Michilimackinac, colonial outpost on the Great Lakes

Summary

This is an abstract from the session entitled "Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective", at the 2023 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Michilimackinac, land of the great turtle, referred to the entire Straits of Mackinac region, where lakes Michigan and Huron connect, in the colonial period. Long a crossroads and gathering place for Indigenous people, it was the site of a series of colonial forts, first French and later British, as these two empires struggled to gain control of the region and the people living there. Following the American Revolution, the region became part of the United States. Numerous archaeological excavations have been undertaken in the straits area, the most noteworthy being the project at Michilimackinac in Mackinaw City, Michigan. Excavation has been carried out every summer since 1959 and two-thirds of the interior of the fort has been excavated and reconstructed. The reconstruction is now a popular living history site.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Colonial Forts in Comparative, Global, and Contemporary Perspective   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2023

Keywords

Temporal Coverage

Calendar Date: 1715 to 1781

Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Nicole Haddow

File Information