This is the founding edition of the journal for Save Our Island, the Island Advocate. It is made with the most hopeful feeling that if the story is gotten out to people, from all over the state, they will understand that this fragile paradise, this island of beauty not matched anywhere in the world, is not immune from destruction. It needs the active support, just as much as our national parks do, and as the SECOND NATIONAL PARK of the United States, it is a source of pride and a place filled with living history, memorials to the founding and origins of the state of Michigan. For as far as we know, there does not seem to be any advocacy group for the state parks of Michigan, which is independent of our government, and therefore able to freely express itself, and advocate for all of us.
Please bear with us as we try to be accurate and yet passionate, about what we feel is truly the most beautiful island in the world.
Any letters to us, with corrections, or additional information, will be shared with everyone.
Urgency. Last fall of 2008, a horrible plan for development occurred in the center of downtown, Mackinac Island. An historic house, later a cottage, stretching back to the beginnings in the late 1800's of Mackinac Island as a National Park, and coinciding almost with the abandonment of the Fort and the United States as the duly sworn protector of this paradise, this very American house and the open lot across the street everybody learned (not just the few who had inside or informed knowledge), it was learned in a most shocking way, that the whole property of the McNally Cottage was already purchased and in the hands of a development company. As always happens here, the awareness of what is about to happen only happens as any project has been approved, and the first building project on the McNally cottage properties, on the lakeside portion, was approved for a building project.
Flash forward One Month, and at the next meeting of the Planning Commission, the residents of the community who then had time to form an opinion expressed their feelings of not wanting to lose what we have had for over 120 years. And all expressed their outrage and horror at losing this piece of island history forever, and the last remaining opening to the lake. The developer reacted by actually graciously putting this first shockingly approved project on hold (no mention in the paper of a second project) and secret talks began between the city and the developer, with nothing ever stated about an outcome in the local paper.
Flash forward to just barely two weeks ago, and once again, but this time with advanced leaked warning from appointed island governance people in the know to the few people they tipped off about what was about to occur, the second part of the McNally properties which contain the 120-plus year old McNally house, was presented to be demolished and a second development project (the other as stated already approved) to replace it with the biggest store mall and condo-style suite hotel possible, was presented to the planning commission which, according to most of them, they would have to approve, seeming to state there was no alternative. Thus in two fell swoops, from last fall about this time and JUST now, two projects were presented to be approved, the first taking the LAST remaining open view downtown of one of the most beautiful harbors in the world. And this, the second proposal, was about to take the oldest house/bed and breakfast downtown, one of the oldest in the entire Midwest, one in fact listed as a contributing structure to Mackinac Island's national parks' historic designations, the historic family cottage bed and breakfast, run by the same family since the 1880’s, which marked it as perhaps the oldest continuously run family bed and breakfast in the U.S.
Luckily, unlike last year, when no one really knew what was about to happen, THIS year enough people were tipped off and a very vocal crowd showed up at the Planning Commission meeting held last week. Our small group, formed only the Friday before the meeting, and with a legal letter sent to the PC (planning commission), which was read and stated that the public did not have access to public documents and therefore asked that the meeting be postponed for one month. A quick motion was made to do so which died for lack of a second, and then the public comment began. Nearly two hours later with still more anger welling in the crowd, the issue was tabled, to be brought up again at the next meeting.
This was a small reprieve, for as the head of the planning commission stated, the planning commission did not see any way out of approval ! The city lawyer, which was the advisor to a group which was supposed to meet and attempt to protect this historic family dwelling from demolition, the special historical committee, did not apparently meet, or met hardly at all, and the city lawyer stated at this meeting that this avenue would not work anyway (?), only revealing this crucial information at the meeting. So the stage is set in the upcoming meeting for a potential catastrophe, for the island, for the historical designation of the island, for the state of Michigan, for all the residents of this state, and the nation, and for the last remaining open area downtown, the last open view to the greatest harbor in Michigan and one of the greatest in the world, with this final act, leaving the downtown one long tunnel of stores with in some cases only a tunnel in the building to reach the boats which bring passengers here, is afforded or left to people to enjoy their island, Michigan’s island, Mackinac.
Were this the only thing threatened on Mackinac Island, it would be a calamity on par with the destruction of any historic building in any major city, Mackinac Island being one of the oldest settlements in the Midwest. However, it is only the tip of the list of endangered old buildings and other vistas. In fact, many of the most beautiful and characteristic features of the island, are actually threatened. One of the most beautiful walks in the world, with one of the most sweeping vistas to be found on the planet, is threatened. All of this could cascade the island's authenticity as a place of real history into oblivion. But even more crucial about this one bit of development/destruction, is that this beautiful harbor, with almost no passages left to its beach, could be closed off instead of potentially being opened up to everyone. This could be a crushing blow to some people's dreams of something different. The entire state needs to take notice. The entire state needs to rise up and act, and the leaders must lead... Or we all will fall, along with the fates apparently of our entire economy, which actually depends ultimately upon the desirability of our natural resources and beauty. In other words, people do not stay here for smokestacks or paper towers.
With this in mind, this group was founded by the oldest families, with lineages stretching back to the beginning of time on this island, the founding members being the founding people of Mackinac, once known as Michilimackinac or Mackinong.
Please see the bottom of the page for where to find more updates...
On the history and importance of Mackinac Island to the formation of the United States and the history of Michigan.
There may be hyperbole in history but I think in the case of Michigan, we, if anything, understate the importance of our place of origin, and deprecate ourselves and our state, to a fault. Here is perhaps a little antidote to that...
The origins of the mythical island, is an unfolding story being uncovered by geologists even as we speak, but the living history of the descendants of the first people here, are still living and hanging on just barely to a livelihood here, also fighting for their very lives and livelihoods. Their stories are contained within them and perhaps they can share it before it slowly is destroyed also by modernity and development or perhaps reclaim for all of us our most ancient heritage...
Suffice it to say that all the geological formations as well as the name of this island, have a history and lore that reaches deep back in time, and is still alive and breathing right here in Michigan.
Now some quick "new" more recent history...
The French were the first Europeans here(1634), and the 7 years war defeated them and the English became sovereign, with the King of England replacing the King of France, as supreme ruler of this land. The British attempted to hold onto the area in the Revolutionary War and moved a fortification from present day Mackinaw City to the island, on a high overlook, which the commander indicated as a fortification as strong as the Rock of Gibraltar in Europe,which is poetic for the greatest fortification on earth. Fighting took place elsewhere and our clever new nation won this area by treaty, with the help of England's centuries-old enemy, France.
The Americans raised the stars and stripes here and not long after even starting to take root as part of our fledgling nation, another war, equally as important to our emergence as a nation, took place and the opening battle to this war occurred here.(that is, the very first battle of the War of 1812).
Catastrophically before the local commander even knew about a declaration of war, the Island fell, and so important was it to the area, that with it fell everything in the Midwest ABOVE Ohio ! ! ! It was a defeat which has no historical comparison in the United States,ever. There is not a way to Overestimate the cataclysmic nature of this event. With the sack of Washington, D.C., the just being built new capital, during the course of this War, the whole nation hung in the balance of total defeat.
And then one of the most amazing battles took place off of a small bay in Ohio, one year later. A few battleships brought together quickly by the Americans met and defeated the naval forces of the greatest Naval power the world has ever known, and then after this amazing victory, hurriedly moved up from Lake Erie into Lake Huron to end once and for all foreign imperial domination on this upper half of the Western Hemisphere. Winter set in and saved the King of England and Great Britain, and by the following year, the epic battle took place, and in the name of the total defeat of imperialism and the age old notion of nobility and kings(no small bit of Idealism there), the same squadron of ships which defeated Great Britain in Ohio, attempted to lay siege to and take over one of the greatest fortifications in the world. Valiantly the sea squadron attempted to bomb the white palisades of Fort Mackinac, and failing to do the impossible, attempted to attack with hundreds of soldiers, storm the island, only to be met and killed on the battlefield and on the beach.
Needless to say, the new United States held together and eventually won a stalemate, and the British empire struggled on, only to eventually fall to the beautiful and idealistic ideas of our new nation, supported by us as a people, paid for in blood on the bloody battle field of Mackinac. It is a symbol to the courage and willingness to fight for ideals of the new nation, and the battle became an incredible rallying call for the nation in this war, and just as other great losses in historic wars have their rallying call, the rallying call from this battle is greatly under-appreciated in history, for all great and horrible wars have defeats which ultimately lead to victory.
The island after this gradually was discovered by the rest of the new nation, as a place of great beauty, with poets and travelers writing about it romantically, so much so that it was heralded so much that it was declared the SECOND NATIONAL park, after Yellowstone. This is a great untold story in our nation, which we should feel very proud about. However this amazing moment was not to last for long...
Yet once again an epic battle took place here. Less than 20 years after Mackinac Island's founding as a National Park, a fight erupted in Congress over the whole notion of National Parks. Opponents of the idea managed to kill the island as a National park, and with horrible gracelessness, tossed the entire park after the abandonment of the island by the military from the Fort, to the fledgling new state of Michigan, without any regard for its continuance of a park in any way. The island once again was defeated, this time as an idea, again an idealistic notion, left to wither and die forever as a place for us all....
And then a miracle happened.
The stunned supporters of the island as a national park, including extemely influential cottagers from major cities such as Chicago, went and convinced the leaders of this young and not yet wealthy, state, to try to fund the island as a park, when the U.S. government was unable to do so, and the entire Michigan State Park system was borne... borne out of the support and resolve and can-do attitude of the newly formed people of the state of Michigan. The 1st in the world.
In the halls of Congress, the loss of the park became a rallying point and the supporters of parks everywhere, rallied to save the rest of the National Parks system. The people of America everywhere came to the support of the parks, because they loved this idea.. a place for ALL. The island once again as in war, had served as a rallying point for a nation. As previously, the island was not lost, but reborne as a park. It was out of defeat a total victory, and for the enemies of parks, a total Pyrrhic victory which in reality was a total and complete defeat. The defeat of Mackinac Island as a National Park, just as with Kings and Empires, proved a immensely powerful turning point in history...
Now for a third time we are threatened again.
Does the story end here? Can we rally to stop the renewal of destruction, and have a hope to begin to reverse the damage of the past, and reclaim our state park for all of us once again? Only we can make history. Are we still Americans, and willing to band together and say "we can do"? The most quintessential spirit of Americans... THAT WE CAN.
Support this cause, all of Michigan, rally behind us, and make history here again...
Only your support, your letters, your donations, and your insistence that your elected officials do what is necessary, can make this happen...
if you wish to contribute, the mailing address is Save Our Island,P.O.Box 1276, Mackinac Island, Mi.49757. it will be listed if you authorize it by signature.
The story continues... Please check for updates at the "www.wecareformackinac.org" website...