Macinac Island- aka Magical Land of Fudge

Today's post is about Macinac Island, in Michigan. It's a state park, and is absolutely beautiful. There are several travel routes around the island, and the longest is about 8.3 miles. Caves, including Arrow Cave and Skeleton Cave, dot the island, and at the highest part of the bluffs is Fort Macinac. Fort Macinac (after a steep climb up the side of the bluff on a ramp) has preserved the structures and basically turned it into a big museum, complete with a gift shop. The people who work there act as through it is the 1800s, and rifle and cannon firings take place throughout the day. 

One of the regular rifle firings

Now for a bit of history. Originally, the Aboriginals who saw the high cliffs though it looked like a big turtle, so they called it something pronounced mish-la-mac-in-naw. (macinac.com) It was discovered by the French in 1634, and it became an important fur trading site around 1671. (macinac.com) After the French and Indian war, when Great Britain received Canada, they also received Macinac island. An English Major, Patrick Sinclair, decided to build Fort Macinac on the top of the island, thus giving a good viewpoint as well as a difficult climb for any invaders. (macinac.com) The fort and island switched hands between the British and Americans several times until the end of the War of 1812. (macinac?com) Afterwards, it became a big fur trading site. In 1822, William Beaumont made medical history when he observed what went on in the inside of a man's stomach. Beaumont was one of the post's surgeons. (macinac.com) In the 1860s, the island processed barrels of fish to be taken farther east. (macinac.com) This replaced the fur trade that had been reestablished after the War of 1812. Once it became a state park, the history has much less happening. No cars were allowed on the island, to preserve how the island should be.

The view from the top of the fort

Fudge is sold practically every other shop on Macinac Island. As well as cars not being allowed, skates (roller and board) are not allowed on the main tourist paths, as they scare the horses. Bicycles, however, are permitted, and it is the way most people get around.

I loved the old timey feel of Macinac Island, as well as the fantastic fudge. It never got too hot to have fun, although I do suggest bringing a jacket, especially for the ferry ride. Travel tip: don't mispronounce Macinac. It's Mac-i-naw; it's not pronounced how it's spelled. Also, bring lots of fudge money. You'll want to try from several of the stores, not just one. 

Works Cited

The pictures are mine

Peterson, Eugene T. "High Cliffs." Mackinac.com. The Digital Intelligence Group, n.d. 

              Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

The School Year In Review

This past few months, world geography's been a whirlwind. Most of it I've loved, especially drinking foreign coffee and mapping (mapping is therapeutic). It's time to look back on what I learned. I absolutely loved learning about Canada. I've been planning on moving there when I'm older and I learned so much about the country. For one, I learned all the provinces names and locations, some of how they make their income, regionalism, and about Quebec and how it deals with seperatism. Later on, once we were into the Caribbean and Central America, we learned about some of the religions. I've wondered a long time about Voodoo, Rastafarianism and Santeria, especially Voodoo. Learning about the religions gave me a lot of insight into the cultures of the inhabitants of the places that a lot of people practicing the religions. Overall, it's definitely been fun (minus all the writing). This semester, I'm excited about learning about Europe. I've never really studied any of Europe before, except for some ancient history. I'm especially interested in Russia. It seems like a very interesting (and unique) place. I can't wait!