Started the day with breakfast up town. Ross had pancakes with this groovy peace sign stamped in them. 
Today we explored Mackinac Island, beginning with the fort. It was built by the British during the Revolutionary War and was originally at Mackinaw City, on the mainland of Michigan. Believing it vulnerable to attack by the Americans, they dismantled the fort and moved it piece by piece out to Mackinac Island and reassembled it over the course of 2 years. Americans took control of it after the war, but lost control in 1812 when the British snuck up from the other side of the island. Oops. The 60 American soldiers were seriously outnumbered so they instantly surrendered. That was the start of the War of 1812. 
The white rectangular building with the pointed roof on the left is the West Blockhouse, built in 1798. The small rectangular openings in the walls enabled soldiers to view out at the surroundings. You can easily see the view of Lake Huron they had from here. 
The view out of one of the blockhouse view holes.
This is the McGulpin House. When the fort moved out to the island, the people at their own expense, had to move their belongings if they wanted to stay near the safety of the fort. This is one of those houses. They took it all apart and most likely dragged it across the ice in the wintertime and then reassembled it. I wonder what they lived in while that process was happening.
In this photo you can see how the logs were cut to
fit together like Lincoln Logs. Each one was specifically cut to fit into the next. If you look close in the center of the photo toward the bottom, you can see 5 hash marks cut in the log. This was some sort of code so they knew which log fit where when they put the house back together. Despite most likely being illiterate, they had a language of their own figured out. 
This is what I thought was the most interesting place in Mackinac, only because of the history connected with it. I remember learning about it in grade school. This is the American Fur Company Store. One day back in 1822 a young French Canadian trader named Alexis St. Martin was in the store. Someone’s gun misfired and this kid ended up with a fist size hole in his side and stomach. A Dr. Beaumont treated him. St. Martin’s wound healed, but not completely. There was an opening from his stomach to the outside. Remember this story? Dr. Beaumont started to try digestion experiments. He would attach bits of various foods to silk thread and then deposit them St. Martin’s stomach through the opening. Much of what we know today about the digestion process came from Dr. Beaumont’s findings.
That’s all well and good, but it appears Alexis was not a willing partner in the experiment. Dr. Beaumont seemingly took advantage of the illiterate St. Martin by getting him to sign a contract to work as the Dr.’s servant. Some of the experiments were painful for Alexis. Dr. Beaumont published his findings in 1838, became famous and moved to St. Louis. He wanted Alexis to go with him but he went home to family in Quebec. Smart move on his part. Anyway, 20 years after that Dr. Beaumont died from injuries related to a slip and fall on ice-covered stairs. Alexis St. Martin lived to be 83 years old. When he died, his family delayed the burial of the body till it began to decompose. Sound gross but they did this to prevent doctors from performing an autopsy. Plus the Army wanted St. Martin’s stomach for study at an Army base.
On to happier thoughts. We walked up The Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island prestigious place to stay. Its so fancy that they stop you and make you purchase a $10 ticket to even walk on the property if you aren’t a registered guest. (it was $7, inflation I guess)
It was built in 1887 as a summer retreat for the
wealthy tourists who came here to vacation. There was a lack of “proper” accommodations here. So the transportation companies financed a hotel. A crew of 300 carpenters built the hotel in 4 months. The opening of The Grand forever changed the face of tourism on the island.When the hotel first opened, the rooms were priced from $3 to $5 per night. Today on the weekend the rate for a deluxe, lake facing room will set you back a mere $728 dollars plus 21.5% tax. A small, lake-facing room is $600 a night, plus tax. But hey, there’s no tipping allowed.
If you don’t like horses, or their smell, don’t come to Mackinac Island. They are everywhere. So I'm loving it! These guys are draft type horses. Placid, very strong and dependable. They would be the tractors around here.
These two appear to be sleeping on the job.
And none of them wear biscuit bags. There is a small army of guys peddling around on bikes with a container, broom and shovel in the back. I guess it’s a job. But as Ross commented, “ya, but it’s a horse sh*#% job!” We toured a blacksmith shop. There are many
different types of horseshoes. Some are even corrective shoes. The one in the center of this picture would be used in the winter. The pointing things would face away from the hoof and give the horse traction in snow and ice. 
This is a thick, black polymer of some type. It is nailed on over the steel horseshoe. They sure do have large feet!
This is what it looks like on the horse’s hoof. It works to not only to keep the metal shoe from digging up the pavement, but works like a tennis shoe for the horse. Walking on pavement is very hard on horses’ hooves and also jarring to their joints. This black rubber cover cushions the horses’ step. They have to have them removed every 3 to 6 weeks, depending on wear. A farrier will trim the hooves and then put the steel shoe and rubber shoe back on.
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