
Islands Without Cars
Michigan’s Mackinac Island
Season 2 Episode 202 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Mackinac Island is celebrated as an idealized American sense of community.
Michigan’s Mackinac Island is celebrated as an idealized American sense of community that feels “somewhere in time.” June is Lilac Festival time, and the popular Lilac Parade is featured. The island is famous for historic Victorian mansions, horse-drawn carriages, the iconic Grand Hotel and the island specialty, fudge!
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Distributed nationally by American Public Television
Islands Without Cars
Michigan’s Mackinac Island
Season 2 Episode 202 | 26m 46sVideo has Closed Captions
Michigan’s Mackinac Island is celebrated as an idealized American sense of community that feels “somewhere in time.” June is Lilac Festival time, and the popular Lilac Parade is featured. The island is famous for historic Victorian mansions, horse-drawn carriages, the iconic Grand Hotel and the island specialty, fudge!
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipKIRA: COMING UP NEXT ON ISLANDS WITHOUT CARS WE TRAVEL TO A UNIQUELY PRESERVED SLICE OF GOOD OLD-FASHIONED AMERICANA, LOCATED BETWEEN MICHIGAN'S UPPER AND LOWER PENINSULAS.
SO, COME WITH US AS WE EXPLORE THE ICONIC GRAND HOTEL, LEARN HOW TO DRIVE ISLAND STYLE AND MEET THE PEOPLE DEDICATED TO PRESERVING THIS ONE OF A KIND DREAMSCAPE.
[MUSIC] KIRA: HI, I'M KIRA COOK AND IT'S MY GREAT PLEASURE TO BE YOUR GUIDE AS WE SEARCH FOR ISLANDS LOST IN TIME.
PLACES WHERE CARS ARE RESTRICTED AND WHOSE INHABITANTS WOULDN'T HAVE IT ANY OTHER WAY.
SO COME WITH ME ON A JOURNEY THAT YOU WON'T FORGET.
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] VISITING MACKINAC ISLAND IS LIKE TAKING A TRIP BACKWARDS IN TIME.
IT'S A PLACE WHERE LESS THAN 500 RESIDENTS SHARE THEIR ISLAND WITH UP TO 1500 TOURISTS A DAY IN PEAK SEASON.
ALTHOUGH THERE IS A TINY AIRPORT ON THE ISLAND, MOST OF THE ONE MILLION PEOPLE WHO VISIT ANNUALLY DO WHAT WE DID AND DRIVE TO EITHER MACKINAW CITY OR ST. IGNACE TO CATCH A SHORT FERRY RIDE TO THE 3.8 SQUARE MILE DOCK IN LAKE HURON; 80% OF WHICH IS A PROTECTED STATE PARK.
BY THE TIME THE PAINTED VICTORIAN MANSIONS ON THE BLUFFS AND THE VAST WHITENESS OF THE GRAND HOTEL COME INTO FOCUS, YOU ALREADY FEEL YOURSELF SLOWING DOWN, SURRENDERING TO THE MAGIC OF TRAVELING TO A PLACE OUT OF TIME.
TO GET THE GRAND EXPERIENCE, WE BEGIN AT THE DOCK.
YOU CAN DANCE TOO.
[LAUGHS] AND CONTINUE IN A HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE UP THE HILL.
TO ONE OF THE GRANDEST VICTORIAN ERA HOTELS IN AMERICA.
THE GRAND HOTEL HAS THE LONGEST CONTINUOUS PORCH IN A SEASONAL SUMMER RESORT IN THE WORLD, THAT'S ALL 660 FEET...
PRETTY LONG.
THE HOTEL WAS BUILT IN 1887 DURING AMERICA'S GILDED AGE OF RAPID ECONOMIC GROWTH, INDUSTRIALIZATION AND SUDDEN FORTUNE.
BOB: THIS GENRE OF HOTEL, THE BIG WOOD FRAME RESORT HOTEL, IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE WAS OVER 1200 OF THEM IN 1904 AND TODAY IN THE UNITED STATES, THERE'S 11 LEFT STANDING.
WE'RE THE LAST PRIVATELY OWNED IN THE COUNTRY.
THAT IS MY FAVORITE PIECE OF TRIVIA.
KIRA: THE SAME ARCHITECTURE?
BOB: WELL THIS GENRE, WOOD FRAME HOTEL, THESE WERE BUILT BY TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES, ALMOST TWO-THIRDS OF THE 1200, TO CREATE A DESTINATION FOR THE WEALTHY VICTORIANS.
THEY LIVED IN THE HOT INDUSTRIAL CITIES AND THEY WANTED TO GET AWAY FOR THE SUMMER.
SO WE WERE BUILT FOR MAINLY THE CHILDREN OF THE MOVERS AND SHAKERS AND ROBBER BARONS TO SPEND THE SUMMER.
OUR SEASON USED TO BE TWO MONTHS LONG, MAJORITY OF OUR GUESTS STAYED THE WHOLE SUMMER.
KIRA: WOW.
TELL ME ABOUT THE DESIGN OF THIS HOTEL.
BOB: WELL, AS A HISTORIC HOTEL, IT'S OUR 129TH YEAR, 130TH SEASON; WE DON'T WANT TO BE A MUSEUM.
WE WANT TO BE THE BEST OF MANY PERIODS PUT TOGETHER IN A FUN, ECLECTIC-- I MEAN MY LINE IS THIS: WE WANT TO BE ELEGANT, BUT WE DON'T WANT TO TAKE OURSELVES TOO SERIOUSLY.
WE SELL SUMMER MEMORIES AND GIFTWRAP EVERY ONE OF THEM.
[MUSIC] KIRA: I'M STARTING MY SUMMER MEMORIES BY GETTING A LITTLE EXERCISE ON ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR MODES OF TRANSPORTATION HERE.
BECAUSE THE LOCAL NATIVE AMERICANS LIKENED THE SHAPE OF THIS ISLAND TO THAT OF A TURTLE, THEY NAMED IT MICHILIMACKINAC, WHICH MEANS BIG TURTLE.
LATER THE FRENCH AND THEN THE ENGLISH CHANGED IT AGAIN, BUT EVEN THOUGH IT'S SPELLED WITH A C AT THE END, IT'S ALWAYS PRONOUNCED MACKINAW.
BEHIND ME IS ARCH ROCK.
IT WAS TREATED AS A SITE OF RELIGIOUS POWER BY THE NATIVE AMERICANS AND LATER ON WAS ONE OF THE DECIDING FACTORS IN MAKING THIS A NATIONAL PARK.
[MUSIC] THE OLD TIME CHARM IS EVERYWHERE, ESPECIALLY ON MAIN STREET.
[MUSIC] BUSY WITH PEDESTRIANS, BICYCLISTS, HORSES AND CARRIAGES.
[MUSIC] I COULDN'T PASS UP THE HISTORIC TRINITY EPISCOPAL CHURCH FOR A CHAT WITH RON SMITH, WHO WAS ORDAINED HERE 30 YEARS AGO.
HI.
RON: HI, GOOD AFTERNOON.
KIRA: NICE TO MEET YOU.
RON: RON.
KIRA: I'M KIRA.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
RON: THIS BUILDING WAS BUILT IN 1882, BUT THE CONGREGATION EXISTED EARLIER THAN THAT.
I THINK THE FIRST EPISCOPAL SERVICE HERE WAS IN THE 1830S.
MY GREAT-GRAND FATHER BOUGHT A COTTAGE HERE IN 1912 AND SO HIS FAMILY AND MY MOTHER'S FAMILY AND EVERYONE HAS GONE TO CHURCH HERE.
KIRA: WHAT IS IT LIKE TO MINISTER TO A COMMUNITY OF TOURISTS?
RON: IT'S A MIXTURE.
SO I THINK WE PROBABLY ON A SUNDAY HAVE 50% PEOPLE WHO LIVE HERE AND 50% PEOPLE WHO ARE VISITING.
THIS COMMUNITY WAS A FULL TIME PARISH FOR A LOT OF YEARS AND THEN IT BECAME A SUMMER COMMUNITY AND THEN IT'S GONE BACK TO BEING A FULL TIME PARISH AGAIN.
WE DEPEND ON THAT KIND OF COMMUNITY AND WE TRY CONSCIOUSLY TO MAKE PEOPLE WELCOME.
KIRA: THE DAY TRIPPERS HERE, PEOPLE WHO COME OVER IN THE MORNING AND LEAVE IN THE EVENING, ARE KNOWN BY THE LOCALS AS FUDGIES.
AND WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT WHY.
OH YEAH!
SO HERE WE ARE AT MURDICK'S FUDGE ON MAIN STREET AND WE'RE AT THE FIRST PART OF THE FUDGE MAKING PROCESS.
WHAT ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?
BOB: WELL, WE'RE LOOKING AT A LOT OF FUDGE TO START.
32 POUNDS OF FUDGE AND IT ALL STARTS AS A MICHIGANDER BEING BORN AND RAISED HERE.
IT STARTS, WE DO OUR HAND THIS WAY, IT STARTS IN THE THUMB AREA AND THAT'S WHERE WE GET OUR SUGAR.
COMES OVER ON A BARGE AND IT'S UNLOADED ONTO DRAYS THAT ARE PULLED BY HORSE AND BUGGY.
THEY COME BY EVERYDAY WITH OUR CREAM OUR BUTTER OUR SUGAR AND ALL OF OUR OTHER INGREDIENTS.
KIRA: MACKINAC ISLAND IS THE SELF-PROCLAIMED FUDGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD.
MURDICK'S IS ONE OF THE OLDEST.
AND 90% OF THEIR NATURAL INGREDIENTS ARE SOURCED FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN.
BOB: HE'S ALMOST THERE, RIGHT DARNELL?
KIRA: YEAH, SUPER THICK.
BOB: HE THOUGHT IT WAS RIGHT, THERE.
HE STOPPED AND PAUSED, BUT HE THOUGHT MOVE IT ONE MORE TIME.
NOW HE'S GETTING INTO WHAT HE THINKS IS THE PERFECT CONSISTENCY.
KIRA: AND HOW DO YOU DETERMINE THE PERFECT CONSISTENCY?
CARNEL: YOU CAN FEEL IT.
AFTER DOING IT FOR SO LONG YOU CAN FEEL THE TEXTURE AS IT CHANGES.
BOB: IT'S A LITTLE VISUAL, TOO, RIGHT CARNEL?
YOU KIND OF EYEBALL IT.
YOU CAN ALMOST LOOK AT THESE STREAKS, YOU KNOW?
BUT CARNEL IS REALLY-- I MEAN IT'S THE FUDGE CAPITAL OF THE WORLD AND HE IS THE BEST FUDGE MAKER ON MACKINAC ISLAND SO YOU CAN SAY HE'S THE BEST FUDGE MAKER IN THE WORLD, RIGHT?
KIRA: THIS IS ALL MINE.
OH, YEAH.
THAT'S GOOD FUDGE.
SUGAR RUSH IN PROGRESS.
IT'S TIME TO LEARN HOW TO GET AROUND USING THE OTHER MOST POPULAR METHOD OF TRANSPORTATION HERE.
NOW, FOR A LESSON IN CARRIAGE DRIVING FROM JOE.
HOW DO I DRIVE A CARRIAGE?
JOE: ALRIGHT.
SO TO GET OUR HORSES STARTED, WE'RE GOING TO GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF TENSION IN THE MOUTH, LINE IN EACH HAND.
WE'RE GOING TO KISS AT THEM, CLICK AT THEM.
GIVE A LITTLE TENSION IN THE MOUTH, LET THEM KNOW YOU'RE READY.
JUST LIKE THAT.
LOOK AT THAT.
PERFECT.
NOW YOU WANT TO PULL LEFT, YOU PULL ALWAYS TOWARDS YOUR BODY.
AND THEN GATHER UP YOUR LINES SO YOU CAN ONE-HAND THEM.
PERFECT, JUST LIKE THAT.
YOU'RE A PRO ALREADY.
ABSOLUTELY.
KIRA: REALLY?
DO YOU HEAR THAT OUT THERE?
I'M A PRO ALREADY.
OOPS.
I ALREADY MESSED IT UP.
JOE: NO, YOU'RE GOOD.
YOU'RE DRIVING REALLY WELL, SO WE'RE GOING TO EXTEND IT OUT, WE'RE IN CONTROL.
EVERYTHING WE DO IS TOWARDS OUR STOMACH.
KIRA: TOWARD OUR STOMACH.
TO THE LEFT.
AND YOU SAID WHEN YOU PULL TOO HARD THEY SAY, "NO, I DON'T LIKE THAT," RIGHT?
JOE: IF YOU PULL TOO HARD THEY'RE-- YEAH, THEY'LL JUST STOP ON YOU A LOT OF TIMES.
EVERYTHING WE DO WITH OUR HORSES, WE'RE TELLING THEM WHAT WE WANT TO DO WITH THE LINE.
KIRA: OKAY.
I WANT YOU TO KEEP GOING.
JOE: YOU LOOK COMFORTABLE RIGHT NOW.
KIRA: I'M VERY COMFORTABLE AND MY ABS ARE BURNING.
I'M BASICALLY DOING A SITTING, SIT-UP.
JOE: YEAH, YOUR ON LIKE YOUR THOUSANDTH REP RIGHT NOW.
KIRA: YEAH, THAT'S RIGHT.
LEAVING MACKINAC ISLAND WITH A ROCK SOLID SICK PACK.
IT'S COVERED IN FUDGE, BUT IT'S A SIX PACK UNDERNEATH IT.
THIS IS FUN.
JOE: ABSOLUTELY, YOU COULD DO THIS ALL DAY.
KIRA: I REALLY COULD DO THIS ALL DAY.
JOE: YOU COULD BE A TOUR DRIVER.
KIRA: THANK YOU.
JOE: ABSOLUTELY.
KIRA: I FEEL LIKE ANNE OF GREEN GABLES.
THIS WHOLE ISLAND MAKES ME FEEL LIKE HER.
JOE: I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT.
KIRA: FROM THE HORSES AND CARRIAGES TO THE VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE, EVERYTHING ON THIS ISLAND FEELS LIKE AN ELABORATE HOLLYWOOD SET.
AND SOME OF THE LOCATIONS ACTUALLY WERE.
LOOK FAMILIAR?
THIS GAZEBO IS ONE OF THE SETTINGS FOR THE 1980 FILM "SOMEWHERE IN TIME," STARRING JANE SEYMOUR, CHRISTOPHER REEVE AND CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER.
MACKINAC WAS THE PERFECT SETTING TO TELL THIS ROMANTIC FANTASY OF A MAN WHO WILLS HIMSELF BACK IN TIME TO 1912 TO BE WITH THE WOMAN HE LOVES.
NUMEROUS ISLAND LOCALS WERE USED INCLUDING A SUPPORTING ROLE BY NONE OTHER THAN THE GRAND HOTEL.
[MUSIC] THE MOVIE HAS A VERY DEVOTED FOLLOWING.
BOB: PEOPLE COME TO THIS HOTEL SO OFTEN, I MEAN I'VE BEEN HERE 21 YEARS AND EVERYDAY SOMEBODY ASKS ABOUT THE MOVIE.
IT TOUCHES SO MANY LIVES.
AND EVEN THOUGH IT BOMBED AT THE BOX OFFICE, IT PICKED UP TRACTION ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
HAS THE SECOND LARGEST FAN CLUB OF ANY OF ANY SINGLE RELEASED MOVIE AFTER GONE WITH THE WIND.
WE HAVE A SOMEWHERE IN TIME WEEKEND.
IT'S JUST AMAZING.
IT'S BECAUSE IT'S ONE OF THE FEW PLACES IF YOU LOVE THAT FILM, YOU CAN COME AND LIVE IT.
KIRA: AND WHAT HAPPENS ON THE WEEKEND HERE, THE SOMEWHERE IN TIME WEEKEND?
BOB: WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN ON THE WEEKEND WITH SOMEWHERE IN TIME?
ABOUT TWO-THIRDS OF THE PEOPLE DRESS IN CLOTHING, THEY HAVE AS MANY AS FIVE CLOTHING CHANGES WHILE THEY'RE HERE.
ACTORS COME BACK, WRITERS COME BACK, CINEMATOGRAPHERS COME BACK AND IT'S ONE EVENT AFTER ANOTHER AND THEY CAN LIVE THE MOVIE.
CAUSE THE HOTEL TO ME WAS NOT A BACKDROP, IT WAS A CHARACTER IN THE FILM.
KIRA: THREE DECADES BEFORE SOMEWHERE IN TIME, ESTHER WILLIAMS STARRED IN THIS TIME FOR KEEPS.
THE HOTEL OWNERS WERE SO IMPRESSED WITH THE ACTRESS, SWIMMER AND BATHING SUIT MOGUL, PICTURED HERE WITH HOTEL PRESIDENT DAN MUSSER, JR. AND CO-STAR JIMMY DURANTE, [MUSIC] THAT THEY NAMED THE POOL AFTER HER, WHERE SHE SHOT AN ICONIC SEQUENCE.
WHICH LOOKED SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
[MUSIC] WELL MAYBE YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO TAKE MY WORD FOR IT OR SEE THE MOVIE.
KEN: LADIES, HOW ARE YOU?
FEMALE VOICE: IT'S ALWAYS NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN.
KEN: THESE LADIES HAVE BEEN MY FRIEND FOR OVER 30 YEARS.
KIRA: KEN SALMON HAS BEEN WORKING AT THE GRAND HOTEL EVERY SUMMER FOR THE LAST 47 YEARS.
DO YOU SEE THE SAME GUESTS COME EVERY YEAR?
KEN: YES, EVERY YEAR AND THAT'S WHAT-- THAT'S THE KEY, TO SEE GUESTS COME YEAR OVER YEAR AND TO SEE ALSO NEW FACES.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, LIKE COMING INTO MY HOME.
KIRA: HE MANAGES EVERY DETAIL, CARRIED OUT BY THE HUNDRED PLUS PEOPLE WHO PREPARE AND SERVE AS MANY AS 4000 MEALS PER DAY.
WITH A CLAP OF HIS HANDS, KEN HERALDS IN THE FORMAL DINNER SERVICE NIGHTLY.
THE GRAND HOTEL MAINTAINS TIME HONORED, 19TH CENTURY TRADITIONS AND CUSTOMS, INCLUDING A STRICT DRESS CODE FOR DINNER IN THE MAIN DINNING ROOM.
WAITER: WHITE FISH.
KIRA: THANK YOU, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
WAITER: PLEASE ENJOY, ALL RIGHT.
KIRA: TO DISCOVER THE PHILOSOPHIES BEHIND THE TRADITIONS, WE ASKED DAN MUSSER, THE HOTEL'S CURRENT PRESIDENT AND THIRD IN HIS FAMILY TO HOLD THAT POSITION.
WHAT DOES TRADITION MEAN TO YOU?
WHY HAVE WOMEN WEAR EVENING GOWNS AND MEN WEAR TIES IN THE DINNING ROOM AT NIGHT?
DAN: IT MAKES EVERYONE FEEL IMPORTANT AND LOOK IMPORTANT AND THAT'S PART OF THE FUN OF OUR BIG DINNING ROOM.
MY FATHER, WHO PASSED AWAY A COUPLE YEARS AGO, ALWAYS SAID, "IT DOESN'T COST A DIME @TO ASK A GENTLEMAN TO PUT A TIE ON AT NIGHT, BUT IT CHANGES THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE DINNING ROOM," TO NOT A STUFFY ONE, BUT I THINK AN EVENT.
I THINK THAT PART IS SPECIAL AND UNIQUE TO US CERTAINLY AND ADDS TO THE AMBIANCE OF THE HOTEL.
KIRA: IS THERE A PARTICULAR MODEL OF SERVICE THAT YOU WORK WITH?
DAN: YES, EVERY YEAR WE HAVE A STAFF MEETING.
A FULL STAFF MEETING OF EVERYONE, WE ALL GET IN OUR UNIFORMS AND WE GEAR UP FOR THE SEASON AND I TALK ABOUT VERY SIMPLE THINGS.
PRETEND THIS IS YOUR SUMMER HOME AND YOU HAVE GUESTS COMING OVER FOR THE NIGHT, AND TREAT THEM AS YOU WOULD IF THEY WERE COMING INTO YOUR VERY HOME.
THAT'S OUR GOAL.
KIRA: HI THERE.
BEN: HI THERE.
KIRA: I'M KIRA.
BEN: BEN MOSLEY.
KIRA: SO NICE TO MEET YOU.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.
AND IF YOUR HOME HAD HORSES AND CARRIAGES... BEN: WELCOME TO GRAND HOTEL STABLES.
KIRA: THANK YOU.
...YOU WOULD NEED A MAN LIKE BEN MOSLEY WHO RUNS THE GRAND HOTEL STABLE AND CARES FOR THEIR AMAZING FLEET OF VICTORIAN AGE CARRIAGES.
BEN: WE'RE ACTUALLY A MUSEUM THAT HAS A WORKING STABLES ATTACHED TO IT OR WE'RE A WORKING STABLES THAT HAVE A MUSEUM ATTACHED TO IT DEPENDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVE, BUT A LOT OF HISTORY HERE.
ALL BUT TWO OF THE CARRIAGES IN HERE ARE WELL OVER 100 YEARS OLD.
THE OLDEST CARRIAGE DATES BACK SOMEWHERE TO ABOUT 1870.
KIRA: IN ONE OF THE FIRST KIDNAPPINGS IN THE U.S., THE RANSOM WAS RETURNED IN THIS CARRIAGE.
THESE THREE BELONGED TO THE VANDERBILT FAMILY.
PROMINENT DURING THE GILDED AGE, THE VANDERBILTS MADE A FORTUNE IN SHIPPING AND RAILROADING.
THEY WERE ALSO ONE OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDERS AND OWNERS OF THE GRAND HOTEL.
THIS ONE HAS HAULED COUNTLESS CELEBRITIES AND EVEN A FEW PRESIDENTS.
AND TODAY, I GET TO RIDE IN IT.
PART OF BEN'S JOB, WOW HE CLEANS UP NICELY, IS DRIVING THE CARRIAGES FOR SPECIAL GUESTS.
CAN I HAVE A RIDE?
BEN: YES MA'AM.
WELCOME ABOARD.
KIRA: I'D LIKE TO BE UP WITH YOU.
BEN: OK. KIRA: ALL RIGHT.
[MUSIC] WHICH PRESIDENTS HAVE BEEN ON THIS CARRIAGE?
BEN: TESTING MY SKILLS HERE.
TRUMAN, KENNEDY, FORD, BUSH SR., AND CLINTON.
KIRA: WOW.
AND KIRA.
WHAT A COLLECTION.
[MUSIC] BEN: I GET REMINDED HOW COOL OF A PLACE I LIVE EVERY TIME I TAKE PEOPLE OUT AND THIS PLACE JUST KIND OF TRAPS PEOPLE.
THERE'S VERY FEW PEOPLE THAT EVER COME HERE ONCE.
MACKINAC ISLAND HAS THIS THING THAT'S CALLED, IT.
YOU CAN'T REALLY DEFINE IT, BUT YOU KNOW IT WHEN YOU SEE IT, BUT THAT @IT@ FOR EVERYBODY IS SOMETHING JUST A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT.
WHETHER IT'S THE SERVICE AT THE HOTEL OR THE VICTORIAN ARCHITECTURE, THE HISTORY OR THE HORSES OR THE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS HERE.
KIRA: WHAT THE HECK IT THIS?
BEN: OK.
THIS IS SUGAR LOAF.
BASICALLY DEPOSITED HERE BY THE GLACIERS AND THIS IS ALSO A PLACE OF GREAT RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE FOR THE LOCAL NATIVES.
SUGARLOAF WAS WHERE GITCHE MANITOU, WHO WAS THEIR MOST IMPORTANT GOD OR SPIRIT LIVED.
THEY ALSO BELIEVED THAT HE LEFT HIS FACE IN THE PROFILE OF THE ROCK YOU'LL SEE THE PROFILE OF A MAN'S FACE.
KIRA: TOTALLY.
BEN: WINSTON CHURCHILL SAID, @THERE'S NOTHING BETTER FOR THE INSIDE OF A MAN THAN THE OUTSIDE OF A HORSE.
@ OK. MY THERAPIST HAS FOUR HOOVES.
THERE'S OVER 550 HORSES ON THE ISLAND ALL TOTAL AND THESE 500 OR SO HORSES THAT ARE HERE ON THE ISLAND ARE JUST HERE DURING THE SUMMER.
THERE'S ONLY ABOUT A DOZEN THAT STAYS HERE DURING THE WINTERTIME TO RUN THE TAXI SERVICE AND HAUL GARBAGE AND FREIGHT.
EVERYBODY ELSE HAS TAKEN OFF THE ISLAND BECAUSE IT'S SO EXPENSIVE TO KEEP HORSES OVER HERE.
BASICALLY JUST THE LOGISTICS OF BRINGING STUFF OVER HERE ADDS ABOUT 30% TO THE COST.
THERE'S ONLY TWO THINGS THAT ARE PRODUCED ON MACKINAC ISLAND AND THAT'S HORSE MANURE AND FUDGE.
KIRA: WITH SO MANY HORSES, KEEPING THE ISLAND CLEAN IS A FULL TIME JOB FOR LOTS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
HI.
PAUL: HI.
KIRA: HOW ARE YOU?
PAUL: I'M DOING WELL.
THANK YOU.
KIRA: WE DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH THE THEME AND FOLLOW OUR NOSES TO THE ISLAND DUMP.
SO, YES, SHOW ME AROUND YOUR DUMP.
PAUL: OK, EXCELLENT.
COME ON IN PLEASE.
KIRA: GREAT.
AND SEE JUST HOW THE ISLAND HANDLES ALL THE GARBAGE AND MANURE PRODUCED EVERYDAY.
PAUL: IT'S A THIRTY CUBIC YARD ENCLOSED DUMPSTER AND THESE WILL LEAVE THE ISLAND DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE SEASON EVERY TWO, TWO AND A HALF DAYS.
SO HERE WE HAVE SIXTY THOUSAND POUNDS BASICALLY OF WASTE THAT WILL BE LEAVING THE ISLAND.
IT'S ABOUT A FIFTY-MILE PROCESS ALL TOGETHER INCLUDING TRAVEL OVER THE WATER.
KIRA: JUST TO GET THE GARBAGE OUT OF HERE.
PAUL: YES.
KIRA: FOR MORE THAN TWO DECADES, PAUL HAS BEEN SORTING THROUGH TRASH AND COMPOST TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF GARBAGE THAT WILL GO TO THE LANDFILL ON THE MAINLAND AND ULTIMATELY SAVE THE ISLAND MONEY ON SHIPPING.
THEIR HANDLING FACILITY DOESN'T HAVE THE MEANS TO CLEAN THEIR MATERIALS AND CONTAMINATED, RECYCLABLE ITEMS END UP GOING TO THE LANDFILL.
SO, PAUL REMINDED US TO CLEAN OUR RECYCLABLES BEFORE TOSSING THEM.
I'M ACTUALLY SURPRISED THAT, MAYBE I'VE JUST ADJUSTED TO IT, BUT THE SMELL IS NOT TOO BAD IN HERE.
PAUL: NO, IT'S NOT.
KIRA: WOULD I SPRAY IT ON MY BODY IN THE MORNING?
NO.
PAUL: WELL WE CALL IT EAU DE DUMP.
KIRA: I LOVE IT.
HAVE YOU BOTTLED IT YET?
PAUL: NO I HAVE NOT.
KIRA: PAUL, THIS COULD BE A CAREER MOVE.
PAUL: I KNOW IT SHOULD BE, ACTUALLY.
KIRA: A LOT OF GREEDY GULLS OUT HERE.
PAUL: THERE'S TONS OF THEM.
KIRA: ANOTHER BIG PART OF THE WORK HERE IS COMPOSTING ALL THINGS ORGANIC, WHICH EVENTUALLY RETURNS TO THE ISLAND AS FERTILIZER.
PAUL: EVERY MORNING WE GET ANYWHERE FROM 20-50 CUBIC YARDS OF HORSE MANURE, HAY AND STRAW HERE FROM ALL THE BARNS ON THE ISLAND.
AND THEN EVERY MORNING WE ALSO HAVE-- GRAND HOTEL HAS A WAGON THAT ARRIVES HERE WITH BARRELS OF KITCHEN WASTE.
KIRA: YES, I SEE SOME ORANGE RINDS.
WHAT'S THE PROCESS?
IT JUST SITS THERE?
PAUL: IT'S GOING TO SIT THERE, ITS GOT DIFFERENT BACTERIA, DIFFERENT FUNGI THAT'S ACTUALLY EATING THE COMPOST AND THE FOOD THAT'S IN IT.
KIRA: THAT YOU ADD TO IT OR IT'S JUST NATURALLY IN THERE, THE BACTERIA AND FUNGI?
PAUL: THAT'S ALL NATURALLY IN THERE, ACTUALLY.
KIRA: THAT WOULDN'T INCLUDE THESE PINEAPPLE CORES AND THE ORANGE RINDS?
PAUL: THAT'S ALL GOING TO BREAK DOWN OVER THE COURSE, THE TIME THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE IT GOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS ACTUALLY, WHICH IS APPROXIMATELY 30 DAYS.
AND THEN IT'LL SIT THERE OVER THE WINTER AND MATURE.
WE ARE ABLE TO START SELLING IT APPROXIMATELY APRIL OF THE FOLLOWING YEAR.
KIRA: EXCELLENT.
SO IT'S BASICALLY A YEAR LONG PROCESS TO GET FROM KITCHEN SINK TO THE GARDENS ON THE ISLAND?
PAUL: YES, YES.
KIRA: FASCINATING, INCREDIBLE, VERY USEFUL GARBAGE.
BYE PAUL.
PAUL: BYE KIRA.
KIRA: THANK YOU SO MUCH.
PAUL: YOU'RE WELCOME.
KIRA: GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR DUMP.
PAUL: THANK YOU.
KIRA: TO TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING CARE OF THIS UNIQUELY AMERICAN ISLAND, WE MET WITH PHIL PORTER.
PHIL'S FAMILY HAS BEEN A PART OF THE ISLAND AND INVOLVED IN ITS PRESERVATION FOR GENERATIONS.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MACKINAC ISLAND TO OUR NATIONAL PUBLIC?
PHIL: MACKINAC ISLAND IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT HAS A RICH HISTORY AND THAT HISTORY IS SO WELL PRESERVED IN TERMS OF THE RESOURCES THAT ARE HERE TODAY.
THOSE RESOURCES HAVE BEEN PROTECTED BY TWO VERY SIGNIFICANT THINGS THAT HAVE HAPPENED IN HISTORY.
THE FIRST WAS THE CREATION OF MACKINAC NATIONAL PARK IN 1875.
NOT PEOPLE REALIZE THAT MACKINAC WAS THE COUNTRY'S SECOND NATIONAL PARK.
ONLY YELLOWSTONE PREDATED MACKINAC AS A NATIONAL PARK.
20 YEARS LATER IN 1895, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT WAS PREPARED TO SELL MACKINAC NATIONAL PARK AND THAT'S WHEN THE STATE, FORTUNATELY, STEPPED IN, ACQUIRED THE LAND AND SET IT ASIDE AS MICHIGAN'S FIRST STATE PARK, MACKINAC ISLAND STATE PARK.
SO THE NATURAL WONDERS AND THE HISTORIC RESOURCES ARE ALL PROTECTED.
THE SECOND THING THAT HAPPENED, THAT WAS SO IMPORTANT, HAPPENED THREE YEARS AFTER THE STATE PARK WAS CREATED.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1898, A GENTLEMAN BROUGHT A CAR TO MACKINAC ISLAND, THIS IS VERY EARLY IN THE HISTORY OF CARS.
HE BROUGHT IT ON A BOAT, TO THE DOCK DOWNTOWN AND DROVE THE CAR UP THE DOCK AND ONTO THE MAIN STREET.
AND MAIN STREET MACKINAC ISLAND IN 1898 WAS VERY MUCH LIKE IT IS TODAY LOADED WITH BICYCLES, CARRIAGES, PEOPLE AND HORSES.
AND WHEN THE HORSES MET THEIR FIRST CAR, WELL IT WASN'T A HAPPY MEETING.
IT SCARED THE HORSES TO DEATH AND SO THE MEN WHO RAN THE CARRIAGE TOUR BUSINESSES GOT TOGETHER AND PETITIONED THE VILLAGE COUNSEL TO BAN CARS AND SO THERE IS A BAN ON HORSELESS CARRIAGES THAT GOES BACK TO 1898.
[MUSIC] KIRA: FORT MACKINAC, WHERE PHIL'S OFFICE IS LOCATED, WAS BUILT IN 1782 ON THE SOUTHERN BLUFF OF MACKINAC ISLAND.
BUILT BY THE BRITISH DURING THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION TO CONTROL THE FUR TRADE ON THE GREAT LAKES, IT TOOK THEM 15 YEARS AFTER AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE TO RELINQUISH IT.
[MUSIC] PAUL: SO WE'RE WALKING DOWN ONTO THE PARADE GROUND, THIS IS THE CENTER OF THE FORT.
ALL OF THE BUILDINGS OF THE FORT ARE SURROUNDING THE PARADE GROUNDS.
THIS IS WHERE THE SOLDIERS DRILLED AND WHERE THEY PRACTICED, WHERE THEY ASSEMBLED EVERY MORNING AT THE SOUND OF REVEILLE.
SO IT WAS REALLY THE CENTER OF THE HEARTBEAT OF FORT MACKINAC.
AGAIN, ALL THE BUILDINGS INSIDE FORT MACKINAC ARE ORIGINAL DATING FROM THE 1780S ALL THE WAY UNTIL 1885 WHEN THE LAST BUILDING WAS BUILT HERE, WHICH WAS THE POST BATH HOUSE.
IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY, THE MILITARY BECAME MUCH MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH AND THE WELLNESS OF THE SOLDIERS AND SO THEY HAD A NUMBER OF PROGRESSIVE THINGS THAT THEY BEGIN TO DO, ONE OF WHICH WAS TO BE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT SANITARY CONDITIONS.
AND SO THEY BUILT THE BATH HOUSE AND THE POST SURGEON WAS VERY PROUD TO REPORT THAT THE SOLDIERS BATHED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK.
KIRA: ONCE A WEEK?
ONCE A WEEK BATHS AS FAR AS THE LATE 19TH CENTURY.
TODAY, THIS RESTORED FORT IS A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK, FEATURING CEREMONIAL EXHIBITS OF AMERICAN HISTORY THAT HIGHLIGHT MILITARY TRAINING, BATTLES, MEDICAL TREATMENT AND WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE WITHIN THE FORT WALLS.
THE OTHER FORT ON THE ISLAND IS FORT HOLMES.
ORIGINALLY BUILT FOR THE WAR OF 1812 AND THEN ABANDONED, IT HAS ALSO BEEN LOVINGLY RECREATED AND STANDS ON TOP OF THE ISLAND AS PROOF OF ISLAND COMMITMENT TO PRESERVING ITS PAST.
PAUL: CARS WERE BANNED SO EARLY THAT THEY NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO CHANGE THE HISTORIC LAYOUT AND AMBIENCE OF MACKINAC.
WE STILL HAVE NARROW, QUAINT HISTORIC STREETS.
WE HAVE NO STOP SIGNS, NO STOP LIGHTS, NO GAS STATIONS, WE DON'T HAVE THE SOUND OF CARS, WE DON'T HAVE THE SMELL OF CARS.
SO WHEN YOU COME HERE, YOU'RE COMING TO ONE OF THOSE UNIQUE PLACES THAT HAS GREAT HISTORY THAT IS WELL PRESERVED IN A PRE-AUTOMOTIVE ENVIRONMENT AND THAT'S JUST WONDERFUL.
KIRA: EACH JUNE, WHEN THE LILACS ARE IN FULL BLOOM, THE HISTORY AND HERITAGE OF THE ISLAND ARE CELEBRATED WITH A SERIES OF EVENTS CALLED THE LILAC FESTIVAL.
THE LILAC FESTIVAL HAS BEEN AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION ON MACKINAC ISLAND SINCE 1949.
IT'S ONE OF THE LAST REMAINING HORSE-DRAWN CARRIAGE RUN PARADES IN AMERICA AND IT CELEBRATES THE MANY KINDS OF LILACS THAT FLOURISH ON THE ISLAND, MANY WHICH WERE BROUGHT OVER IN COLONIAL TIMES.
LET'S GO CHECK OUT THE FESTIVAL.
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] KIRA: ALL RIGHT.
[APPLAUE] LILACS.
[APPLAUSE] AND CLOWNS, WHY NOT?
THE FESTIVAL FEATURES LIVE ENTERTAINMENT AND INTERACTION WITH ISLAND CHEFS AT THE TASTE OF MACKINAC.
THIS CULINARY EVENT FEATURES TASTY SAMPLES OF ISLAND SPECIALTIES.
WE EVEN CAUGHT UP WITH THIS YEAR'S LILAC QUEEN.
AND WHAT'S THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF BEING A LILAC QUEEN?
PEYTON: BEING THE LILAC QUEEN, YOU'RE KIND OF JUST AN AMBASSADOR TO THE ISLAND.
I MADE AN APPEARANCE TODAY AT THE TASTE OF MACKINAC, MADE SURE EVERYONE HAD THEIR TICKETS, EVERYONE WAS ENJOYING THEIR FOOD AND HAVING A GOOD TIME AND THEN ON SUNDAY, I MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THE GRAND PARADE AT THE END OF THE FESTIVAL.
[MUSIC] KIRA: THE LILAC FESTIVAL GRAND PARADE IS THE FINALE OF THE FESTIVAL.
IN BETWEEN THE DANCERS AND THE CLOWN BAND, THE VETERANS AND THE FLOATS.
THIS UNIQUE PARADE CELEBRATES THE AMERICAN SPIRIT.
[MUSIC] MY LAST MEMORIES OF THE ISLAND WILL BE THIS: THE AMERICANA OF THE PAST IT INVOKES.
[MUSIC] I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE COME HERE FOR THE SOMEWHERE IN TIME WEEKEND, BUT ACTUALLY, I THINK ANY TIME AND ANY PLACE ON THIS ISLAND IS A SOMEWHERE OUT OF TIME EXPERIENCE.
[MUSIC] [MUSIC] [MUSIC] FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR SERIES, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT ISLANDSWITHOUTCARS.COM.
Islands Without Cars is presented by your local public television station.
Distributed nationally by American Public Television