Mackinaw City [key], resort village (1990 pop. 875), Cheboygan and Emmet counties, N Mich., on the south shore of the Straits of Mackinac; settled 1681, inc. 1882. The region was well traveled by traders, missionaries, and explorers during the 17th and 18th cent. French troops, sent to garrison Fort Michilimackinac in 1715, remained for several years until the fort was occupied by British forces. A reconstructed stockade of the fort is in Michilimackinac State Park, and other state parks are nearby. Mackinaw City is linked with the Upper Peninsula by the Mackinac Straits Bridge (opened 1957) and with the summer resort of Mackinac Island by passenger ferry.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
