Looking Back
Compiled by Ryan Schlehuber

115 Years Ago

The St. Ignace News

Saturday, July 2, 1892

Misses Jennie Barrett and Ruby Marley of St. Ignace visited friends at the Island Sunday.

F.R. Vigeant of St. Ignace went to the Island this morning to accept a position as clerk for E.J. McAdam.

The Island transportation company will soon issue a time card.

The Island telegraph cable was taken up, spliced in several places, and re-laid this week by a gang of men from Detroit.

It is about decided to continue the streamer North Star on the Island route for the balance of the season. Time cards will soon be issued.

The burning of Chicago will ever furnish food for thought. It marked a new era in the history of the city. Within twenty years, Chicago has sprung from the ashes, ruin and desolation into the grandest than ever, "The Queen of the North and the West." Statistics: No. of acres burned per hour - 125; No. of buildings destroyed per hour - 1,000; No. of people rendered homeless per hour - 6,000.

90 Years Ago The St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, July 5, 1917

Liquor advertising or liquor soliciting by letter, postal card, circular, newspaper, or publication of any kind is now barred from the mails by "Act of Congress" when addressed to one in dry territory.

Miss Kathleen F. Murray left St. Ignace Friday for Mackinac Island, where she has accepted a position in the post office for the summer.

The Chippewa Hotel opened an up-to-date ice cream parlor July 4, and plans for tea dansant are being considered.

The following hotels opened for the season July 1: The Chippewa, New Mackinac, New Murray, and the Lake View.

The Island House opened for the season Saturday. Manager Hill has everything in the finest shape for his guests and looks for a season of big business.

The beautiful yacht Hiawatha, owned by John Ward of Detroit, was in port Sunday. Among the guests was Judge Henry P. Mandel of Detroit, and although the judge has been a resident of Michigan for 53 years, this was his first visit to the Island.

50 Years Ago

The Republican-News & St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, July 4, 1957

Berth for the buoy tender Sun Dew from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, was sought in a letter presented to the St. Ignace city council Monday from the U.S. Coast Guard office, Cleveland, Ohio.

"It appears the coast guards desire dock facilities, parking space, business office, suitable and adequate living facilities in the city, adequate schools, hospital, churches, electric power, and water supply," explained city attorney Prentiss M. Brown. "The coast guards not only desire to station the Sun Dew in St. Ignace to handle its operations from Grand Traverse to Thunder Bay, but proposes a group headquarters indicating a further assignment of other units to this area."

Grand Hotel will celebrate a birthday, its 70th anniversary, on July 10. The World's Largest Summer hotel, W.S. Woodfill, president, opened its doors first on July 10, 1887.

Ignatius Palermo, operator of the popular Chatterbox Restaurant, on Monday, opened the Do-Nut shop in the former Western Union building. This is the first bakery opened at the Island in about six years, something Mackinac has needed.

The Mackinac Island Spartans baseball team (ages 13 to 15) won their fifth game of the season Sunday, June 23, over the Mackinaw City team by a score of 37 to 20. It was the first official Babe Ruth league game for both teams. The game was played in Mackinaw City in front of about 100 disappointed spectators. John Dennany of the Spartans put an extra attraction to the game by hitting a home run with the bases loaded.

35 Years Ago

The Republican-News

& St. Ignace Enterprise

Thursday, July 13, 1972

Archaeologists digging at the Marquette Park site in the fourth week of a 10-week study have discovered what they believe to be the pit referred to in the writing of Fr. Jacker, a mission priest who served here in the late 1800s.

In Fr. Jacker's writing, an early foundation was discovered on the property then owned by David Murray when a barn was being built on the site. Jacker then proceeded to dig to a two or three foot level and, according to his writings, found what he assumed to be the remains of Fr. Marquette, and several other artifacts from the same time period. The discovery of the pit lends credence to Fr. Jacker's report and with this in mind, the monument was dismantled and research efforts this week centers around the base of the monument in the hope of finding structural evidence of the original Marquette mission referred to by Fr. Jacker.

15 Years Ago

The St. Ignace News

Thursday, July 2, 1992

The Great Lakes Quartet presented an evening of "Waltzing on Broadway" as the final program of the 1992 Mackinac Island Music Festival at Grand Hotel June 28.

Residents of Mackinac Island have recently received their first Island newsletter for June 1992, which will be published quarterly by the City of Mackinac Island.

Mackinac Island Honor Roll, final marking period: Grade 3 - Erin Bagbey, Chris Bloswick, Patrick Jones; Grade 4 - Anna Bobinsky, John Chambers; Grade 5 - Jared Urman; Grade 6 - Erica Jones, Jeremy Reese, Katie Thompson; Grade 7 - Bill Chambers; Grade 8 - Jack Dehring III, Tawna Urman, Meghan Weber; Grade 9 - James Chambers; Grade 12 - Jason St. Onge.

Governor and Mrs. John Engler paid a surprise visit to Mayor Margaret Doud last Sunday morning.