Remote island with haunting of British deserter soldiers
Mackinac Island, MI
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Free access for island residents; ferry access may incur fees
Access
Limited Access
Island woodland, rocky shoreline
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1795 · Indigenous Land Cession · Maritime Commerce · Lime Production Heritage · Straits of Mackinac Development
Bois Blanc Island's recorded history begins with the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, when the Chippewa nation ceded the island to United States control. The island's position in the Straits of Mackinac made it strategically significant and economically valuable.
During the nineteenth century, Bois Blanc became a resource extraction site for surrounding settlements. Lime kilns operated at multiple locations on the island, most prominently at Lime Kiln Point on the western shore. The dolomite quarried there proved superior for lime production serving the construction and agricultural needs of Mackinac Island and mainland communities. Timber extraction supplemented the lime industry.
The Bois Blanc Light lighthouse, constructed in 1867, provided maritime navigation guidance through the busy Straits of Mackinac. The beacon remains a surviving architectural artifact from the island's nineteenth-century development.
By the latter 1800s, the island transitioned toward resort development. A post office named Bois Blanc began operating on December 12, 1884. The Bois Blanc Island Land Company of Jackson recorded the plat of a planned resort community in 1888. A second post office, Pointe Aux Pins, was established on May 15, 1889, indicating expanded settlement and development.
Sources
Local folklore associates Bois Blanc Island with the spirits of British military deserters from the War of 1812. According to unverified tradition, soldiers who fled the British Army allegedly died on the remote island. No documented historical record of this narrative has been located, and the paranormal account exists purely within local legend and oral tradition rather than archival history.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
Explore the wooded terrain of Bois Blanc Island, located southeast of Mackinac Island. The remote island setting and natural environment preserve the isolated landscape where paranormal encounters are reportedly most frequent.
View Bois Blanc Island from water approaches via ferry or private boat. The island's shoreline and distinctive northern lighthouse (Bois Blanc Light, 1867) are visible from water.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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