Historians Head to Mackinac Island in October

More than 200 state historians will attend the Historical Society of Michigan's 135th Annual Meeting and State History Conference on Mackinac Island Friday, October 2, through Sunday, October 4.

The conference will feature three keynote speakers, breakout sessions, walking tours of historic sites on the Island, and a nature bicycle tour.

Keynote speaker Phil Porter, director of Mackinac State Historic Parks, will talk about the Island's history beginning with the fur trade. Bob Sweeney, executive secretary of the Mackinac Bridge Authority, will talk about the history of the bridge and future challenges, and Brian Dunnigan, who is the curator of maps at University of Michigan's William L. Clements Library, will talk about Mackinac Island through views from drawn and printed maps dating to the 17th century.