Description: The Straits of Mackinac have been a tourist destination for more than 150 years. The story of how tourism developed on Mackinac Island and in the bridge-adjacent communities of St. Ignace and Mackinaw City is brought to life in this fascinating book, with stories from the people who helped shape it.
Brief description: Frank Boles has been involved in preserving and documenting Michigan history for more than forty years. From 1991 until 2021, he served as the director of the Clarke Historical Library at Central Michigan University. Prior to coming to the Clarke Historical Library, Frank worked at the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan. In 2017, he published Sailing into History: Great Lakes Bulk Carriers of the Twentieth Century and the Crews Who Sailed Them, which was named a Michigan Notable Book by the Library of Michigan in 2018.
Review Quotes: "In Visiting Mackinac, Frank Boles tracks the creation of an iconic Midwestern vacationland. In this deeply researched work, Boles reminds readers that tourist destinations are ever-changing and act like mirrors, reflecting the priorities of the societies that seek to create them."--Camden Burd, assistant professor of history at Clemson University