Mackinac Island: Where Cars Were Banned in 1898

Before Henry Ford even dreamed of mass-producing cars, Mackinac Island made a radical decision: ban automobiles forever. In 1898, this tiny Michigan island in the Great Lakes chose horse-drawn carriages over horsepower, and more than 125 years later, it remains America's most unusual experiment in preservation. When Men's Journal accidentally listed it as a top motorcycle destination, bikers arrived to discover their rides would be immediately impounded.

But Mackinac's story goes far deeper than its quirky transportation rules. From serving as the sacred neutral ground for rival Native American tribes to becoming the unlikely birthplace of modern gastroenterology (involving a man with a permanent hole in his stomach), this 4.3 square mile island has punched well above its weight in American history. Fort Mackinac remains undefeated in combat, the architecture spans twelve different styles, and the island still operates in rhythms that disappeared from the rest of America before your grandparents were born.

Discover how one small island became both a national park and the keeper of pre-industrial American soundscapes—complete with fudge shops, Victorian charm, and actual horsepower.

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In This Episode:

• Why Mackinac Island banned automobiles five years before Ford Motor Company even existed
• The accidental medical breakthrough that made Fort Mackinac the birthplace of gastroenterology
• How American forces suffered a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mackinac in 1814
• The tragic story of Lieutenant Porter Hanks and his bizarre court-martial ending
• What happens when motorcyclists arrive at America's most famous car-free island
• How Mackinac became sacred ground for Native peoples and the center of French colonial power

Key Figures:

• Alexis St. Martin - Fur trader who survived a musket wound that left a permanent hole in his stomach
• William Beaumont - Fort Mackinac surgeon who became the father of gastric physiology
• Lieutenant Porter Hanks - Doomed American commander who surrendered Fort Mackinac in 1812

Timeline:

• Pre-1600s: Native peoples consider Mackinac home of the Great Spirit
• 1600s: French colonization begins; island becomes centerpiece of New France
• 1814: Battle of Mackinac—British victory in War of 1812
• 1822: Musket accident leads to groundbreaking digestive system research
• 1875: Mackinac becomes America's second national park (after Yellowstone)
• 1895: Mackinac becomes Michigan's first state park
• 1898: Automobile ban instituted and maintained to present day

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