Fort Holmes
Fort Holmes is a historic site in Michigan, at a modelled elevation of 275 m. Maple Hill stands 300 m to the north-northwest, 22 miles off. The nearest named place is Fort Hill, a peak less than a tenth of a mile away. 182 named places lie within 25 miles, 13 of them named summits.
The story
Fort Holmes is a fortified earthen redoubt located on the highest point of Mackinac Island. Originally built in 1814 by British forces during the War of 1812, the redoubt was improved by that army throughout the course of the war (1812–1814) to help defend the adjacent Fort Mackinac from a possible attack by the U.S. Army. The British named the redoubt Fort George and reinforced it with cannon, a blockhouse, and a magazine for gunpowder and other munitions. However, Fort Holmes never functioned as an independent military fortification. It was always a dependent outpost of nearby Fort Mackinac. When United States armed forces reoccupied Mackinac Island in 1815 under the terms of the Treaty of Ghent, they took possession of Fort George. They surveyed and measured their prize, which they renamed Fort Holmes in honor of Major Andrew Holmes, a casualty in the 1814 Battle of Mackinac Island. However, the American army soon abandoned Fort Holmes. The earthworks and buildings of the former redoubt slowly eroded and disappeared over the course of more than a century. In 1936, as part of its mission to provide employment through public works projects during the nationwide Great Depression, the Works Progress Administration used the original 1817 American survey to rebuild Fort Holmes to its War of 1812 appearance. As of 1984, however, most of the reconstructed buildings of Fort Holmes had again disappeared, except for the redoubt's earthen walls. In 2015 the Mackinac Island State Park completed a second reconstruction of Fort Holmes that resumes the appearance that the redoubt had in 1817. The blockhouse includes interpretive panels inside, and is open in the summer. Many visitors come to the fort site for a view of the Straits of Mackinac, much of which is visible from this lookout point approximately 320 feet (98 m) above the surface of Lake Huron and 890 feet (271 m) above sea level. The redoubt and blockhouse can be rented for special occasions.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1812.
Wikidata Q3077888, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
How to reach it
182 named places within 25 miles
- Jahn, Martin and Reinhardt Family Nature Preserve: 6.8 mi
- Dousman's Mill State Historic Site: 8.3 mi
- Hathaway Family's Regina Caeli Nature Preserve: 8.8 mi
- Search Bay Nature Preserve: 11.0 mi
- Poupard Bay Nature Preserve: 11.1 mi
- Great Turtle Park: 0.4 mi
- Marquette park: 0.5 mi
- Woodfill Park: 0.7 mi
- Windermere Point: 0.8 mi
- Hubbard's Annex Park: 1.0 mi
- Fort Mackinac: 0.4 mi
- Father Marquette Statue: 0.5 mi
- Indian Dormitory: 0.5 mi
- Trinity Church: 0.5 mi
- American Fur Company Store: 0.5 mi
- The Richard & Jane Manoogian Mackinac Art Museum: 0.5 mi
- Stuart House City Museum: 0.6 mi
- Biddle House: 0.7 mi
- Michilimackinac Historical Society & Fort de Baude Museum: 5.1 mi
- Museum of Ojibwa Culture: 5.6 mi
- Fort Hill: 0.0 mi
- Holmes Hill: 1.2 mi
- Sunset Rock (Chimney Rock): 1.5 mi
- St. Anthony's Rock: 5.3 mi
- Rabbit Back Peak: 6.7 mi
- Crack in the Island: 1.1 mi
- Mystery Town USA: 7.8 mi
- Mystery Spot: 9.3 mi
- Sea Shell City: 15.5 mi
- Nautical North Family Adventures: 16.3 mi
- Saint Ignace Welcome Center: 5.1 mi
- Saint Ignace Rest Area: 6.3 mi
- Mackinaw City Welcome Center 409: 8.1 mi
- Hebron Rest Area 408: 13.9 mi
- Topinabee Rest Area 407: 24.6 mi
- Owl Majestic (aka "Hootie Owl"): 16.1 mi
- Lake Huron: 16.1 mi
- Shimmy: 16.1 mi
- Bald Eagle Catching Fish: 24.1 mi
- Dwightwood Springs: 0.6 mi
- Dablott Spring: 1.6 mi
- The Big Spring: 24.3 mi
- Kiwanis Beach: 5.6 mi
- Chain Lake Beach: 6.3 mi
- Sandy Cove: 20.3 mi
- Secret Garden: 0.7 mi
- Mesochosm Area: 20.9 mi
- Arch Rock: 0.5 mi
- Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse: 7.3 mi
- Sturgeon Bay: 21.4 mi
- Manitou Payment Highbanks: 24.7 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Fort Holmes. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maple Hill | NNW 339° | 300 m | 22.2 mi |
| Peek-A-Boo Hill | NE 44° | 222 m | 15.2 mi |
| Rabbit Back Peak | NW 311° | 212 m | 6.7 mi |
| Castle Rock | WNW 301° | 210 m | 7.0 mi |
| Billiau Hill | SW 233° | 207 m | 20.7 mi |
| Mount Nebo | WSW 239° | 201 m | 14.8 mi |
| St. Anthony's Rock | W 277° | 183 m | 5.3 mi |
| Brulee Point | NE 43° | 179 m | 10.7 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:42 | 19:12 | 19:51 |
| June solstice | 05:49 | 20:47 | 21:33 |
| September equinox | 07:26 | 18:59 | 19:38 |
| December solstice | 08:18 | 16:07 | 16:57 |
Local time (America/Detroit).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Jun–Sep.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 18 | 18 | 27 | 38 | 50 | 61 | 66 | 66 | 59 | 47 | 36 | 26 |
| Precip in | 2.1 | 1.5 | 1.9 | 3.0 | 2.6 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 2.7 | 2.3 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — ST Ignace, 5 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/364278403
Take the scenic way to Fort Holmes.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.