Mackinac Island Adventures

By Lynda Hepker and Steven Hepker

A Booklet that will introduce island culture and adventures to explore on beautiful Mackinac Island. Written by a year round resident of the island this booklet offers information that you should know before traveling to Mackinac Island, MI. Plus, a little history, some fun facts, things to see and do off the beaten path and a little humor about how we live on an island through the 4 seasons of Michigan, we have Fall, Winter, Spring and Fudgy season.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jul 27, 2016
• ISBN: 9781365281341

Book preview

Mackinac Island Adventures

Living on Mackinac Island is a daily adventure. I have heard mothers say if they

move off Mackinac Island they can apply for a job in tactical engineering. We live in a beautiful place that has drawn visitors to the Straits of Mackinac for centuries. Some of us were born here and others, like my husband and I, carved out a life here because it is a wondrous community to live, work and raise our sons. We love living here, and I wrote this guide to help visitors get more enjoyment in their time on Mackinac Island. This is a more relaxed guide book, from an island resident’s perspective on attractions, adventures off the beaten path, hidden gems and insider tips, with a dose of history and culture and a twist of island humor.

Enjoy your stay!

History

Natives Americans to Fudge

Mackinac Island has an average of 500 full-time residents, many of whom are of Native American descent. Until the early 1600s Mackinac Island was known as the Great Turtle, a spiritual place. Tribes would camp on nearby Round Island and preserve the island as a sacred place to bury tribal chiefs and make offerings to Gitche Manitou, the Great Spirit of the island. Local tribes were the Ottawa, Chippewa and the Iroquois (The Iroquois did not play well with others).

In the mid1600s, Europeans began to explore the Straits, while Jesuit missionaries began to draw attention to the region as they worked to convert the Indians. At the same time the French were begging tribes for their knowledge and assistance in gathering furs. The island became instrumental in the fur trade.

In the late 1700s, Madeline La Frambroise and her husband owned many trading posts in Michigan. She took over the business in 1806 after her husband was killed, and managed trading posts on the island and across the region while raising two children. While an experienced fur trader could profit $1,000 a year, Frambroise was turning profits of

$5,000 to $10,000 annually. She was described as a strong, fair woman who earned the respect and trust of the natives. John Jacob Astor bought the