Mackinaw City Historical Pathway

Mackinaw residents have long rendered services to passing ships. One of the most interesting was The Marine & Weather Reporting Service, established in 1877 by Forest J. Stimpson. Stimpson made daily reports on weather conditions at the Straits and would often make direct contact with the ships by small boat, carrying messages, mail and supplies. Messages about the ship's location at the Straits were forwarded to he owners — thus the Marine Reporting Service.

Stimpson's tenure as marine reporter ended when he drowned while performing his duties. For several years following his death, Stimpson's widow ran the station with the assistance of Charles T. Dagwell. Dagwell started his own station in 1898. In 1930, the Dagwell service passed to Elton Dagwell, who continued marine reporting until 1959 and weather reporting until his retirement in 1970.

The advance of telecommunications has made the Marine and Weather Reporting Service a thing of the past. Charles Dagwell's weather tower can still be seen near the Old Mackinaw Point lighthouse at Michilimackinac State Park. (Marker Number 25.)

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Anchors and their retrieval / Capstan for pulling up the anchor
Alexander Henry Park Kiosk
Alexander Henry 1739 - 1834
The Lumbering Era
Graveyard of the Deep
Perry B. Darrow 1939 - 1995
Crossroads of the Great Lakes
Shipwrecks in the Straits
Mackinaw Woman's Club, Inc.
Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse

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