Sault Ste. Marie, MI to Green Bay, WI (I-75 south to St. Ignace, MI; US 2 west to Escanaba, MI; Hwy 35 to Menominee, MI; Hwy 41 to Green Bay, WI)
As I learned at the Soo Locks, the 63 mile long St. Mary’s River connects Lake Superior on the north with Lake Huron to the south. I-75 cuts across the end of the UP from Sault Ste. Marie to the “Down Below” about 50 miles to the south where the interstate approaches once of the great crossroads of North America, the Straits of Mackinac (pronounced “Mack-i-naw). Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Huron to the east join at the upper tip of lower Michigan at the straits, a narrow channel linking the two inland seas. Unlike Lake Superior, which is 21 feet higher than Lake Huron and thus required the building of the locks in order for ships to transit between the two, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are at the same level so shipping can flow easily between the two. The distance between the upper peninsula and lower Michigan is five miles, spanned since 1957 by the Mackinac Bridge.
Because of the strategic location of the straits humans have inhabited the area for thousands of years. The first European presence in the area was a mission established on Mackinac Island in 1670. Mackinac Island sits in the middle of the straits and all maritime traffic passes within its watchful view. The mission moved to the north shore at St. Ignace in 1671 and then moved south across the straits to the mainland side at Mackinaw City in 1708 where the French built Fort Michilimackinac. France ceded the territory to England in 1761 after the Seven Years War and during the American Revolution the British abandoned the fort and moved back to the island, a more defensible position, and built Fort Mackinac atop the limestone bluff. Americans took control after the revolution but the British temporarily took it back during the War of 1812. By December 1814 the war was over and the United States assumed permanent control of the fort. The political stability of the area soon gave rise to a bustling trade in fish, furs and lumber,leading to John Jacob Astor establishing the northern headquarters of the American Fur Company there in 1820. Millions of dollars of furs passed through Mackinac Island during the next decade. Fishing replaced furs as the primary industry as the growing cities along the Great Lakes proved to be a ready market. The Civil War largely passed Mackinac Island by, and shortly after the war a new industry emerged that would dominate the economy until the Great Depression of the 1930’s, tourism. The US Army decommissioned the fort in 1895 and the island was transferred to the State of Michigan as a state park. A key decision was made in 1898 when island residents voted to permanently ban the “horseless carriage” from the island. This decision, still in place today, means that there are no automobiles on the island. All traffic is by foot or horse drawn carriage. The history lesson is over, let’s visit the island!
Mackinac Island
The only access to the island is by ferry, either from St. Ignace on the UP or Mackinaw City on the Down Below. The island is overrun during the summer and weekends by thousands of tourists and there are three separate ferry companies running ferries every half hour to and from the island. I buy a ticket on the Shepler Ferry ($26 round trip). As I wait on the dock, the ferry returns from Mackinac Island in the distance.
By the 1880’s Mackinac Island was the premier summer vacation resort for the wealthy, many of whom built elaborate “cottages” along the bluffs. In 1887 the stunning Grand Hotel was built and quickly became an island of gentility for the wealthy in the middle of stunning scenery (a role which it proudly continues to fulfill today.) The ferry ride takes about 20 minutes and as we approach the turn into the harbor some of the mansions and the Grand Hotel come into view.
The ferry turns the corner around the jetty that protects the harbor and approaches the dock. Fort Mackinac rises on the top of the bluff.
To my left I can see the Mackinac Bridge rising in the distance.
The village drapes in a gentle curve around the bay. The first street, Main Street, is lined for blocks with shops (about every third one being a “fudge store”, restaurants and galleries.
Everywhere is evidence of the three means of available transportation: foot, bicycle, and carriage.
A block behind Main Street at the foot of the bluff is Market Street, site of a number of buildings from the fur trading days.
The Biddle House is the oldest house on the island with sections dating from 1780.
The Machilimackinac County Courthouse dates from 1839.
At the eastern end of Market Street on the corner of Market and the fort road is the American Fur Company Store and around the corner is the 1873 Trinity Church.
Standing on the corner I look up at my next destination, Fort Mackinac.
Fort Mackinac
The fort was built in 1779 on the crest of the limestone bluff which rises above the harbor. The walls are three feet thick with a wooden palisade on top of that. The entrance is up the ramp which rises to the right in the photo above. Once in the fort I climb the front wall and am rewarded with a stunning view of the town and shipping channel (between the two lighthouses) below.
Turning to my left I can see along the front wall, the entrance ramp rising from below.
The fort is roughly triangular in shape with tall blockhouses at each point. To my right are the Commissary (1878), Headquarters (1860), Storehouse (1860) and Bathhouse (1885).
A large building across the parade ground is the Soldiers Barracks (1859).
I climb up to the far point behind the barracks and look east down the northern side at the Schoolhouse (1879), North Blockhouse (1798) and the Officers’ Quarters (1835).
Both officers’ children and enlisted men were required to attend school in the late 1800’s.
The North Blockhouse looms above the walkway.
The Officers’ Quarters is actually a duplex designed to house a family on each side.
From the front porch of the Officers’ Quarters the view is down to the parade ground and the front side of the fort.
To the right is the South Blockhouse and the town below.
As I get ready to leave the fort and head back down to town I climb up on the rampart once again and am rewarded with the great view. One can see how the guns of Fort Mackinac could easily have controlled the strait.
A bonus is that one of the giant freighters that ply the Great Lakes is traversing the Straits of Mackinac right in front of me!
I head back down the hill to Main Street and turn left for a brief stroll (the commercial area is to my right). Here I find the oldest hotel on the island, the Island House, originally built in 1852, expanded in 1885 and 1912, and still an operating hotel.
Also along the street are mansions of the wealthy, many now operating as bed and breakfast inns.
I turn around and head back through the commercial area along Main Street and turn up Cadotte Avenue towards the Grand Hotel. On my left is the 1819 William Backhouse Astor house, built a number of blocks south of the Astor commercial buildings on Market Street.
I enter lavishly landscaped grounds and up ahead is the crowning glory of the island, the world-renowned Grand Hotel.
The view from the front porch that runs the entire length of the hotel is said to be spectacular, but I couldn’t tell you because I refused to pay the $10 fee to enter the porch. As I said earlier, the Grand Hotel presents a level of alleged sophistication and elegance for the wealthy and if you are not a guest of the hotel, you really aren’t particularly welcome on the grounds. A stark reminder of the “elite” atmosphere in the hotel is the discreet sign posted along the pathway to the hotel.
I satisfy myself with the view of the grounds below the hotel and return back to the village.
As I walk back to the ferry dock in the center of town I am reminded of the ban on automobiles. Everything transported on the island is by horse-drawn carriage or cart, including all supplies for the hotel. I pass several deliveries on their way up to the hotel and, yes, see several of the staff necessary to keep the streets suitable for walking. There is a slight drawback to horses everywhere…
While there certainly isn’t the odor of car exhaust in the air, the earthy scent of manure wafts its way through this rather chic little village…
It was a great visit, the weather cooperated (for once), it was a sound decision to beat the crowds by going in the middle of the week, and the mix of sights was fascinating. I leave the island and return to St. Ignace. The ferry again passes by the Grand Hotel and nearby mansions, while another freighter passes under the Mackinac Bridge in the distance.
The South Shore of the UP
Leaving St. Ignace the road skirts the northern shore of Lake Michigan as we head down towards Green Bay. The relatively flat shore is marsh and/or sand when I get a rare glimpse to my left.
Traveling south the highway veers away from Lake Michigan and starts to skirt Green Bay. The northwest side of Lake Michigan resembles a large crab turned on its side. Green Bay is a large body of water about 120 miles long that is separated from Lake Michigan by the two “claws” of the crab, Garden Peninsula jutting down from the UP and the Door Peninsula reaching up from lower Wisconsin. I stop for the night in Gladstone where we score a great campsite at the city campground fronting on the bay…
Continuing to head south the water fades from view to the east and the road weaves through the northwestern reach of dairy country. This is the first large scale agriculture that I’ve seen since western Minnesota. Less one think that Lakenland in the north (see Chap. 6) has a monopoly on “Junk Art”, rural residents along Highway 41 demonstrate their “yard art” skills to those who pass by! Yes, that’s a giant fly on the building in the left…
Next up: Green Bay
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