Mackinac Island Tour 1992
| Arch Rock, probably the most famous natural landmark on the island. For a long time this natural formation (formed by wave action of the Great Lake thousands of years in the past) was seen as sacred by the local native tribes, primarily the Ojibwa (Chippewa) and Ottawa (Odawa). One story of its creation was that a native woman was forbidden by her father to marry her love, who happened to be a sky spirit. To keep her from him, he tied her to a large rock near the shore and left her there. The woman cried so long that her tears dissolved the rock, forming an archway. Fortunately for her, the sky spirit appeared, coming down from the sky and carrying her away with him to be his wife.
According to another story, an Ottawa chief committed a sinful act which angered Gitchi Manitou, the Great Spirit. Gitchi Manitou sent a great gale of wind blustering over the island, and the wind was so strong that it made the sun itself spin around crazily in the sky. Finally the sun stood still and turned blood red--then it fell from the sky and struck the east side of the island with a tremendous crash. When the natives recovered from their terror and went to see what had happened, they found a gigantic arch where the sun had fallen through the earth. The next day the sun returned as usual, and everything went back to normal...but from that day on even the bravest of men would not walk over the arch. Various other stories name Arch Rock as the passageway of souls to the other world, or as a bridge formed by the spirits. Whether you choose to believe the story of the woman and the sky spirit, or the sun falling, or of lake wave action :) , the fact remains that no matter what happened in the past, walking/climbing on Arch Rock is NOT allowed in the present day, due to its fragile state; a similar arch which I've found antique photos of, the Fairy Arch, seems to have collapsed at some point in the past. (At least, I can't find any current info about it!) And so in order to keep Arch Rock still standing, fences are built up around it to keep foolhardy tourists off. (That little sign to the right reads "Keep Off"!) Aside from crawling into Skull Cave or Cave of the Woods (see later pictures and tours), climbing on most rock formations is generally forbidden, and for good reason. Please obey park rules to keep these landmarks intact for years to come! |
| The view underneath Arch Rock. That teeny-tiny road you see WAAAAY down there is Lake Shore Road, which goes all the way around the island, for those of you who would rather take the shore than travel inland. (See the 2002 tour for more on that.) Arch Rock, by the way, rises 149ft above lake level, and the span is fifty feet across. |
| Sugar Loaf Rock, which can be found west of and inland from Arch Rock. This probably ties with Skull Cave and Devil's Kitchen as the second most well-known natural landmark. For an idea of its size, take a careful look at that little speck of blue down to the lower right. See that? That's my pants. ^_^ Might I add that I had to crabwalk down that dirt path again, because I'm so scared of heights!! (I did not climb on the rock. Simply walking up to it was scary enough for me!) |
| Another view of Sugar Loaf Rock. As with Arch Rock (which Sugar Loaf may have been a part of in the distant past), there are several differing stories regarding its past; according to one, it was the home of either Gitchi Manitou (the Great Spirit) or Manabozho, who was much like the Ojibwa version of Coyote, the Trickster. (Manabozho, also called Nanabush, Wenebojo, Michibou, etc., was known as the Great Rabbit.) According to another, Sugar Loaf is what remained when several men went to Manabozho to request wishes of him. When one of the men foolishly requested eternal life, Manabozho was so angered that he turned him into a giant rock--thus granting him his wish, though I'm sure not in the same way the man intended! And in a third story Sugar Loaf got its name because it once contained a giant honeycomb. Mmmmm...honey. ^_^
There is a small cave in the side of the rock, known as the Devil's Bake Oven. This is big enough that at least two people can stand inside it, and in antique photos you may even find a little stairway leading up to it. Be aware that nowadays no such stairway exists, and climbing the rock is NOT allowed. (Manabozho might just kick you out for trying!) |
| There are several spots on the island from which you can obtain a great view of Lake Huron and the Straits of Mackinac...and this here is one of them! |
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