Mackinac Straits - St. Ignace
Posted by: 
linkys
N 45° 50.981 W 084° 43.331
16T E 676852 N 5079869
For the next 323 years after Nicolet first passed the Straits in 1634, the only way to cross from one side to the other was by boat.
Waymark Code: WMCF9P
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 08/31/2011
Views: 18
Marker is in the rest area on the north side of the Mackinac Bridge. The marker is next to the information board at the south edge of the truck parking area and a short distance from the Blue Star Memorial Highway marker.
Marker reads:
Nicolet passed through the Straits in 1634 seeking a route to the Orient. Soon it became a crossroads where Indian, missionary, trapper and soldier met. From the 1600's through the War of 1812 first Frenchman and Englishman, then Briton and American fought to control this strategic waterway. In 1679 the Griffin was the first sailing vessel to ply these waters. The railroad reached the Straits in 1882. Until the Mackinac Bridge was opened in 1957, ferries linked the north and south.
Description:
Nicolet passed through the Straits in 1634 seeking a route to the Orient. Soon it became a crossroads where Indian, missionary, trapper and soldier met. From the 1600's through the War of 1812 first Frenchman and Englishman, then Briton and American fought to control this strategic waterway. In 1679 the Griffin was the first sailing vessel to ply these waters. The railroad reached the Straits in 1882. Until the Mackinac Bridge was opened in 1957, ferries linked the north and south.
Parking nearby?: yes
D/T ratings: 
Registered Site #: 82
Historical Date: Not listed
Historical Name: Not listed
website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:Take a photo of your GPS at the marker. We'd prefer a photo of you with your GPS, but we realize that sometimes that's just not possible or preferable.
Also include a bit about your visit to the marker.
NEW: Instructions for logging Missing Marker Visits.
If the Marker is missing, but still listed here, you must provide a photo of you at the actual item historically honored. (This should be the waymark's "default" image). Indicate in your log that you took your photo at the Historical Location instead of the marker, because the marker was missing. Please also still include a bit about your visit to the site.