Michilimackinac

Fort Michilimackinac (or Colonial Michilimackinac), Mackinaw City, on the Mackinac Straits.

On the right side, the farther house is the Piquet House; the nearer one is labeled British Trader's House. They call the farther building on the left the Priest's House. These names have historical justification, though they are simplifications of a complicated reality. Colonial Michilimackinac, on the Mackinac Straits, is a reconstruction of a walled village which was originally built by French traders around 1715. The complex was occupied by the British Army in 1761, who coexisted with the traders. The British destroyed the fort in the early 1780s, deeming it indefensible, moving the buildings and residents to Mackinac Island. The reconstruction's based on archeological research which occurs at the site every summer, so the building locations can be assumed to be accurate; so, for the same reason, are the room arrangements. I'm pretty sure the buildings themselves are, at best, educated guesses, as are their specific contents. It's a neat place, even if I take the details with a grain of salt. The historical displays and knowledgable costumed staff make it among the best museums I know, and the archeologists seem to consider talking with the tourists to be part of their job. I've been visiting it occasionally nearly as long as I can remember.

Despite appearances, this stockade was never intended as a fortress. Michillimackinac was a fur trading post and remote French (British, after 1763) settlement on the Straits of Mackinac. When the folks living here decided they needed security, they moved to the more serious fortress on Mackinac Island. But the place was occasionally attacked, and was once overrun during Pontiac's Rebellion. Colonial Michillimackinac is a Michigan State Park. Everything that looks like a building in the park is a reconstruction, with only two or three minor exceptions. They've been working on this since 1959, and I've been visiting on an occasional basis since 1961. Yesterday was our first stop in over a decade. Our impression is that things have greatly improved. We spent most of the afternoon walking the place and checking out the exhibits. Oh, yes. That Bridge. There's only one bridge . Its name is Mackinac, and its anchorage is beside the old fort.

Jowo, Kalamazoo Richard , & Preacher Debra ; we apparently did something awful back in 1962 and needed to be punished. I was obviously enjoying the experience. Weren't Dick & Debbie cute? Fort Michilimackinac State Park, Mackinaw City, Michigan (now called Colonial Michilimackinac , which is a better name). That would be the Mackinac Strait in the background. Photo by Roger Dinda Camera: Argus C3

@ Colonial Michillimackinac State Park, Mackinaw City.

Colonial Michilimackinac; a reconstructed fort/trading post on the Straits of Mackinac by The Bridge . 8/5/2011.

Colonial Michillimackinac in Mackinaw City, at the tip of Michigan's mitten. The complex, part of a state park, is a reconstructed French trading village (or fort); it's at the foot of the Mackinac Straits Bridge. Yeah, spelling Mackinac can be confusing. So can the pronunciation: Say Mackinaw.

Colonial Michilimackinac, in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Michilimackinac is a state park, a reconstructed French colonial trading post on the Straits of Mackinac. And yeah, that's basically three ways to spell a single name. It's at the very top of Michigan's mitten.