In this episode of The Reference Desk, Katie is bewitched with Mackinac Island.

Nestled in the cold, deep waters between the upper and lower pennisulas of Michigan lies the idyllic and picturesque Mackinac Island. What was once a beloved spot for indigenous people evolved into a fur trader’s outpost, a military stronghold, and eventually the tourist destination we know today. From it’s unique ban on automobiles to its Victorian-era flagship hotel, this gem of an island transports its visitor’s back in time.

Let’s explore its unique history, fascinating year-round lifestyle, and it’s darkest haunts.

For more information and a full list of our sources, visit our website.

Recommended titles: 

The Watch That Ends the Night by Allan Wolf

Beauty Mark by Carole Boston Weatherford

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

Secrets of Mackinac Island series by Katie Winters

The Pink Pony: Murder on Mackinac Island by Charles Cutter

Snowed In by Rachel Hawthorne

Timeless: Inside Mackinac Island's Historic Cottages by Moira Croghan, Mark Bearss

Haunts of Mackinac: Ghost Stories, Legends and Tragic Tales of Mackinac Island by Todd Clements

Mackinac Island: It's History in Pictures by Eugene T. Peterson

If you're interested in purchasing the books mentioned in this episode, visit our bookshop.org affiliate shop

Links: 

@BaileyyJanette on TikTok

@megsonmackinac on TikTok

Voice of Mackinac Island

Lore episode 91: Beneath the Surface

Your Haunted Holiday episode 57: The Grand Hotel

Haunted Places: Mackinac Island

Straits Pride

Mackinac Artists Market

Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians

The Island Bookstore

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text

The Real Question

The Grand Hotel

10 Things You Might Not Know About Mackinac Island's Grand Hotel

Remembering Mackinac Island's Agatha Biddle

Winter Life on Mackinac Island

Island Living: For Mackinac Full-timers, a Different Way of Life

Spend the Night at Michigan's Most Haunted Hotel

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