Mackinac Island, Attracting Writers to Michigan
Mackinac Island is a beautiful island on Lake Huron which has outlawed cars since 1898. Biking is the preferred mode of transportation on the island, although there are also horse-drawn carriages and of course, you can always walk!
The Literary Who’s Who
It has been an important Native American site for the Ojibwa tribes for centuries. In the 19th century, before there was air-conditioning, Mackinac Island became a popular destination for vacationers eager to get away from the summer heat. Writers such as Herman Melville and Alexis de Toqueville traveled there. One of the most well-known landmarks on the island, the Grand Hotel, was a favorite place of Mark Twain.
Henry David Thoreau visited the island in 1861 and a librarian from his home state of Massachusetts has published a book recounting his journey and how he visited Fort Mackinac and climbed Arch Rock. He traveled with a notebook and wrote down observations about the leaves and flowers he saw, collected some specimens of local plants, and even recorded some of the folk tales he heard about the island.
An Idea
Think about keeping a travel journal, like Thoreau. Having a written record about your own trip, whether it’s recorded on an iphone, in a blog, or in an old-school diary is a great way to remember it later. You will love to read and reread it, and who knows, it may be the beginning of your own book someday.
Mackinac Island is the sixth stop on our Michigan Author Adventures Trail.
Rebecca Blake Beech
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