10 Interesting Facts About The Straits of Mackinac

The Straits of Mackinac lie between Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas, crossed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is 5.6 km broad, with a maximum depth of 90 m, and connects Lake Michigan and Lake Huron of the Great Lakes, the largest freshwater system on earth.

Read along to learn 10 interesting facts about the Straits of Mackinac.

1. Vital for internal maritime trade & transport

This water passage is a major shipping route for raw materials and other goods. It connects Minnesota’s iron mines to Gary, Indiana’s steel mills.

When the railroads were not built, hundreds of immigrants reached the Midwest and Great Plains on boats and canoes on the Great Lakes.

Today, the straits are 8 km broad at their narrowest point, where they can be crossed via the Mackinac Bridge. However, before the bridge existed, car ferries shipped vehicles across and now passenger-only ferries take people to Mackinac Island where cars are not allowed. People can take vehicles on a car ferry to Bois Blanc Island.

The straits are shallow and freeze in winter, so icebreakers are used to ensure navigation to the Lower Great Lakes.

2. Important route for Fur trade between Native Americans and French

American Indians lived in the region by sustaining themselves through hunting, fishing, farming and gathering. They travelled across the straits on birch bark canoes. In 1634, a man called Jean Nicolet reached the straits while searching for a Northwest Passage to reach China via ships. Though he didn’t find what he was looking for, he informed Europeans of the animals and resources found in the region.

The American Indians caught animals and cleaned their fur which they traded with the French in exchange for knives, clothes, beads, kettles etc.

The French traders brought the Furs to the Straits of Mackinac where they were loaded into canoes and taken to the cities in the east. From there, the furs were shipped to Europe to be made into clothes and hats in the factories.

3. Many harbours and marinas dot the Straits of Mackinac coasts

The Mackinac Island State Harbour on Mackinac Island offers docking facilities for ferries and recreational boats. The marina offers services like waste disposal, grills and picnic tables, showers, fuel, water etc.

It is accessible to ferries from Mackinaw City and St.Ignace. Visitors can indulge in fishing, boating etc and enjoy views of the Straits and Mackinac Bridge. The marina is close to Fort Mackinac and other hiking and biking trails. Due to Port Huron/Chicago sailboat races, reservations can be made from mid-June to late July.

Another one is the St. Ignace Public Marina which can accommodate 150 m long yachts and has 136 slips. It is situated downtown near restaurants, boat supplies and shopping centres. It offers a draft of 18 feet and is open to the public.

The marine organises many free events like music on Wednesday and Thursday nights, Farmers’ Market on Thursdays and fireworks on Saturdays.

Other prominent events include Fish Feast, Antiques on the Bay and a summer Sailing Sailstice in June, hosted by the Yacht Club.

4. Site of the world’s biggest antique wooden boat show

The Les Cheneaux Islands are a group of 36 small islands in Lake Huron along the southeastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. These islands have small harbours, marinas and resorts, making them a haven for kayakers, boaters and nature lovers. The world’s biggest antique wooden boat show is also held here.

The practice started in 1978, and since then it has attracted around 10,000 boaters and visitors annually. Each festival has 150 entries including rowboats, cruisers and sailboats with participants from as far as Florida and California.

It also features the Festival of Arts, which shows the work of local artists and craftsmen. The event is held on the second Saturday of August.

5. Named After Mackinac Island

The region around the Straits of Mackinac was settled by the indigenous people. They thought the shape of Mackinac Island looked like a turtle and so named it Mitchimakinak or ‘Big Turtle; in the Ojibwe language.

When the British came, they shortened the name to Mackinac and the Straits were also given the same name.

The French founded a Catholic Mission at St. Ignace in the 1600s and built Fort Michilimackinac in 1715 in Mackinaw City on the southern portion of the Straits of Mackinac.

The eastern part of the Straits was overlooked through Fort Mackinac, a British military base and a centre of the fur trade established in 1781.

6. Site of several identified shipwrecks

The Straits of Mackinac has around 16 shipwrecks, as mentioned by The Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, an all-volunteer, non-profit organisation.

One such famous ship lost here was the SS Cayuga, a steel-hulled package freighter which sank on May 10, 1895. She was loaded with grain and other cargo when she was caught in a dense fog. A wooden steamship, Joseph L. Hurd hit her on the starboard side, leading to her sinking in just 25 minutes. Today, many artefacts can be seen on and near the wreck, although visibility is limited in summer as the water warms up.

Another shipwreck famous among divers is the Eber Ward, a wooden bulk & package freighter. It was constructed for the Detroit and Lake Superior Line. It left Chicago and loaded corn in Milwaukee, and was bound for Port Huron. On the morning of April 20, 1909, its captain saw slush and window ice which seemed to be no hindrance to navigation but the ship’s bow was torn by the ice and she sank in 10 minutes, killing 5 crew.

The wreck is upright and though the cabins are missing, the hull is intact. Given the depths, it is an advanced dive with engine rooms and cargo holds accessible only to professionally trained divers. A rare mushroom anchor lies just above the damaged timbers.

Other shipwrecks in the Straits of Mackinac include those of vessels like Cedarville, Colonel Ellsworth, Dolphin, Ebber Ward, Fred McBrier, Maitland, M.StalkerMinneapolis, Sandusky etc.

7. Has many famous and historic lighthouses

Before Europeans found the Straits of Mackinac, the area was quite dangerous for travellers and vessels. The indigenous people, the Ojibwa lit fires near the shore before lighthouses were even built.

The first lighthouse came up in the early 19th century as ship traffic rose from Lake Huron into the Straits. Hence, to aid ships in navigating the waterway, the Bois Blanc Lighthouse was built, to guide sailors, and warn them of shoals and shallow waters near the island.

Old Mackinac Point Light was built in 1892 at the confluence of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron to guide vessels until the opening of the Mackinac Bridge in 1957. It was deactivated after the bridge opened and now serves as a museum.

McGulpin Point Light started operating in 1869 and is one of the oldest lighthouses in the Straits. It had a light tower and living quarters for the lighthouse keeper. Built for $20,000, it remained operational until 1906.

The Round Island Light lies on the west coast of Round Island in the Straits of Mackinac. Its construction was necessary as the island posed a major hazard to navigation. The lighthouse has a base of red stone and a wooden tower, which makes it look like a schoolhouse of the old days. It sees ferries regularly as they pass to and from the Mackinac Island.

8. Known for its biodiversity and pristine shorelines

The Straits of Mackinac are quite well-known in the Great Lakes region for supporting trade, tourism and wildlife.

The straits have hundreds of small islands, miles of pristine shorelines, and deciduous forests. The region’s wetlands and reefs serve as breeding areas for sportfish, for instance, the lake whitefish, which is also a delicacy.

Lake Trout is found in the DeTour Reef and Spectacle Reef. They depend on the rocky regions in the Straits to lay their eggs. The narrow crossing in the Straits is preferred by migratory birds, waterfowl and raptors.

More than 7000 ducks called Redheads can be seen in the area in autumn and winter.

9. Has complex and extraordinarily fast currents

Given the strait’s unique flow, the two lakes, Lakes Michigan and Huron are considered one, creating the biggest lake by surface area and the 4th by volume. The strait’s waters support the economy by promoting tourism and is a source of commercial fisheries. They also enable the shipping of bulk materials including cement, coal, oil, grain, limestone and iron ore.

The Straits witness complex, changing and fast currents. Water flows from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron, however it also moves back and forth and changes direction, once every 1.5 days.

These exchanges are mostly a result of wind and are quite fast. They can move around 80,000 m3 of water in a second, causing currents up to 1 metre per second.

10. Straits of Mackinac are Patrolled by US Coast Guard Ships

A detachment of the United States Coast Guard, based at Graham Point, St.Ignace patrols the straits. A shipping waterway through the winter ice is kept clear by the icebreaker, USCGC Mackinaw, which is based in Cheboygan close to the Straits’ eastern edge.

USCGC Mackinaw — Image Credits – Wikipedia

Two ferry companies, namely Shepler’s Ferry and the Star Line Ferry operate out of St.Ignace and Mackinaw City, bringing tourists to Mackinac Island.

The majority of the Straits comes under the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve, dedicated to the personnel who died in ships that sank in the area.

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Zahra is an alumna of Miranda House, University of Delhi. She is an avid writer, possessing immaculate research and editing skills. Author of several academic papers, she has also worked as a freelance writer, producing many technical, creative and marketing pieces. A true aesthete at heart, she loves books a little more than anything else.

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