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Mackinac Island
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The Grand Hotel opened in July of 1887. The hotel was built of Michigan white pine, and included a front porch overlooking the Straits of Michigan. The hotel In 1780, Major Patrick Sinclair erected the Officers' Stone Quarters on During the 1820's, the principal source of revenue on Mackinac Island stemmed from the fur trade. Fur pelts, mainly beaver, were processed on the Island and | ||||||||||||
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summer months, yet beauty still abounds on this peaceful paradise during winter months. Of course, activities differ when there is a blanket of snow on the ground. The carriages are replaced with snow drawn sleighs, and snowmobiles are allowed on the island for recreation. The downtown area takes on a Dickens-like feel when the holidays approach. And best of all, the hotel rates lower during the off-peak season, providing an inexpensive romantic getaway to alleviate the stress of the holidays.
originally was named "Plank Grand Hotel", after the founder, John Oliver Plank. The hotel has become well known for a number of reasons, among them is the 600 front porch, adorned with over 2,000 geranium plants. The gardens around the hotel are spectacular with over 24,00 tulips, 3,000 daffodils and 105,000 annual flowering plants. Throughout the century, United States Presidents have stayed amid the luxurious and peaceful surrounding. The Grand Hotel has hosted Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Ford, Bush and Clinton. Recently, suites were designed and opened in honor of former First 
Ladies, Lady Bird Johnson, Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter, Nancy Reagan, and Barbara Bush. Each of the ladies worked with Grand Hotel designers on the decor of "her" room. The hotel has also been the location for two motion pictures, "This Time For Keeps" starring Jimmy Durante and Esther Williams in 1949, and "Somewhere in Time" with Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour in 1979.
Mackinac Island. The thick walls of the buildings were constructed of natural limestone supplied by the island, to widths as great as eight feet. By designing the buildings in this manner, it would be able to withstand any attack from opposing forces during the Revolutionary War. These quarters are open for tours to the public. The view of the Straits of Mackinac, from the from the porch of the main building on the property, is absolutely breath-taking.
shipped to New York and Europe. John Jacob Astor, a leader in the fur industry, became the first millionaire in the United States. His primary agent on Mackinac was Robert Stuart, who handled dealings with regional Indians for their fur pelts. His work was instrumental in the history of the Island. Today his home, along with the John Jacob Astor Warehouse, serves as the site for exhibits of the fur trade history.
