Michilimackinac
Encyclopedia
Michilimackinac is a name for the region around the Straits of Mackinac
between Lake Huron
and Lake Michigan
. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior
. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan
, in the United States. Michilimackinac was the original name for present day Mackinac County.
The Native American
nations of the Ojibwa
(or Chippewa), along with Ottawa
, inhabited the area at the time of Europe
an contact. The French
were the first European
s to explore there, beginning in 1612, and they established trading posts and missions.
One of the oldest, named St. Ignace (St. Ignatius
), was located on the north side of the strait at Point Iroquois, near present-day St. Ignace, Michigan
. This mission was established in 1671 by the Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette
. The village around the mission became known as "Mackinac" or "Michilimackinac". Later it was called "Old Michilimackinac" or "Ancient Fort Mackinac".
The French later established a fort and settlement on the south side of the strait. It was called Fort Michilimackinac
. The fort became a major trading post, attracting Native Americans from throughout the northern Great Lakes
. After Great Britain
defeated France in the Seven Years' War
(French and Indian War
), their colonial forces took over the fort and territory. Fort Michilimackinac fell to an Ojibwa attack, planned by Chief Pontiac
in 1763, but was reoccupied by the British in September 1764. In 1780, during the American Revolution
, British commandant Patrick Sinclair
moved the British trading and military post to Mackinac Island
, and Fort Michilimackinac was abandoned.
Today, Fort Michilimackinac is a tourist site. Re-enactors portray historic activities of the French and English. An archeological dig at the site is open for viewing.
Straits of Mackinac
The Straits of Mackinac is the strip of water that connects two of the Great Lakes, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, and separates the Lower Peninsula of Michigan from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. It is a shipping lane providing passage for raw materials and finished goods, connecting, for...
between Lake Huron
Lake Huron
Lake Huron is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrologically, it comprises the larger portion of Lake Michigan-Huron. It is bounded on the east by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the west by the state of Michigan in the United States...
and Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire region along Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. Today it is mostly within the boundaries of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, in the United States. Michilimackinac was the original name for present day Mackinac County.
The Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
nations of the Ojibwa
Ojibwa
The Ojibwe or Chippewa are among the largest groups of Native Americans–First Nations north of Mexico. They are divided between Canada and the United States. In Canada, they are the third-largest population among First Nations, surpassed only by Cree and Inuit...
(or Chippewa), along with Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...
, inhabited the area at the time of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an contact. The French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
were the first European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s to explore there, beginning in 1612, and they established trading posts and missions.
One of the oldest, named St. Ignace (St. Ignatius
St. Ignatius
-People:* Ignatius of Antioch, third Patriarch of Antioch, considered a saint by the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches*Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, considered a saint by the Roman Catholic Church...
), was located on the north side of the strait at Point Iroquois, near present-day St. Ignace, Michigan
St. Ignace, Michigan
Saint Ignace, usually written as St. Ignace, is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,678. It is the county seat of Mackinac County. From the Lower Peninsula, St. Ignace is the gateway to the Upper Peninsula.St...
. This mission was established in 1671 by the Jesuit Father Jacques Marquette
Jacques Marquette
Father Jacques Marquette S.J. , sometimes known as Père Marquette, was a French Jesuit missionary who founded Michigan's first European settlement, Sault Ste. Marie, and later founded St. Ignace, Michigan...
. The village around the mission became known as "Mackinac" or "Michilimackinac". Later it was called "Old Michilimackinac" or "Ancient Fort Mackinac".
The French later established a fort and settlement on the south side of the strait. It was called Fort Michilimackinac
Fort Michilimackinac
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...
. The fort became a major trading post, attracting Native Americans from throughout the northern Great Lakes
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. After Great Britain
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
defeated France in the Seven Years' War
Seven Years' War
The Seven Years' War was a global military war between 1756 and 1763, involving most of the great powers of the time and affecting Europe, North America, Central America, the West African coast, India, and the Philippines...
(French and Indian War
French and Indian War
The French and Indian War is the common American name for the war between Great Britain and France in North America from 1754 to 1763. In 1756, the war erupted into the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War and thus came to be regarded as the North American theater of that war...
), their colonial forces took over the fort and territory. Fort Michilimackinac fell to an Ojibwa attack, planned by Chief Pontiac
Chief Pontiac
Pontiac or Obwandiyag , was an Ottawa leader who became famous for his role in Pontiac's Rebellion , an American Indian struggle against the British military occupation of the Great Lakes region following the British victory in the French and Indian War. Historians disagree about Pontiac's...
in 1763, but was reoccupied by the British in September 1764. In 1780, during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, British commandant Patrick Sinclair
Patrick Sinclair
Lieutenant-General Patrick Sinclair was a British Army officer and governor in North America. He is best remembered for overseeing the construction of Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in what was to become the U.S. state of Michigan.-Biography:Sinclair was born in Lybster, Scotland, and enlisted...
moved the British trading and military post to Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
, and Fort Michilimackinac was abandoned.
Today, Fort Michilimackinac is a tourist site. Re-enactors portray historic activities of the French and English. An archeological dig at the site is open for viewing.
