Mackinac Island is in
Mackinac County, and in the
Northern Region. You can locate this community just northeast of
Mackinaw City near Bois Blanc Island and
St Ignace. Also surounded by the waters of
Lake Huron.
The name of this island comes from an Indian name; the French called it Michilimackinac. It was said that Jean Nicolet explored the island in 1634 and visited by the Jesuits Claude Dablon in 1670 and Jacques Marquette in 1671, this however has been disputed. The first permanent settlement was made in 1780. The French control passed to the English who, contrary to the Treaty of 1773, did not turn it over to the U. S. until 1795. It was then lost in the war of 1812, and was regained in 1815.
