The first European to pass the site of Mackinaw City was Jean Nicolet, sent out from Quebec City by Samuel Champlain in 1633 to explore and map the western Great Lakes, and to establish new contacts and trading partnerships with the Indian tribes of the region. European exploration and Fort Michilimackinac The Straits of Mackinac was the center of two routes vital to the fur trade: one to Montreal in the east, by way of Lake Nipissing and the Ottawa River valley and the other to Detroit in the south via Lakes Huron and St.

The Native Americans here had a creation myth based on the sacred turtle. Mackinac Island in the straits appeared to have the shape of a turtle. These peoples had long frequented the surrounding region, which they called Michilimackinac, to fish, hunt, trade, and worship. The predominant historic tribes in this area were three Algonquian peoples, known collectively as the Council of Three Fires: Chippewa ( Ojibwe in Canada), Ottawa ( Odawa), and Potawatomi at the time of French contact in the 17th century. The downtown district and much of the development lie within Mackinaw Township, Cheboygan County, but the larger portion of the village by area is in Wawatam Township, Emmet County, which borders Mackinaw Township to the west. Mackinaw City is governed by the General Law Village Act, Public Act No. The official name of the community is 'The Village of Mackinaw City' and as that suggests, it is a village by state law. Local attractions include Fort Michilimackinac, the Mackinac Bridge, the Mackinaw Crossings shopping mall, Mill Creek, the Old Mackinac Point Light, the Historic Village, the McGulpin Point Light, and the retired US Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw. Mackinaw City is also the primary base for ferry service to Mackinac Island, located to the northeast in the straits.Īccording to AAA's 2009 TripTik requests, Mackinaw City is the most popular tourist spot in the state of Michigan. These two land masses are physically connected by the Mackinac Bridge, which runs from Mackinaw City north to St. Across the straits lies the state's Upper Peninsula. Mackinaw City is at the northern tip ( headland) of Michigan's Lower Peninsula along the southern shore of the Straits of Mackinac. The population was 806 at the 2010 census the population surges during the summer tourist season, including an influx of tourists and seasonal workers who serve in the shops, hotels and other recreational facilities there and in the surrounding region. Mackinaw City ( MAK-in-aw) is a village in Emmet and Cheboygan counties in the U.S.

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