Mackinac National Park
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Mackinac National Park was a U.S. National Park that existed from 1875 to 1895 on Mackinac Island in northern Michigan. It was the second national park in the United States, created three years after Yellowstone National Park in the Rocky Mountains. The 1044 acre (4.22 km²) park was created in response to the growing popularity of the island as a summer resort. Its creation was largely the result of efforts by United States Senator Thomas W. Ferry, a native of the island. The park grounds included Fort Mackinac, which continued to serve as a garrison of the United States Army during the operation of the park.
In 1895, at the request of the Michigan Governor John T. Rich, the fort was decommmissioned and the park was turned over to the State of Michigan, becoming Mackinac Island State Park, the first state park in Michigan.
External links
- Mackinac Island State Park facts (http://www.mackinacparks.com/statepark/facts.shtml)
- The National Parks: Shaping the System (http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/mackintosh1/sts2.htm)
- 1883 map of Mackinac National Park (http://www.enjoymichigan.com/clients/minationalpark.html)