The first asked to be made into a great war chief, for example, and the second into a hunter of unrivaled skill. One by one, each of the ten men asked Manabozho to bestow upon him an extraordinary gift. After many months, the men arrived at the sacred island that looked like a sleeping turtle, and they found the old man living out his final days. But according to the tale retold by Gringhuis, the rock was created instead by Manabozho, a part-human/part-divine messenger of the Great Spirit who, in his old age, retired to Mackinac Island.Īs the story goes, ten young men from far away embarked on a journey to find Manabozho in hopes he would grant each of them a special wish. Legend has it that Sugar Loaf was the dwelling of Gitchi Manitou, the Great Spirit. It is the tallest limestone stack on the island, very likely formed into a spire as the high waters of Lake Algonquin drained away and eroded the surrounding rock.Īt least, that’s what the geological record says.īut there is another story that explains the existence of Sugar Loaf, one told centuries ago by the Native Americans who revered Mackinac Island as a sacred place.Īuthor Dirk Gringhuis recounted the tale in his “Lore of the Great Turtle” book published by the Mackinac Island State Park Commission in 1970. To this day, rising 75 feet up out of the Mackinac Island forest is a tower of rock called Sugar Loaf. Then, as the ancient glacial Lake Algonquin receded and formed the current Great Lakes, Mackinac Island emerged. The land at one time was almost entirely covered by water. One of the joys of visiting the island is being able to ride a bike all the way around it.īut what is now Mackinac Island used to be much, much smaller.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |