British Colonial Shipbuilding Yard, 1761 - 1781

British Colonial Shipbuilding Yard, 1761 - 1781. Mackinaw City Historical Pathway. , Boats delivered products from all over the world to Michilimackinac during the 1700s. After long, arduous journeys they often needed to be repaired here. , , Based on artifacts found at this site, such as 1770s sailmaker's needles, and the fact that it is close to the most sheltered bay at Mackinaw, archeologists believe that a shipbuilding and repair yard existed on this spot. , , The British merchant sloop Welcome was built in 1775 by John Askin to facilitate his vast trade network. , , John Askin was a sutler in Albany during the French and Indian War. At the war's conclusion in 1760 he moved his base of operation to Michilimackinac where his aggresive trading made him the leading merchant of the Upper Great Lakes. He negotiated contracts to supply goods to the fort and he operated a store for individual purchases. In addition, he ran a farm that supplied some of the food stuffs he sold. , , Urgencies of the American Revolution induced the British military to buy the Welcome from Askin. She was refitted and armed with cannon and a crew of 12 sailors and 12 soldiers. If this site is, in fact, a shipbuilding yard, it may be that the Welcome and other merchant vessels were built here. , , The Welcome Replica to Sail No More , A replica of the sloop Welcome was built at Michilimackinac between 1972, when her keel was laid, and 1980, when the hull was launched. She then sailed these waters for several years. Rot became a problem, emphasizing the temporary nature of wooden vessels. The ship was sold to the Maritime Heritage Alliance of Traverse City, a non-profit group that spent a large amount of money on her restoration. They, too, sailed her for a few years before rot again made her unseaworthy. They are donating her to Emmet County for an indoor display. , Her sailing days are over..