12 photos that show why Michiganders like myself are so furious with Mike Pence for bringing cars onto Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island banned cars back in 1898 over health concerns for the horses that live on the island.
The island brings in about 500 horses each spring for the peak summer tourist season, allowing visitors the ability to easily travel by carriage.
Source: MackinacIsland.org
The island holds the only car-free highway in the country: M-185, which is primarily used by bicyclists. M-185 loops around the entire island.
Source: Mackinac Island Tourism Board
The island also bans rollerblading and skateboarding within the downtown area.
Source: MackinawInfo.com
When Gerald Ford, the only sitting president to visit Mackinac Island, arrived to the area, he traveled via horse-drawn carriage.
Source: Business Insider
The lack of motor vehicles adds to the area's "old time-y" feel, in addition to the 19th century Victorian architecture and horse-drawn carriages throughout the city.
Source: MackinacIsland.org
One example of a Victorian-style building is The Grand Hotel, built in 1887 and known for having "the world’s longest porch with views of the Straits of Mackinac."
Source: GrandHotel.com
The Grand Hotel has hosted notable visitors including Mark Twain, Thomas Edison, and Vladimir Putin.
Source: GreatLakesExplorer.com
Visitors access the island via one of the two ferries: Shepler's Ferry and Star Line Ferry. Fog horns from the ferries are often heard around the island, adding to the sense of nostalgia.
Source: Mackinac.com
Today, just 450 people live on the island, and they get around by biking and walking.
Source: Business Insider
As one of the country's premier summer tourist destinations, roughly one million people visit the island each year. Without cars, they enjoy outdoor-oriented activities on the 70 miles of hiking, biking, and horseback-riding trails Mackinac Island has to offer.
Source: MackinacIsland.org
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