July 7 trip to mackinac island

I'll try to make this understandable. Today started out cold about 55 degrees and with wind,but since I was here I decided to go ahead over to Mackinac Island.
It was an easy 15 minute boat ride over.I had expected only a tourist place, but When I got started with a Horse drawn carriage tour of the Island, I found it to be more than a tourist spot. (first part of the carriage tour was in a cart like the one in picture no,8) It became apparent that this had been an important island and stopping place since indian days before white men came. Then it was a fur trading point for the early trappers. Soon the British built Fort Mackinac to control the area and the westward access,rhen the town grew up around it. After the revolutionary war in 1797 the americans took over the fort, Then in the war of 1812 the first battle of the war was fought here with the english retaking the fort and holding it until after the peace treaty. Jacob Astor was the principal fur buyer for many years here, After the civil was,the island became a tourist attraction and summer place as the fur trade died. The army kept a post here for many years, and it was declared the second national park made. Later it was given to the state of Michigan as a park and to this day it is largely a state park,
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Now to the pics: The first one is of the famous grand Hotel from the water. The second is of the city and the entrance lighthouse from the water. The third one is the city docks with the fort on top of the hill. The fourth on is a closeup of the Grand Hotel. YOU must pay a fee to just go in if you are not a guest , ten dollars. Thats to keep out the common folk. There were two movies made here, one in 1947 with Ester Williams and a second one in 1979. They have a vip suite in the back that rents for 3600.00 per night, Elvis Prestly used to come here regularly.
The fifth picture is of the old lighthouse at the harbor entrance and Round Island Round Island is all Hiawatha national forest. The sixth pic is a hotel on the waterfront. The seventh pic is a view of the main street. The eight pic is a hotel on main street with one of the horse carriages like are used for part of the island tour. The ninth pic is a better view of this hotel. The tenth pic is anothe view of main street. The eleventh pic is a view of the state port at the east end of main street. Twelvth is a duplicate of eleven. thirteenth is firing the canon at the fort. This is just a cerimonil reenactment for show by costumed characters. The fourteenth pic is a view of the state port from the fort. The fifteenth is a view of the town from the fort. The sixteenth is three of the soldiers actors at the fort that had just put on a musket firing demonstration. Seventeenth is a pic of the fort entrance. Eighteenth is a pic of the north side of the island. tHE ninteenth is a picture of the unique three horse carts the were built by the rv manufacturer Jayco for the island cariage company to take tourists on the second part of the carriage tour of the state park forest area, some grave yards, and military areas that were used be British and American soldiers. no. 20 is of a butterfly house for a collection of butterflys=dont ask me how this fits the area, but there it is. No, 21 is another view of main street. No,22 is a view of the mackinac island bridge that connects lower Michigan with the upper Peninsula.
All in all it turned out to be an interesting day. Started out cold,but warmed up later. The town is touristty, but interesting. There are no cars or motorized vehicles, except and ambulance, and a fire truck. There aregolf carts on the course at the grand hotel, but a $500.00 fine if you get out of the course. You can see horse drawn carts moving the luggage from the hotels to the boats. Most of the seasonal labor appears to be college kids for the summer. Its a place I think Anita and Lindsay would realyl like.
After i got started,I had a good visit. Learned a lot. It surprised me how big a role this place had played in early american history.
Forgot to tell everybody I'm so far north that it doesnt get dark until about 10:15 pm.