Visiting Mackinac: 150 Years of Tourism at Michigan's Fabled Straits

by Frank Boles

The Straits of Mackinac have been a tourist destination for more than 150 years. The story of how tourism developed on Mackinac Island and in the adjacent communities of St. Ignace and Mackinaw City is brought to life in this fascinating book, with stories from the people who helped shape it. This complex work explores the factors that shaped this region into the tourist destination that it is today. It includes historical context of how conflicting ideas developed a seasonal tourist industry and examines how tourism at the Straits of Mackinac developed within regional and national contexts as the tourist industry boomed in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This volume also shows how the people at the Straits responded to various national trends, such as when the automobile transformed the tourist experience and when independently published travel literature painted a less-than-rosy picture of the region.

329 pages, Paperback

Published December 1, 2025

Reviews

[Sophia · Rating 4 out of 5]

In and around Michigan, Mackinac Island has a lure that has existed as a tourist destination for nearly 200 years and that draw is stronger than ever even now. As an adopted Michigander, I have made my pilgrimage there and to the other communities in “the Straights of Mackinac” and I felt the appeal personally. I was curious to learn more about this lovely area so picked up Frank Boles’ delve into the historic tour industry of Mackinac.

Visiting Mackinac was a clear-cut delineation of precisely what the author laid out in the blurb. It isn’t a surprise and goes back to the 1830s when the first European tourists, namely travel authors who were popular in their time visited and wrote up the grand old isle. Tourism didn’t really take off as an industry until post-Civil War years, when, desperate to find a new income after the fishing industry was diminishing, the locals turned to tourism. Even then, they had stiff competition and took many years to find their niche and establish Mackinac Island as distinct and an elevated vacation destination. I was interested in when Mackinac Island fudge made its first splash and how that came about with the Murdick family who brought the idea from New England.
A key factor on the road to being recognized was the government naming the island as the second National Park in 1875. The rich from all around the Great Lakes found the island and built their “summer cottages” – think more Newport, RI-style “cottage” in size and splendor. But, with the arrival of this splendor, the glaring need for a more glamorous hotel was more obvious. The Grand Hotel was the showpiece that came out of this and it is indeed the jewel in the crown. The book continues as the industry ebbed and flowed on the island, St. Ignace, and Mackinaw City dealing with commerce vs park conservation, and government bureaucracy among other issues including Hollywood coming to the island and political history made on occasion as the Island and local character evolved to include the Mackinac “Mighty Mac” bridge.

Visiting Mackinac extends to talk of the tourist industry around Mackinac Island to St. Ignace and Mackinaw City.
The final portion was welcome in that I wondered about the Native America aspect of Straights tourism history. Sadly, though, Native Americans were the early residents and had been part of the tourist trade from the beginning, providing authentic “Indian” merchandise, they fought an losing battle to eliminate the middle man (who skewed what was known of the Native American community) in sales and deal with the tourists directly.

The book portion ended at the 70% mark, but there was a large footnotes section (of all the footnote references throughout), indexes, and references that followed. I should also mention there are sketches, pictures, and charts scattered throughout.

I can value and appreciate all the research the author conducted to make a thorough job of the topic. Local lore is restricted to that which came about as a result of tourism. And, that was where my own misguided expectation got me into trouble. I had it in my head that there would be more colorful lore for the area and was primed to learn about life in the Straights for the last couple hundred years. But, that broader subject was not the point of the book. This was on me. Though purported not to be for academics, seemed to be exactly that especially when I got a gander at the reference materials that made up over a fourth of the pages.

So, upon completing Visiting Mackinac, I learned a great deal of local Michigan history for the area, but always through the lens of tourism. Still, that is an industry that drives this area so it was apropos, I thought. I skimmed in places, but was thoughtful over other passages. I’m glad to have picked this up, but I think I’d recommend it to a niche group who have an interest in history as related to tourism, particularly in this region of the Great Lakes and, specifically, Michigan

I rec'd an eARC via NetGalley to read in exchange for an honest review.

My full review will post on That's What I'm Talking About on 3.26.26.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

My grandfather purchased a lake home on Walloon Lake in 1930, so I have spent summers in Northern Michigan since I was 6 months old. Since 1991 my husband and I have come to Walloon from Green Bay, Wisconsin, by way of the Upper Peninsula and the Mackinac Bridge. You might say the area around the Straits of Mackinac is in my blood. So I was very excited to get the opportunity to read this latest history of the Mackinac area. I found the book interesting, sometimes even fascinating - but it also had a few disappointments.

Mr. Boles concentrates his study on the role of tourism in the area, and makes the wise decision to give some quality time to the two communities on either side of the Straits, St. Ignace and Mackinaw City. But since tourism is the primary economic driver for the area, it permeates every aspect of life there. It was interesting to see how changes in American life, including the growth of the railroads followed by the growth of automobiles, the building of the Mackinac Bridge, and state and local politics played into the tourism industry. It was fascinating to read about the ups and downs of tourism on the Island - all my life I had assumed there were only ups, and Boles explains this by stating that no matter the political struggles, financial situations of the hotels and restaurants, and concerns about architecture and deteriorating infrastructure, the publicists kept up a steady stream of “it’s all good” publicity.

There were two main disappointments for me. The first was that the timeline of the book ended in 1990. That leaves 35 years of recent history untouched. The second was that Boles neglected the history of the Island and Straits areas before the advent of European settlers. In the epilogue there is some mention of interactions with “Native Americans,” but individual tribes were not mentioned and I couldn’t find any evidence that Boles included tribal representatives in his research. This is disappointing because the Chippewa, Odawa, and Anishanaabe tribes, among others, have a strong presence in the history and tourism of the area.

The book is extensively researched, including close to 80 pages of notes and bibliography. I think it should be have a welcome place on the shelves of history buffs and in Michigan libraries. Many thanks to Michigan State University Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5 rounded up? This book baffled me at times - I understand it was an academic press publication but the amount of typos and clear lack of editing (at one point an entire paragraph was repeated verbatim in a later chapter) really bummed me out. It's clearly well researched and some fascinating nuggets of history were discussed, but the presentation and organization of the information ultimately did not work for me.

Often, historical figures or events would be introduced and discussed but then when they were referenced later on, were reintroduced as if we hadn't read about them in a previous section. Some quotes and specific facts were rewritten. The section on St. Ignace and Mackinaw City being separated out and told chronologically on its own meant a ton of rehashing and the "epilogue" touching on specific topics felt like a catch-all for things the author couldn't find a way to effectively weave into the actual content of the book.

Overall, this was disappointing since I feel it had a lot of promise based on the level of sourcing and historical content. My family is from the Straits (particularly St. Ignace but often employed on the island) so I came in with quite a bit of pre-existing knowledge but I still learned a lot (my dad was a carriage tour drive and I knew very little about their history!). I just wish it had been told in a more context-dependent, comprehensive way.

Most baffling thing of all? That is NOT Arch Rock on the cover. I don't know what that art is supposed to be depicting but it is not any geologic formation in the Straits. The fact that that cover was assumedly approved by the author really bolstered my doubts and felt like a perfect representation of the lack of detail given.

[Sue Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who grew up in Michigan will appreciate reading about Mackinac Island, St. Ignace, and Mackinaw City. This book is a history book explaining how all three became tourist destinations. It touches on many years of disagreement about how each local should be governed.

Frank Boles did a lot of research to be able to identify people from 150 years ago especially when it came to the Island. He shows that some wanted to attract the wealthy while others wanted the middle class. The battles about whether to truthfully recognize the history or to focus on profits and tourism were an issue then and still are today. I especially liked the story about how fudge was introduced and became so well known on Mackinac Island.

St. Ignace and Mackinaw City both attempted to attract more people were different from the Island. They wanted people to stop viewing their cities as a go-between and become a destination. Once automobiles became popular and people were granted vacation time from work, people were more likely to "go up north". Mr. Boles also mentioned that when the Mackinaw Bridge was build, a influx of people was expected to the two cities. Balancing tourism with year-long business and was an issue then and remains so todayl

Although this book touches on the importance of Native Americans in the region, it doesn't delve deep enough because it only goes back 150 years (there is more info about this in the epilogue). There are some typographical errors which are annoying. Still, this is a good book to learn about the history of these iconic places in Michigan.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my favorite places is Mackinac Island and as a lifelong Michigander, I jumped at the opportunity to read this book through netgalley. I thought I would love it, I tried to like it, but in the end I found it a major struggle with a few bright points. The book starts with the statement that says this is "not written for academics. It was written for the general public." In my opinion, this book definitely reads like it's written for an academic, someone in the tourism industry, a history buff. Approximately 10% of the book is the epilogue & 25% of the book is the notes section at the end. In addition to including the tourism history of Mackinac Island, the author also includes history of both Mackinaw City and St Ignace, both of which played a major role in the tourism development of the island. A few glimmers in the book really drew me in and I found them very interesting: for example, the story of the fudge shops on the island. But those glimmers were fire and few between for me and I found this book a real struggle to get through.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Visiting Mackinac is a very thorough deep dive into the history of Mackinac Island. It focuses on tourism and changes through the years on Mackinac and the nearby town of Saint Ignes.

I think this book would mostly be preferred by a history buff, especially if you’re from Michigan. Although I grew up in Upper Michigan and learned about Mackinac Island in school, this was much more detailed than anything I’ve ever learned before.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.

Publication date: 1 December 2025