and Great Britain fought for control of Michigan and the Great Lakes. Both knew that Mackinac held the key to the fur trade and the loyalty of the Native Americans. and Great Britain over British restrictions on the U.S Trade, and America’s desire to expand its territory. The war of 1812 was a war between the U.S. The Americans took control of fort Mackinac in 1796, but during the war of 1812 , the British were able to overtake the fort.

The fort on Mackinac Island is known as Fort Mackinac.

In 1780 The British moved Fort Michilimackinac from Mackinaw City to Mackinac Island because they believed that they were vulnerable to an American attack if they remained in Mackinaw City. The leader of the Odawa Tribe, Pontiac, was not having success taking over the British in Detroit, the British troops felt unopposed and retook Fort Michilimackinac in 1764.ġ780: Fort Michilimackinac is moved to Mackinaw Island

The Native Americas defeated the British troops while they were distracted. This distraction proved to be a successful and deadly one. In 1763 The Native Americans distracted the British troops with a game called baggataway, or as we know it today, Lacrosse. The French civilians that remained encouraged the Native Americans to drive out the English. This started a bustling fur trade business in the area.ġ761: The Brits Move-In….and Right Back Out….and In Again.Īfter the French and Indian War, the French troops left the Mackinac Straits, and the British troops arrived in 1761. He is known for being the first European explorer to explore Lake Michigan on his quest to find the Pacific Ocean.įrench Soldiers set up a year-round trading post at Mackinaw City, called Fort Michilimackinac. He spent years living with Indian tribes serving as an interpreter, and public servant while exploring and searching for the Northwest Passage. He is one of the most well-known figures in North American exploration. Jean Nicolet was a French explorer, interpreter, clerk, trader, and peacemaker. In 1715 the French settled in the area and translated the name to 'L'Arbre Croche.' It wasn't until 1853 when Emmet County officially organized that the Land of the Crooked Tree became a relic of history.ġ634: Jean Nicolet Looks for the Northwest Passage These trees were purposely misshapen to mark significant locations, such as a landing spot, council area, a trail marker, or to signify Odawa homelands. The indigenous people to Northern Michigan, the Odawa, call this land 'Wahanakising' which translates to 'Land of the Crooked Tree.' Near Middle Village (Goodhart) a massive pine once bent over the waters, and that served as a sign to travelers that they had entered the land of the Odawa. The starting date of the Native Americans is given arbitrarily, as they have been in the area far longer than written history remembers. So this little memento that you might take home with you tells of our area over time: shallow seas, coral reefs, ice ages, artisans, and your trip to Petoskey. Today, many artisans polish these stones smooth for others to enjoy as a memento of our area. Why do we find them on the beaches? The repeated advances of glaciers over our area eroded the overlying rock layers, removing hundreds of millions of years worth of rocks, and the action of waves broke the larger pieces of bedrock into smaller and rounder pieces. These rounded, gray stones have beautiful hexagonal textures when wet or polished, and they single-handedly give many clues to the geological history of our area. The Hexagonaria percarinata, more popularly known as the Petoskey stone, is evidence of a long-ago era. Almost every natural landform in northern Lower Michigan is the result of glaciation during the Ice Age, known by geologists as the Pleistocean Epoch. Glaciers put Little Traverse Bay on the map, literally. 11000 BCE : Glaciers Formed the Great Lakes

Petoskey gaslight district