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The 250th anniversary of the attack on Fort Michilimackinac

By Current State • May 29, 2013
  • Colonial Fort Michilimackinac was founded by the French in 1715. It came under British control in 1761.
    View Slideshow 1 of 7
    Colonial Fort Michilimackinac was founded by the French in 1715. It came under British control in 1761.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • Every Memorial Day weekend, local residents re-enact the Ojibwe attack on Michilimackinac on June 2, 1763.
    View Slideshow 2 of 7
    Every Memorial Day weekend, local residents re-enact the Ojibwe attack on Michilimackinac on June 2, 1763.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • The Obijwe used a type of "Trojan horse" tactic by staging a game of baggatiway, the forerunner of lacrosse. The game was a ruse for an attack on the fort.
    View Slideshow 3 of 7
    The Obijwe used a type of "Trojan horse" tactic by staging a game of baggatiway, the forerunner of lacrosse. The game was a ruse for an attack on the fort.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • Great Britain gained control of French colonies in Canada following the French and Indian War. It's inflexible policies in part led to the American Revolution.
    View Slideshow 4 of 7
    Great Britain gained control of French colonies in Canada following the French and Indian War. It's inflexible policies in part led to the American Revolution.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • A re-enactor dressed as an Ojibwe warrior guards the land gate at Fort Michilimackinac.
    View Slideshow 5 of 7
    A re-enactor dressed as an Ojibwe warrior guards the land gate at Fort Michilimackinac.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • Actors portraying French soldiers play out the historic transfer of the fort from French to British control in September 1761.
    View Slideshow 6 of 7
    Actors portraying French soldiers play out the historic transfer of the fort from French to British control in September 1761.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR
  • The Straits of Mackinac were a strategic trade route for French and native fur traders. The region remains an important commercial shipping zone.
    View Slideshow 7 of 7
    The Straits of Mackinac were a strategic trade route for French and native fur traders. The region remains an important commercial shipping zone.
    Kevin Lavery / WKAR

Memorial Day signals the start of the summer tourist season in Michigan, and the Straits of Mackinac is a traditional favorite for thousands of people. One of the area’s top attractions is Fort Michilimackinac, built by French fur traders in the early 1700's, and later turned into a British military outpost.

Each year, locals re-enact the era of colonial Michilimackinac, but 2013 marks an important milestone in its historic legacy.  Current State’s Kevin Lavery took a trip up north to learn more about the most dramatic event in the fort’s history.

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