Home > History > Victorian Era > Cottages

Mackinac Cottages

Summer homes come in all sizes, but on Mackinac Island they tend to be large. These West Bluff houses were built of Michigan white pine in the 1890s by wealthy Midwestern industrialists and Chicago meat packers, such as the Cudahys and Armours. They are typically Victorian with turrets, gables, verandas, wraparound porches, a dozen bedrooms and, until modern times, one bath.