Fort Michilimackinac was an 18th century French, and later British, fort and trading post in the Great Lakes of North America. Built around 1715, it was located along the southern shore of the strategic Straits of Mackinac connecting Lake Huron and Lake Michigan, at the northern tip of the lower peninsula of the present-day state of Michigan in the United States. The site of the fort in present-day Mackinaw City is a National Historic Landmark and is now preserved as an open-air historical museum. For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet County, with a small portion lying within Cheboygan County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... A typical plaque showing entry on the National Register of Historic Places. ... is the 288th day of the year (289th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... The Great Lakes from space The Great Lakes are a group of five large lakes on or near the United States-Canadian border. ... North American redirects here. ... Year 1715 (MDCCXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... The Straits of Mackinac, spanned by the Mackinac Bridge, seen from the southern shore View of the Straits from Mackinac Island The Straits of Mackinac (pronounced , like MACK-in-aw, note the silent c) is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake... Ipperwash Beach, Lake Huron. ... Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America, and the only one located entirely within the United States. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet County, with a small portion lying within Cheboygan County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ...

History

The primary purpose of the fort was not military, but rather as a link in the French trading post system that stretched from the Mississippi River through the Illinois Country to the St. Lawrence River. The fort served as a supply for traders in the western Great Lakes. For the river in Canada, see Mississippi River (Ontario). ... French settlements and forts in the Illinois Country in 1763, showing U.S. current state boundaries. ... The Saint Lawrence River (French fleuve Saint-Laurent) is a large west-to-east flowing river in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. ...

The French had first established a presence in the Straits of Mackinac in 1671 when Father Marquette established a Jesuit mission at present-day St. Ignace. In 1683, they augmented the mission with Fort de Buade. In 1701, Sieur de Cadillac moved the French garrison to Fort Detroit and closed the mission. By 1715, however, the French built Fort Michilimackinac to re-establish a presence along the Straits of Mackinac, with several modifications and expansions to the palisade walls over the decades. Father Jacques Marquette, S.J. (1636 - May 19, 1675) and Louis Jolliet were the first Europeans to see and map the Mississippi River. ... The Society of Jesus (Latin: Societas Iesu), commonly known as the Jesuits, is a Roman Catholic religious order. ... Saint Ignace, usually written as St. ... Fort de Buade was a French fort operating at the present site of St. ... Statue of Cadillac commemorating his landing, in Detroits Hart Plaza Antoine Laumet, dit de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac (March 5, 1658 – October 15, 1730), a French explorer, was a colourful figure in the history of New France. ... Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit or Fort Detroit was a fort established by the French officer Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. ... Year 1715 (MDCCXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ...

The French relinquished the fort, along with their territory in Canada, to the British in 1761 following their loss in the French and Indian War. Although British continued to operate the fort as a major trading post, French civilians were allowed to live their normal lives with French traditions and worship their Roman Catholic beliefs at St. Anne's Church. The Ojibwe in the region resented British policies as harsh. On June 2, 1763, as part of the larger movement known as Pontiac's Rebellion, a group of Ojibwe staged a game of baaga'adowe (lacrosse) outside the fort as a ruse to gain entrance. After gaining entrance to the fort, they killed most of the British inhabitants and held the fort for a year before the British retook it with the provision to offer more and better gifts to the native inhabitants of the area. 1761 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants France First Nations allies: Algonquin Lenape Wyandot Ojibwa Ottawa Shawnee Great Britain American Colonies Iroquois Confederacy Strength 3,900 regulars 7,900 militia 2,200 natives (1759) 50,000 regulars and militia (1759) Casualties 3,000 killed, wounded or captured 10,040 killed, wounded or captured The French and... For other uses of Chippewa, see Chippewa (disambiguation). ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1763 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Combatants British Empire American Indians Commanders Jeffrey Amherst, Henry Bouquet Pontiac, Guyasuta Strength ~3,000 soldiers[1] ~3,500 warriors[2] Casualties 450 soldiers killed, 2,000 civilians killed or captured, 4,000 civilians displaced ~200 warriors killed, possible additional war-related deaths from disease Pontiacs Rebellion was a... For other uses, see Lacrosse (disambiguation). ...

The British eventually deemed the wooden fort on the mainland too vulnerable to attack, and in 1781 they built Fort Mackinac, a limestone fort on nearby Mackinac Island. The buildings were dismantled and moved piece by piece over water in the summer and ice in winter to the island over the course of two years. Patrick Sinclair, the lieutenant governor of Michilimackinac, ordered the remains of Fort Michilimackinac destroyed after the move. 1781 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Fort Mackinac painting Fort Mackinac was a military outpost garrisoned from the late 18th century to the late 19th century on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... For other uses, see Limestone (disambiguation). ... Mackinac Island (pronounced or MACK-in-aw) is an island covering 3. ... Patrick Sinclair, (1736 – 31 January 1820), was from Lybster, Scotland and joined the British army at about age 18 and was involved in a 1758 attack of Guadeloupe. ...

Today

The fort grounds were designated a National Historic Landmark in 1960. It is a popular tourist attraction as part of Colonial Michilimackinac State Park in Mackinaw City, a major section of the Mackinac State Historic Parks. Interpreters, both paid and volunteer, help bring the history to life, with live demonstrations and reenactments, including musket and cannon firing demonstrations. The site has numerous restored historical wooden structures and is considered one of the most extensively excavated early French archaeological sites in the United States. This article or section needs additional references or sources to improve its verifiability. ... Colonial Michilimackinac is a reconstructed 1715 French fur-trading village and military outpost that was later occupied by British military and traders. ... Mackinaw City is a village in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan. ... For referencing in Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Citing sources. ...

The fort grounds also contain the Old Mackinac Point Light, which is an 1892 lighthouse, and a day use park with a great view of the Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island. The Old Mackinac Point Light, built in Mackinaw City, Michigan, was a principal lighthouse of the Straits of Mackinac from 1892 until 1957. ... Eddystone Lighthouse, one of the first wavewashed lighthouses For other uses, see Lighthouse (disambiguation). ...

References

Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

• Fort Michilimackinac pictures
• Fort Michilimackinac Pageant
• Michigan.gov: Fort Michilimackinac
• Video documentary on Michilimackinac
• Michigan Historical Markers: Fort Michilimackinac
• Colonial Michilimackinac from Mackinac Historic Parks
• Marriage records and 1741 drawing of Fort Michilimackinac

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v • d • e U.S. National Register of Historic Places
History of the National Register of Historic Places · Property types · Historic district · Contributing property
List of entries National Park Service · National Historic Landmarks · National Battlefields · National Historic Sites · National Historical Parks · National Memorials · National Monuments