Mackinaw City in Cheboygan County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Auto Ferries
Mackinaw City Historical Pathway
Photographed by John Ridley, August 31, 2024
1. Auto Ferries Marker
Mackinaw City is the northernmost point on the lower peninsula and all the main auto routes through Northern Michigan terminated here. These roads were the East Pike, the West Pike and the Dixie Highway. The automobile eventually replaced train travel as the main method of transportation. This created a demand for auto ferry service to connect the highways of the Upper and Lower Peninsulas and in 1923 it started with one small ship. Auto traffic to the Straits increased each year and by 1953, five auto ferries were in service. The original two-lane State Highway ferry dock was expanded in 1939 to accomodate [sic] three miles of waiting cars of the thousands that converged on Mackinaw City every year.
In spite of heavy use, the ferries did not pay for themselves, and ran into debt every year. There were other drawbacks to the system, boarding a ferry could mean a ten-hour wait in a line of cars extending for seven miles in the summer. As the ferries became more and more impractical and continued to lose money for the state, a movement began to build the Mackinac Bridge.
Source: Memories of Mackinaw, Judy Ranville
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Roads & Vehicles • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1923.
Location. 45° 46.651′ N, 84° 43.583′ W. Marker is in Mackinaw City, Michigan, in Cheboygan County. It is on South Huron Avenue north of Wendell Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is north of the driveway leading to the Straits State Harbor parking area. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 409 South Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City MI 49701, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula, on the Straits of Mackinac, and in one of the Lake Huron Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mill Creek (within shouting distance
Photographed by Joel Seewald, August 16, 2019
2. Auto Ferries Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. Edgar Conkling 1812-1881 (was about 400 feet away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . 03. Auto Ferries. Web page with audio tour file. (Submitted on August 23, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.)
3. Auto Ferries Marker - left image
Cars lined up on the State Ferry dock waiting to board the new auto ferry in the 1930s.
4. Auto Ferries Marker - upper right image
The State Ferry dock - Mackinaw City
5. Auto Ferries Marker - lower right image
The City of Cheboygan transported cars across the Straits from 1937 until the bridge opened in 1957.
Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, January 2, 2023
6. Auto Ferries Marker
Photographed by Bill Coughlin, July 10, 2025
7. Auto Ferries Marker
Photographed by Joel Seewald, August 16, 2019
8. Auto Ferries Marker
Mackinaw City Pier and Straits State Harbor signs are in the background.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 29, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 23, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 380 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on August 31, 2024, by John Ridley of Chelsea, Michigan. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 23, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. 6. submitted on January 7, 2023, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. 7. submitted on July 28, 2025, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. 8. submitted on August 23, 2019, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
