Still on my travel bucket list is Mackinac, the Island with no cars made famous by its appearance in “Somewhere in Time” (1980). Today’s batch of undated 1950s images show the Main Street and the horse-drawn carriage with the hotel’s attendant. In the detailed view below you can see the sign for Selma’s Candies, including her famous fresh fudge! From the Detroit Free Press, Sunday August 27, 1989:
When Selma Dufina, who made candy as a hobby, started a candy and fudge shop in 1948, she couldn’t imagine the fudge business would take off as it has. “May’s was the only shop, and every time another one opened up, I thought business would decrease,” she says now, retired for 11 years. “But it didn’t.” But why Mackinac Island? What was there about this quaint place, where automobiles have been banned for years, that fudge caught on and held tight, like Irish coffees in San Francisco, like beignets in New Orleans, like coney island hot dogs in Detroit ?“Well,” muses Selma, “when you’ve taken a boat trip in the morning and you’ve had an early breakfast, the smell of chocolate on the fresh air would be an incentive to buy.” Thirty years later, Selma Dufina would sell her shop to Kilwin’s. She has not bought a morsel of fudge since.
Dufina died on January 9, 1998 at the age of 83 in Florida, but is buried at Saint Ann’s Cemetery on Mackinac Island.
The image from my collection below shows the same area, circa 1959. Abbey’s Pendleton Shop has become The Scotch House, and Alford's Rexall Drug Store has a new sign!
The Murray Hotel is a constant in both images, and apparently is still in business! From The Murray website:
The historic, 69-room hotel dating back to the late 1800s. Family-owned and managed since 1882, this charming hotel is located in the heart of downtown Mackinac. We encourage our guests to relax in an atmosphere of Victorian-era décor or to step out our double doors onto Main street. Our old-fashioned atmosphere has been preserved, while our facilities have been updated to meet the needs of the modern traveler. All rooms have their own private bathrooms. We at the Murray Hotel continue to impress visitors with the courteous and friendly service that has marked its success for over 140 years. A stay at the Murray Hotel affords our guests an opportunity to blend local hospitality, friendly service, and easy access to all Mackinac Island has to offer.
The image below shows the steps up to the entrance of the Grand Hotel:
The same steps Christopher Reeve walked up and down when he was on the Island to film “Somewhere In Time.” The crew had to get special permission to allow Reeve to use the car in the scene where he arrives at the hotel.
Another angle of the entrance, with a rickety carriage parked haphazardly on the curb!
Below, a parade of non-motorized vehicles return from a trip into town:
See more vintage Mackinac Island photos at my main website.
I had never heard of Mackinac Island before, I had to google it. Based on the architecture I just assumed it was somewhere in New England, not Michigan. Now I can appreciate how rare it was to see a car there in a shot like the one with Reeve. This looks like a great place for the average Disney adult to visit. Walk around, burn off all that energy, etc. I envied Catalina but this place has them beat.
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