Ft. Holmes or bust
Mackinac Island is formed into three separate layers. The first level where the boat docks and shopping district are located is where most of the tourists spend their time. The next level is the location of Ft. Michilamackinac, the Grand Hotel, Arch Rock and the lovely old summer homes that everyone admires from the water. Taxis, carriages and steep stiars are readily available to get people up to that level.
And then there is Ft. Holms in the middle of the Island. Visitors must negotiate still more steep hills or another set of stairs to reach this impressive lookout. The goal was to visit this area to check up on the progress of a new project.
The idea was to rebuild Fort Holmes, a defensive structure with its roots in the War of 1812. Atop the highest point on Mackinac Island, it was first put up to protect the vulnerable north side of Fort Mackinac below, a fort to protect a fort.
Over the years the old 1936 fort reconstruction had been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair. During the bicentennial of the three-year-long War of 1812, the half-million-dollar reconstruction of Fort Holmes is a major new project for Mackinac Associates, the friends group supporting Mackinac State Historic Parks.
Historical drawings of the original fort from the early 1900s show an earthwork in the shape of a horseshoe, protected by logs, a dry moat, and a two-story blockhouse in the center. As of Memorial Day, 2015 so far, so good.