In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with Mackinac Island.
Nestled in the cold, deep waters between the upper and lower pennisulas of Michigan lies the idyllic and picturesque Mackinac Island. What was once a beloved spot for indigenous people evolved into a fur trader’s outpost, a military stronghold, and eventually the tourist destination we know today. From it’s unique ban on automobiles to its Victorian-era flagship hotel, this gem of an island transports its visitor’s back in time.
Let’s explore its unique history, fascinating year-round lifestyle, and it’s darkest haunts.
Recommended titles:
The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf
Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
What We Don’t Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon
Secrets of Mackinac Island series by Katie Winters
The Pink Pony: Murder on Mackinac Island by Charles Cutter
Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne
Timeless: Inside Mackinac Island’s Historic Cottages by Moira Croghan, Mark Bearss
Haunts of Mackinac: Ghost Stories, Legends and Tragic Tales of Mackinac Island by Todd Clements
Mackinac Island: It’s History in Pictures by Eugene T. Peterson
If you’re interested in purchasing the books mentioned in this episode, visit our bookshop.org affiliate shop
Links:
Lore episode 91: Beneath the Surface
Your Haunted Holiday episode 57: The Grand Hotel
Haunted Places: Mackinac Island
Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians
Harry Potter and the Sacred Text
10 Things You Might Not Know About Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel
Remembering Mackinac Island’s Agatha Biddle
Winter Life on Mackinac Island
Island Living: For Mackinac Full-timers, a Different Way of Life
Spend the Night at Michigan’s Most Haunted Hotel
All sources:
10 things you might not know About Mackinac Island’s Grand Hotel. (2019, August 28). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/things-might-not-know-mackinac-island-grand-hotel
Adams, S. (n.d.). Remembering Mackinac Island’s agatha Biddle and her role in American history. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://radio.wcmu.org/post/remembering-mackinac-islands-agatha-biddle-and-her-role-american-history#stream/0
The artists market of mackinac island. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://mackinacartistsmarket.com/
Bennett, E. R. (2020, January 31). Winter life on Mackinac Island. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.mlive.com/news/2016/02/winter_life_on_mackinac_island_1.html
Bitely, J., Says:, A., Says:, S., & Says:, G. (2018, July 30). Island living: For Mackinac Full-timers, a different way of life. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2018/07/18/island-living-for-mackinac-full-timers-a-different-way-of-life/
Boudreau, S. (2016, July 24). Spend the night At Michigan’s most Haunted hotel for a truly terrifying experience. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/michigan/most-haunted-hotel-mi/
Call the midwife [Television series]. (2012-present). BBC.
Clements, T. (2006). Haunts of Mackinac: Ghost stories, legends, & tragic tales of Mackinac Island. Grosse Pointe, MI: House of Hawthorne Pub.
Croghan, M., & Bearss, M. (2020). Timeless: Inside Mackinac Island’s Historic Cottages. Mackinac Jane’s Publishing.
Cutter, C. (2015). The Pink Pony: Murder on Mackinac Island. Traverse City, MI: Arbutus Press.
Earliest possible known history of mackinac island. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.nanations.com/ottawachippewa/earlieshistory.htm
Estes, Lisa. (Host). (2021, January 17).The grand hotel Mackinac Island. (No. 57) [Audio podcast episode]. In Your Haunted Holiday.
Gabaldon, D. (1991). Outlander. New York: Delacorte.
Gordon, A. (2021). What We Dont Talk About When We Talk about Fat. Boston, USA: Beacon Press.
Haddad, K. (2019, October 15). Ghost stories of Mackinac Island. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.clickondetroit.com/notification_morningreport/2019/10/15/ghost-stories-of-mackinac-island/
Hawthorne, R. (2007). Snowed in. HarperTeen.
Hobson, Bill. (Host). 2020. Voice of Mackinac Island [Audio Podcast]. Hobson Media Enterprises.
The island bookstore on Mackinac Island, Michigan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://islandbookstore.com/
Janette, Bailey. [@baileyyjanette]. (n.d.) Bailey Janette [TikTok profile]. TikTok. Retrieved March 2, 2020 from https:vm.tiktok.com/ZMeu8qu25/
Johnson, Megan Renee. [@megsonmackinac]. (n.d.). Megs On Mackinac [TikTok profile].TikTok. Retrieved March 2, 2021, from https://tiktok.com/ZMeu8napV/
Lavey, K. (2017, March 07). Mackinac island restores its Native American history. Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/travel/michigan/2017/03/07/restoring-mackinac-islands-native-american-history/98809484/
Mackinac Island: From past to present. (2020, January 24). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.gonext.com/2018/09/24/mackinac-island-from-past-to-present/
Mahnke, Aaron. (Host). Beneath the surface (No. 91) (2018, July 23). [Audio podcast episode]. In Lore. Aaron Mahnke.
Native American Tribe: Mackinac bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians: Michigan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.mackinacband.com/
Petersen, E. T. (2018). Mackinac Island: Its history in pictures. Mackinac Island, MI: Mackinac Island State Park Commission.
Polcyn, Greg. (Host). (2021, February 4). Mackinac Island (Audio podcast episode). In Haunted Places. Parcast Network.
Straits pride. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://straitspride.org/
SyFy’s ‘ghost Hunters’ on Mackinac Island wednesday. (2016, March 22). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.ourmidland.com/entertainment/article/SyFy-s-Ghost-Hunters-on-Mackinac-Island-6969295.php
Szwarc, J. (Director). (1980). Somewhere In Time [Motion picture]. USA: Rastar Pictures.
ter Kuile, C., & Zoltan, V. (Hosts). (2016-present). Harry Potter and the sacred text [Audio podcast]. Not Sorry Productions
ter Kuile, C., & Zoltan, V. (Hosts). (2021). The real question [Audio podcast]. Not Sorry Productions
Thorpe, R. (Director). (1947). This Time For Keeps [Motion picture]. USA: MGM.
Welcome to Grand Hotel: Mackinac Island, Michigan. (n.d.). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.grandhotel.com/
What it takes to make mackinac island fudge and where to find it. (2018, December 10). Retrieved April 13, 2021, from https://www.michigan.org/article/trip-idea/what-it-takes-to-make-mackinac-island-fudge-where-to-find
Winters, K. (2020). Secrets of Mackinac Island Series.