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Michilimackinac Photos

Here are a few of the photos I took in the early morning at the fort, before the modern world was able to intrude too much.

The dwellings are quite small by modern standards, with very little in the way of privacy. Three different families actually lived in the building labeled “Langlade House.” The family of merchant Charles Langlade occupied the middle section.

In the detail image, you can see how the walls were made: thin branches were woven between sapling-thick uprights held up by a timber frame, and the whole thing was covered over with mud. Imagine having to maintain such a home.

Most of the Europeans who lived in and around the fort only did so during the summer months, when trading was active. In the Fall, the civilians would leave to spend the winter in places like Detroit, Montreal, or Quebec, returning in the spring with trade goods to exchange for furs. The soldiers, however, were stuck at the fort all winter.

Living In the Past

I spent the weekend of September 14-16th with some friends volunteering at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan. It’s a very different experience from just visiting. One perk is that I had access to the fort before it opened to the public. In the morning, before the tourists come into the fort, there’s a quiet that’s hard to describe. The sun’s coming up, the wind off of the Straits of Mackinac drowns out the sound of traffic, the Red Ensign snaps in the breeze, and you can almost feel like you’re at the end of the Empire.
Joseph Conrad once had one of his characters say, as he sat in a boat on the Thames, “This too was one of the dark places of the earth.” Or something like that, anyway. Well, that’s what I’m talking about. This country where we live was once the end of the world (at least as far as Europeans were concerned). There were places that you could go and be the first non-native to see them. The world was a wonderful and sometimes terrifying place, and wild creatures lurked beyond the firelight.
In this lovely early-morning time, I managed to get some photos of the buildings in and around the fort. This is useful because some of them are close to what a typical dwelling in 1770s Detroit probably looked like.

I’ll post those photos very soon, I promise.



Archives: April 2009 February 2009 April 2008 December 2007 November 2007 September 2007 June 2007 May 2007 Search:	Welcome! Welcome to Hands-on History, where the field trip comes to you. Hands-on History is available for historic presentations to students, Scouts, Historical Societies, or any group with an interest in Colonial era history. News Michilimackinac Photos Here are a few of the photos I took in the early morning at the fort, before the modern world was able to intrude too much. The dwellings are quite small by modern standards, with very little in the way of privacy. Three different families actually lived in the building labeled “Langlade House.” The family of merchant Charles Langlade occupied the middle section. In the detail image, you can see how the walls were made: thin branches were woven between sapling-thick uprights held up by a timber frame, and the whole thing was covered over with mud. Imagine having to maintain such a home. Most of the Europeans who lived in and around the fort only did so during the summer months, when trading was active. In the Fall, the civilians would leave to spend the winter in places like Detroit, Montreal, or Quebec, returning in the spring with trade goods to exchange for furs. The soldiers, however, were stuck at the fort all winter. Living In the Past I spent the weekend of September 14-16th with some friends volunteering at Fort Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan. It’s a very different experience from just visiting. One perk is that I had access to the fort before it opened to the public. In the morning, before the tourists come into the fort, there’s a quiet that’s hard to describe. The sun’s coming up, the wind off of the Straits of Mackinac drowns out the sound of traffic, the Red Ensign snaps in the breeze, and you can almost feel like you’re at the end of the Empire. Joseph Conrad once had one of his characters say, as he sat in a boat on the Thames, “This too was one of the dark places of the earth.” Or something like that, anyway. Well, that’s what I’m talking about. This country where we live was once the end of the world (at least as far as Europeans were concerned). There were places that you could go and be the first non-native to see them. The world was a wonderful and sometimes terrifying place, and wild creatures lurked beyond the firelight. In this lovely early-morning time, I managed to get some photos of the buildings in and around the fort. This is useful because some of them are close to what a typical dwelling in 1770s Detroit probably looked like. I’ll post those photos very soon, I promise.