerous shoals extend from the east and west ends of the island, imperiling vessels attempting to reach the safety of the harbor. To warn sailors of these dangers, Congress approved funding for a new light station on St. Helena in 1872, and the tower and keepers' quarters were completed the next year. The station's 3½-order Fresnel lens was lit for the first time in September 1873. Additional structures, including an oil house, wharf, and boat house, were added in the 1890s. (more…)
Tags: Charles Marshall, Fort Mackinac, George Marshall, GLLKA, Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association, James Marshall, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, mackinac island, Mackinaw City, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, St. Helena Light Station, Straits of Mackinac
Winter Recreation on Victorian Mackinac Island
Most stores have closed, many hotels and cottages have been boarded up, and we have had the first snow of the season on Mackinac Island.
Winter on Victorian Mackinac Island was much like it is today – boats stopped running, winter provisions were stocked, and the smaller island population could be cut off the from mainland often. While ice breakers, the internet and planes keep present-day Mackinac Island more connected than ever before, what did island residents do in the past in the wintertime? (more…)
Tags: Ice Fishing, Ice Sailing, Ice Skating, Icehouse, Lake Huron, mackinac island, Recreation, Sledding, Sleighs, Straits of Mackinac, Toboggans, Victorian, Winter
The Marshalls of Old Mackinac Point
Many lighthouses around the Great Lakes were home to dedicated light keepers and their families, some of whom served at the same stations for years. At Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse, tending the light station became a family affair, with members of the Marshall family living and working at the lighthouse for 50 years.
Tags: Lake Huron, Lighthouse, Mackinaw City, Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse