In this American island, why horses rule and cars are banned

Indian Express

27-04-2025

In the heart of the US state known for building cars, there's a peaceful little island where motor vehicles are not allowed and horses are everywhere.
Mackinac Island in Michigan, often called 'the car capital of the world', has stayed true to a simpler way of life for more than a century. Located in Lake Huron, the island covers just 3.8 square km and has about 600 year-round residents and almost as many horses.
Motor vehicles were banned on Mackinac Island around 1898 after a car engine backfired and scared the horses, according to local stories. The island's authorities decided it was best to keep cars away, and the ban soon spread across the whole island.
'Here, horse is king,' Urvana Tracey Morse, a local craft shop owner, told the BBC. She added, 'Part of us just like the tradition that we get around by bike, or we walk or take the horse taxi.'
Today, horses are still at the heart of daily life. They deliver mail, transport goods, and even collect rubbish. And in summer, the island's population swells when about 1.2 million visitors arrive by ferry to enjoy the slow-paced lifestyle, scenic views, and famous fudge shops.
Mackinac Island also has a rich Indigenous history. As BBC explains, the island was originally called Michilimackinac, meaning 'place of the great turtle' in the Anishinaabemowin language. Indigenous peoples believed the limestone bluffs and forests looked like a turtle rising from the lake.
Eric Hemenway, a member of the Anishnaabe community who works to revive Indigenous history on the island, told the BBC, 'Mackinac Island is one of the most important and prominent places in Anishnaabe history and culture.' He added, 'This is one of our most sacred spots on the Great Lakes.'
Visitors can explore historic sites like the old British fort where actors dress in historical clothing and fire cannons, or they can rent horses or bikes to travel around the island — since even golf carts are banned.
Visitors can hike, bike or take a horse-drawn carriage to Arch Rock. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
Mackinac's famous Grand Hotel, built 138 years ago, boasts the world's longest porch and remains a symbol of the luxurious past when wealthy families from cities like Chicago and Detroit came to spend their summers there. The Michigan governor recently suggested on social media that Mackinac would be a perfect setting for the next season of HBO's The White Lotus.
Despite its beauty, locals like Morse worry about the island becoming too popular. 'You're proud of where you live; but at the same time I kind of don't want to tell people how cool it is here,' she said.
Eighty per cent of Mackinac Island is now protected as state parkland. Visitors can hike or bike through forests, along cliffs like the impressive 50-foot-wide Arch Rock, or simply relax by the pebbled beaches. Roughly 1,500 bicycles are available for hire but horses still set the rhythm of life.
Hunter Hoaglund, who works with a freight company serving the island, summed it up for the BBC: 'Without the horses, this place wouldn't be what it is. It's what makes you feel like you've stepped back in time.'
As the lilac trees bloom and the island fills with visitors each spring and summer, Mackinac Island remains a rare place where the pace of life is set by hoofbeats, not car horns.