Talk:Fort Michilimackinac State Park

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[edit] What should this be named?

Is there actually an entity named "Fort Michilimackinac State Park"? There is Colonial Michilimackinac, which is a part of the Mackinac State Historic Parks system. I don't see any entry for Fort Michilimackinac State Park though. older ≠ wiser 05:29, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

Actually, a good question and one which may not easily be answered. For many decades, it was definitely Fort Michilimackinac State Park and was directly administered by the Michigan Department of Conservation, later Michigan DNR. At that time it was a "regular" state park with camping, picnicking, etc. Even after the reconstruction of the original fort began and the transfer of park jurisdiction to the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, it remained Fort Michilimackinac State Park for many years. In the 1980s when the MISPC revamped the images of their various sites -- when "Mackinac Island State Park" was split off, in a sense, from "Fort Mackinac" and "Old Mill Creek State Park" became just "Historic Mill Creek" -- the "image" of Fort Michilimackinac State Park was changed to "Colonial Michilimackinac," although it seems the "official" name of the PARK was not changed. Since that time, the "official" park name has seemed to fall into disuse and as the DNR is no longer involved in park, its lands or its operation, their "Fort Michilimackinac State Park" name is likely no longer.

Problem is, the Mackinac Island State Park Commission and Mackinac Historic Parks don't seem to actually name the PARKS themselves, other than Mackinac Island State Park (to differentiate the identity from Fort Mackinac) like the DNR does. So, while "Colonial Michilimackinac" is the identity of their Mackinaw City fort and "Mill Creek" is the identity of the operation southeast of Mackinaw City, where does one find the official NAMES of these parks? And does one consider the MISPC/MHP "identity" of the property to also be the state park name? In the end, "Fort Michilimackinac State Park" was the last official name for the state park in Mackinaw City, while the MISPC/MHP's "branding" over the last decade or so has been "Colonial Michilimackinac." CBessert 06:00, 25 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Merge

I propose that Colonial Michillimackinac Historic State Park be merged and redirected to here. --Elliskev 13:11, 6 July 2006 (UTC)