Long before the Mackinaw Bridge, expressways, wineries, and craft breweries, tourist destinations were a lot different. They were more like roadside oddities and strange-looking places to attract motorists. One of the earliest tourist attractions in the Upper Peninsula was Fort Algonquin north of St. Ignace. The fort was built by Vaughan Norton in the 1920s to look like an old fort from Michigan’s fur trading days. He also purchased Castle Rock, but sold it during the Great Depression. He entertained tourists for decades displaying his Native American artifacts and selling trinkets to tourists.
An old postcard of the fort
The old fort sits on the Mackinac Trail north of St Ignace and because of its location away from town, it is mostly forgotten. It’s no longer open but the fort style structure is still standing. I drove past it and wondered what it was and found their facebook page HERE
Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE
Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.
Pingback: The Mystery of the Newberry Tablets. – Lost In Michigan