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35-476: Mackinac Island State Park is a state park located on Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan . A Lake Huron island, it is near the Straits of Mackinac . The island park encompasses 1,800 acres (7.3 km), which is approximately 80% of the island's total area. The park is also within the boundaries of the city of Mackinac Island and has permanent residents within its boundaries. M-185 circles

70-526: A land lease from the U.S. government , while Mackinac National Park was handed down to become the first of the Michigan state parks . As with national parks, facilities at state parks are often leased to concessionaires to operate. Breaks Interstate Park is operated under an interstate compact by Virginia state parks , although it is also one of the Kentucky state parks , straddling both sides of

105-521: A British stronghold until the end of the war. An American attempt to recapture the fort in 1814 failed in the Battle of Mackinac Island . When the war ended with the Treaty of Ghent in 1815, the island was returned to American control. Mackinac National Park on March 3, 1875, was designed by Congress as the country's second national park after Yellowstone . Mackinac-born US Senator Thomas Ferry introduced

140-767: A bill establishing the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority and appointed its first members. The straits are patrolled by a detachment of the United States Coast Guard based at Graham Point, St. Ignace. A shipping channel through the winter ice is maintained by the Coast Guard's Great Lakes icebreaker , USCGC Mackinaw , based in Cheboygan near the eastern edge of the Straits. This vessel went into service during

175-707: A location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational potential. There are state parks under the administration of the government of each U.S. state , some of the Mexican states , and in Brazil . The term is also used in the Australian states of Victoria and New South Wales . The equivalent term used in Canada, Argentina, South Africa, and Belgium, is provincial park . Similar systems of local government maintained parks exist in other countries, but

210-699: A restaurant) for lodging at some parks. These typically use "Resort" in the name, such as "_____ Resort State Park" in West Virginia state parks and "_____ State Resort Park" in neighboring Kentucky state parks , which has 17 such resort parks, the most of any state. Other states use the Resort name inconsistently (like DeGray Lake Resort State Park , the only one out of three resorts in Arkansas state parks ), or have only one such park ( South Carolina state parks ' Hickory Knob State Resort Park ), or do not use

245-528: The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration . Straits of Mackinac Three islands form the eastern edge of the Straits of Mackinac; two are populated— Bois Blanc Island and Mackinac Island , while the third, Round Island , is uninhabited and a designated wilderness area. The Straits of Mackinac are major shipping lanes, providing passage for raw materials and finished goods and connecting, for instance,

280-694: The Mackinac Island Airport . Many of these sites are formally operated by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, which also operates two other parks around the Straits of Mackinac area: Colonial Michilimackinac and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park . Mackinac Island played an important role in the War of 1812 between the United States and Canada (then a British colony). Fort Mackinac, upon

315-529: The Straits of Mackinac area with the major groups includes Mackinac Island State Park, Michilimackinac State Park and Historic Mill Creek Discovery Park in Mackinaw City. The agency is governed by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, a seven-member body. The commissioner are appointed by the governor to six year terms with confirmation by the Michigan Senate. While a national park,

350-529: The 2005/06 ice season. Two ferry companies operate out of Mackinaw City and St. Ignace, connecting tourists and commuters to Mackinac Island : Shepler's Ferry and the Star Line Ferry . Most of the Straits have been set aside by the state of Michigan as the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve , a riparian public space dedicated to those personnel who were lost aboard the boats and ships that sank in these dangerous shipping lanes. Lighthouses in

385-466: The French on the south end of the straits' narrow. Michilimackinac was replaced in 1781 by a British fort, Fort Mackinac, on Mackinac Island. Enbridge Line 5 was built in 1953 as an extension of the 1,150-mile (1,850 km) Interprovincial Pipe Line Company line west of the iconic Mackinac Bridge, bringing oil from Alberta to Lake Superior . On December 12, 2018, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed

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420-466: The State of Michigan in 1895 to become the first state park, the state legislature established the Mackinac Island State Park Commission to manage the park and its structures. State park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve

455-480: The State of Michigan. The state legislature established the Mackinac Island State Park Commission to manage the park and its structures as the first state park, Mackinac Island State Park. Mackinac State Historic Parks is an agency within the Michigan Department of Natural Resources led by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission. The Parks consist of several parks, museum and other historical areas in

490-410: The Straits of Mackinac include: West of the iconic Mackinac Bridge is Enbridge 's pipeline, called Enbridge Line 5 , which was built in 1953 as an extension of the 1,150-mile (1,850 km) Interprovincial Pipe Line Company line bringing oil from Alberta to Lake Superior . The 1953 pipeline enters the Straits of Mackinac water on the north shore at St. Ignace, Michigan and lies along the bottom of

525-466: The Straits of Mackinac region likened the shape of the island to that of a turtle, so they named the island Mitchimakinak , meaning "Big Turtle". When the British explored the area, they shortened the name to its present form: Mackinac. Located on the southern side of the straits is the town of Mackinaw City , the site of Fort Michilimackinac , a reconstructed French fort founded in 1715, and on

560-497: The Straits which is nearly two hundred and fifty feet (76 m) in places. By 2013 Enbridge had increased the "maximum capacity on the lines to 540,000 bbl (86,000 m ) per day". In selling the idea of the pipeline to residents living near the Straits, the pipeline developers claimed, it was "essential to the defense of the United States and the whole North American continent". A University of Michigan study studied

595-504: The United States after Hot Springs National Park & Yellowstone National Park . In 1895, it was transferred to state control and reorganized as Mackinac Island State Park, which was the first state park in Michigan. The park contains many important historical and geological features, such as Fort Mackinac , Fort Holmes , other historic buildings, historic sites, limestone caves, and other unique rock formations. The park also operates

630-470: The United States is Alaska State Parks , with over 100 sites encompassing 3.3 million acres. Many states include designations beyond "state park" in their state parks systems. Other designations might be state recreation areas , state beaches, and state nature reserves . Some state park systems include long-distance trails and historic sites . To encourage tourism in rural areas, several states have simple lodges, inns, hotels, or motels (usually with

665-513: The United States". The basis of the suit is the claim that the pipeline is a public nuisance and violates the Michigan Environmental Protection Act since it may become the source of pollution. The news report adds that "it is unclear if Line 5 could operate without the Straits segment". On December 12, 2018, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed a bill establishing the Mackinac Straits Corridor Authority, which

700-596: The bill to do so after the Yellowstone designation. He argued that the active military personnel station there, as the island was then mostly a military reservation, would do double duty as caretakers of the island, which helped convince other congressmen. The park was placed within the United States Department of War . With the leased parcel revenue plan in 1888, the fort was able to build trails, improve roads, and even put up an observation tower on

735-478: The designation at all (such as the lodges of Georgia state parks ). The term "lodge" may also refer to a hiking lodge , essentially a large cabin for hikers rather than a large facility with private rooms and a restaurant. Other lodging may include yurts and tipis . Not all parks owned by a state are necessarily part of its state-park system, such as Stone Mountain Park near Atlanta. Some Texas state parks are

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770-584: The iron mines of Minnesota to the steel mills of Gary, Indiana . Before the railroads reached Chicago from the east, most immigrants arrived in the Midwest and Great Plains by ships on the Great Lakes . The straits are five miles (8 km) wide at their narrowest point, where they are spanned by the Mackinac Bridge . Before the bridge was built, car ferries transported vehicles across

805-459: The island's highest point at Fort Holmes. The War Department decommissioned the fort given its lack of military strategic importance in 1890. With the decommissioning, the troops were moved off the island leaving no one to care for the park. The department suggested a sale of the park. A grassroots lobbying campaign led in September 1895 for the U.S. government to turn over the park and fort to

840-613: The island, was built by the British army during the Revolutionary War . The British later relinquished the fort to the Americans in 1796, but then built and maintained a similar fort on nearby St. Joseph Island . The two nations used their island forts in a struggle to maintain supremacy over the waters of northern Lake Huron. As one of the opening actions of the War of 1812, the British captured Fort Mackinac and maintained it as

875-424: The largest state park in the United States . In addition to preserving natural landscapes and providing recreational opportunities, many state parks also serve as important educational resources . They often offer guided tours, interpretive programs, and exhibits that help visitors learn about the local flora , fauna , geology , and cultural history of the area. These programs are designed not only to enhance

910-457: The northern side is St. Ignace , site of a French Catholic mission to the Indians, founded in 1671. The eastern end of the straits was controlled by Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island, a British colonial and early American military base and fur trade center, founded in 1781. A French Catholic mission to the Indians was founded at St. Ignace in 1671. In 1715, Fort Michilimackinac was built by

945-484: The park was first overseen by the park superintendent, who was also the fort commander. With the military not wanting to fund the park, being non-military, and the National Park Service not formed until 1916, the department approved a revenue plan by a captain at the fort in which choice parcels would be leased to resorters to build summer cottages which started in 1885. When the park was turned over to

980-579: The perimeter of the park as the only motorless highway in the state due to the island's ban of automobiles. The park is governed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and the Mackinac Island State Park Commission . On July 15, 2009, the park celebrated its 20 millionth visitor. The park was first established as Mackinac National Park in 1875, which was the third national park established in

1015-507: The risks of a leak, leading to experts and local governments calling for the shutdown of the pipeline. In late June 2019, the state of Michigan filed a lawsuit asking the Ingham County Court to compel the decommissioning of the segment of Line 5 that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. A Reuters news report defined Line 5 as "a critical part of Enbridge’s Mainline network, which delivers the bulk of Canadian crude exports to

1050-474: The state line. Other multi-state parks are legally two separate parks with the same name and more informal cooperation between them. The title of oldest state park in the United States is claimed by Niagara Falls State Park in New York , established in 1885. Several public parks previously or currently maintained at the state level pre-date it. Indian Springs State Park has been operated continuously by

1085-454: The state of Georgia as a public park since 1825, although it did not gain the title "State Park" until 1931. In 1864 Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove were ceded by the federal government to California until Yosemite National Park was proclaimed in 1890. In 1878 Wisconsin set aside a vast swath of its northern forests as "The State Park" but, needing money, sold most of it to lumber companies within 20 years. Mackinac National Park

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1120-589: The straits. Today passenger-only ferries carry people to Mackinac Island , which does not permit cars. Visitors can take their vehicles on a car ferry to Bois Blanc Island . The straits are shallow and narrow enough to freeze over in the winter. Navigation is ensured for year-round shipping to the Lower Great Lakes by the use of icebreakers . The straits were an important Native American and fur trade route. The Straits of Mackinac are named after Mackinac Island . The local Ojibwe Native Americans in

1155-534: The terminology varies. State parks are thus similar to national parks , but under state rather than federal administration. Similarly, local government entities below state level may maintain parks, e.g., regional parks or county parks . In general, state parks are smaller than national parks, with a few exceptions such as Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in California, and Wood-Tikchik State Park in Alaska,

1190-575: The visitor experience but also to promote conservation awareness and encourage responsible enjoyment of natural resources. There are 6,792 state park units in the United States, according to the National Association of State Park Directors (NASPD). There are some 813 million annual visits to the country's state parks. The NASPD further counts over 43,000 miles (69,000 km) of trail, 217,367 campsites, and 8,277 cabins and lodges across U.S. state parks. The largest state park system in

1225-473: Was established in 1875 as the second U.S. national park before being converted to a state park in 1895. The first state park with the designation of "state park" was Itasca State Park in Minnesota , established in 1891. Many state park systems date to the 1930s, when around 800 state parks (and several national ones) across the country were developed with assistance from federal job-creation programs like

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