Mackinac Island (1944)

• 67%
• 1944
• Documentary
• James A. FitzPatrick

This MGM short, part of the James A. Fitzpatrick Travetalk series, takes the viewer to Mackinac Island in Lake Michigan. To get there, one sails from Chicago aboard a boat such the North American, where 20 hours later, the island comes into view. The French were the first Europeans to discover this region in the 17th century. About 500 people live there year round, but there are several thousand in the summer months. Historically, the old fort was an important military site, but the island was also a commercial center where John Jacob Astor established the American Fur Company. People get around mostly by bicycle, and lilac bushes are found across the island.