Colonial Michilimackinac - Part III

After leaving the reconstructed church, Amy and I headed further towards the back corner of the fort and the southwest rowhouse.

The Southwest Rowhouse originally contained six units, and was likely built sometime before 1749. Charles Langlade, a prominent French trader and temporary commander of the fort, made his home in the middle unit. French merchants and British soldiers likely lived in the other units. The sixth unit was eventually dismantled, and the space used for a small garden. At the end of the row, British soldiers tended the King's Garden, formerly the site of the French Commandant's House, where they grew vegetables to supplement their rations. Three units of the rowhouse were reconstructed in 1968. Today, visitors may explore the Trader’s House, the Langlade House, and the Sejourne House. Historic interpreters regularly work in the Langlade House, demonstrating open-hearth cooking and other crafts. Interpreters may also work in the house gardens, or bake fresh bread in an outdoor bake oven constructed at the east end of the rowhouse.
--from Virtual Mackinac

The fur trade was one of the main reasons that the settlement and fort were established at Mackinac.

I assume these are either supposed to be bales of furs or bales of supplies traded in exchange for furs.

We visited in the off-season (after Labor Day) so there weren't too many people around and just a few interpreters.  I was surprised to see several open fires with no staff members nearby--but I enjoyed the touch of authenticity that a fire added.

The beds (as is normal in historic dwellings) seemed to be a bit small.  But perhaps we're just accustomed to large beds these days.

I'm sure there would have been plenty of herb growing and drying when the fort was operational.

Next we headed over to the barracks, looking around at a few other places on our way.

I assume that this was a kiln of some kind.

In the foreground you can see the garden I mentioned earlier (next to the new building) while the barrels in the background mark the area that was excavated during the summer 2012 season.

The skies had been looking grey for a while and there had been some sprinkles, but as soon as we ducked into the French guardhouse it started pouring.

 You can see how much rain there was in this brief video taken from just inside the guardhouse.


The guardhouse was much smaller than the barracks we saw a short time later.  It was where the soldiers currently on guard duty were located.  When they weren't patrolling the walls and gates they might rest inside this building.

If you have a wood table I guess it doesn't hurt to carve a game into its surface--that way you don't have a game board that needs to be stored and taken out when you want to play.

Soldiers resting inside also served as guards for the black hole, an underground cell where prisoners were held for punishment. The original Guardhouse was moved to Mackinac Island in 1781, but was soon destroyed by fire. The modern reconstruction was built in 1978.
--from Virtual Mackinac

After the guardhouse we headed over to the barracks.

For much of Michilimackinac’s history, the enlisted soldiers of the French and British armies lived in houses rented from civilians in the community. Faced with a lack of proper quarters for their men, the British military finally built the Soldiers’ Barracks in 1769. The building, divided into four rooms, could accommodate between 60 and 70 men. Two large double fireplaces heated the Barracks and served as kitchens for the soldiers. The soldiers cooked, ate and slept (two men per bed) here while not on duty. The British moved the Barracks to Mackinac Island in 1781, where it served at Fort Mackinac until the 1820s.The Barracks was the first structure reconstructed, in 1960, and today serves as a museum. The exhibit inside, “Redcoats on the Frontier,” explores the lives of British soldiers at Michilimackinac.
--from Virtual Mackinac

The daily ration of a soldier in the 8th Regiment at Michilimackinac was:1 pound bread1/2 pound pork1 ounce butter1/4 pint peas1 ounce oatmealSix of the eight pence a soldier earned each day was deducted from his wages to pay for his food.  Rations were issued weekly and pooled by a group of men known as a "mess."  Each room of the barracks housed two "messes."  Because Michilimackinac was at the end of the supply line, the rations were often of poor quality.  The men frequently supplemented them with fresh fish and local produce.--from exhibit signage

 Detailed signs like this one would make teaching children via the exhibit much easier--but I also found them useful for my own edification.

Again the beds seem a bit small, especially to be shared.

This portion of the exhibit depicted life during the winter, complete with the sounds of howling winds, and men huddled around the fires for warmth.

The last room of the barracks exhibit featured several hands-on exhibits for kids.

This game was called Novem-Cinque and the sign explained how to play:

1. Take turns rolling the dice.
2. If a player rolls a nine (novem) or a five (cinque) they are out.
3. The last player to stay in wins!
--from exhibit signage

The bunks were kid sized as you can tell by their comparison with Amy.

Due to the rain Amy stayed in the barracks and I headed over to the blacksmith shop, which we'd missed seeing earlier, even though it was directly next to the church.

I think the blacksmith could have made a very respectable pirate with his beard and outfit.

After this we decided to head across the fort to the buildings in the back corner as the rain had mostly died down.

These three homes were originally part of a larger rowhouse constructed in the 1730s. French fur traders and merchants first lived in the British Officer's Houses. When the British arrived in 1761, the homes were rented to British officers. During the American Revolution, a British officer (likely Lt. George Clowes of the King’s 8th Regiment of Foot) lived here to protect the Powder Magazine entrance. The third unit originally belonged to Pierre Parant, but he sold it in 1765. Ezekiel Solomon, the first permanent Jewish settler in Michigan, and his trading partner Gershon Levy set up shop and lived in the house.--from Virtual Mackinac

Ezekiel Solomon, Michigan's first Jewish settler, arrived at Michilimackinac in 1761.  One of the earliest British-licensed fur traders, Solomon witnessed the capture of the fort by Chippewa warriors on June 2, 1763.  Solomon survived the attack and was taken to Montreal by the Indians.  He soon returned to Michilimackinac and continued to outfit traders there through the 1770s.
--from exhibit signage

Directly behind Solomon's house is the Chevalier House and another fascinating exhibit.

Chevalier House
Built by the French in the 1730's, this house belonged to a Mr. Chevalier in 1749.  Fur traders lived and worked in this small house throughout the French period.  British soldiers occupied the house soon after taking possession of the fort in 1761. 

This was never very desirable housing because of its proximity to the potentially explosive powder magazine.  Artifacts from the site suggest that some of Michilimackinac's poorer residents lived here.  Post Commandant Arent Schyler De Peyster ordered the structure torn down in 1775. 

The reconstructed Chevalier House includes a sagging roof and leaning log walls supported by outside poles.  This reflects the badly deteriorating condition of many of Fort Michilimackinac's buildings in the 1770's.
--from exhibit signage

From inside the Chevalier house we proceeded down a set of steps to the powder magazine exhibit.

A number of firearms were displayed, both those used by civilians and the military.

Blacksmiths had to be experts at repairing guns.  These were the days before interchangeable parts, and it would take too long to send a gun off to be repaired--it had to be done on-site inside the fort.

This comparison of different sizes and types of shot was very informative.  The barrel on the right is one used to hold gunpowder (or a replica) banded in copper that wouldn't spark.  The sign notes that "[i]n 1778 alone, licensed traders shipped over 55,000 pounds of powder from Montreal to Michilimackinac by birch bark canoe."

From the exhibit under the Chevalier House you could go up a set of steps to the powder magazine.

Here you can see what the magazine looks like above ground (the Chevalier House is the wall in the background).

These are original timbers left from when the abandoned powder house was burned when the fort was demolished.

Here you can get a glimpse of the area of burned floor that is still visible.  I though this was one of the neatest exhibits since it wasn't exposed above ground, but was instead kept protected from the elements, but still very visible to visitors.

After touring this building we walked around the fort for a bit longer before heading back into the gift shop.  I assume this large gap in the back wall is for construction equipment.

Here is a closer look at the area of recent excavations, covered up until the next season's excavations begin.

If I remember correctly from the fort models these walkways (on the original fort) were constructed not long before the fort was dismantled and many buildings were moved to Mackinac Island.

One interpreter sat with this canoe right outside the front gate for some time.

I wouldn't mind riding in one of these huge canoes one day.

There were several blockhouses in the corners of the fort.

The cannon was along the right side of the path as you walked towards the fort's water gate from the visitor's center.

Here you can see the entirety of the parade ground.  The new building is visible in the background (due to its distinctive unweathered color) while the commander's quarters are on the right, next to the flagpole.

This view is towards the water gate along the wall of the fort, as seen from the interior of the corner blockhouse.

The modern town of Mackinaw City isn't very far from the fort--but from inside the walls you have no idea how close it is.

There were a few artillery pieces mounted on the walls--but not many.

Impressive looking walls.

I believe this was used to compress bundles of furs so that they could be more tightly packed for shipment.

All of these pictures, and a good number more, are visible in this album:


Colonial Michilimackinac is an excellent place to visit if you enjoy history. It is very comparable with larger sites like Colonial Williamsburg.

~Matt