Mackinaw Trolley Tour and Colonial Michilimackinac

This morning we drove into Mackinaw City to go on the Mackinaw Trolley Tour. After purchasing our tickets ($18 each) we boarded the trolley. Our trolley driver was Chris and after telling us about the history of the area and about the sights we were going to visit, we started on our tour.

From Mackinaw City

Our tour started with the downtown area, the train and car ferry docks, Fort Michilimackinac and then to the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse. The Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse was established in 1889 and the fog signal went into operation in 1890. The house and tower were completed in 1892. The lighthouse was closed in 1957 because the lights on the newly built Mackinac Bridge made the lighthouse unnecessary. Construction on the Mackinac Bridge began in 1954 and opened for traffic in 1957. The bridge is 5 miles long and the main towers are 552 feet above the water.

From Mackinaw City

We then drove across the Mackinac Bridge to St. Ignace to visit Father Marquette’s Mission and gravesite and the Ojibwa Museum. Father Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit priest, established a mission here in 1671 and lived in this area with the Huron Indians. In the Museum of Ojibwa Culture we saw displays of Ojibwa family life and art. The museum grounds are the oldest known historical site in Michigan.

From Mackinaw City

Our next stop on the tour was at Castle Rock. Castle Rock was the ancient lookout of the Ojbway Indians and rises almost 200 feet above lake level. Chris, our tour guide, asked who wanted to could climb the 170 steps up to Castle Rock. Mike and I and 3 young people entered through the gift shop and then outside to start our climb. We passed by statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox. I have to admit 170 steps sounds like a lot, but about half way up it seemed more like double that. But once on top of Castle Rock the view was worth the climb. We could see Mackinac Island, Lake Huron and the Mackinac Bridge. After taking our photos we went down the 170 steps back to the gift shop where we received a sticker saying we had “Climbed Castle Rock”.

From Mackinaw City

Then it was back on to the trolley and the return trip to Mackinaw City. After the trolley tour we drove to the Pizza Palace for lunch. I ordered a 1/2 order of deep-fried pickles (large dill pickle spears dipped in batter and deep-fried) served with a ranch sauce – very unique and very good. I had the personal pizza and Mike had a 1/2 stacked turkey sandwich with a side salad – both very good. Then we went to Mackinaw Crossings outdoor mall to do some shopping. Then we drove over to Colonial Michilimackinac. On our way to the fort we saw Jerry and Sue (our neighbors at the campground) riding their bicycles and they invited us over tonight for a glass of wine.

At the Colonial Michilimackinac gift shop we purchased our tickets ($10.50 each). We watched a 13-minute film called Coming Together at Michilimackinac. After a short walk along the shore of Lake Michigan to the fort, we joined a guided tour of the reconstructed fort that was just beginning. Fort St. Philippe de Michilimackinac was constructed in 1715 by French soldiers and became the center for the fur trade of the Northwest. In 1761 the British took control of the fort after their conquest of French Canada. The fort was relocated to Mackinac Island in 1780 because the British feared an attack by American rebels.

From Mackinaw City

On our tour we saw the current archaeological dig and an archaeologist explained about the artifacts that they were finding. We also learned that the placement of the reconstructed buildings are in the exact location of the original buildings. Along our tour several interpreters explained about colonial life and the fur trade. After the tour we watched a demonstration of cannon firing and then headed back to the car. We stopped at the IGA for a few groceries and then stopped at fudge shop to buy some fudge before heading back to the RV.

After dinner we walked over to Jerry and Sue’s RV. During the “getting to know each other” conversation, Mike told them he had been a helicopter flight instructor at Ft. Rucker, Alabama. It turns out that Sue’s brother is Bob Meade and he had worked for the same company Mike had! What a small world!! We had a great time sitting around the campfire and visiting with Jerry and Sue tonight and their dog, Samantha.