As bone-chilling winter winds blow through the Straits of Mackinac, we are reminded that travel across the ice has been an important part of Mackinac Island history for centuries. The most consequential chapter in island ice travel occurred in 1780-81 when multiple buildings were moved across the frozen Straits to create the village of Mackinac Island during the American Revolutionary War. One of the first to cross the ice was Ste. Anne’s Church.

Roman Catholic parishioners constructed the church under the direction of master carpenter Joseph Louis Ainse in the village of Michilimackinac in 1743. While the church building was new, the congregation traced its beginnings to the mission founded by Jesuit priests Claude Dablon and Jacques Marquette on Mackinac Island in 1670. 

Fr. Pierre DuJaunay served as pastor to the small French-Canadian congregation at Michilimackinac and the Odawa mission at nearby L’Arbre Croche for 30 years beginning in 1735. Following DuJaunay’s departure, faithful congregants maintained the church where they gathered for public prayers and looked forward to the occasional visit of a missionary priest. 

British authorities moved the Michilimackinac community to the safety of Mackinac Island during the Revolution beginning in 1780. Hoping to encourage French-Canadian residents to move as well, Lieutenant-Governor Patrick Sinclair ordered Ste. Anne’s church dismantled and taken to the island in February. Using cattle to haul the logs across the frozen straits, laborers rebuilt the church just above the island harbor on the east side of what is now Hoban Street on the site of today’s Kingston Kitchen at the Village Inn. 

The original log structure slowly decayed over time and a new church was constructed on property donated by Magdelaine Laframboise, a prosperous fur trader and faithful parishioner, on the east end of town in the 1820s. In 1830 the congregation welcomed Fr. Samel Mazzuchelli, a twenty-three-year-old Italian-born Dominican priest who became the first resident priest since Fr. DuJaunay left in 1765. As tourism blossomed on Mackinac Island following the Civil War, a new structure was needed to accommodate the growing number of visitors, and the current church building was constructed in 1874. Ste. Anne’s Church continues to be a vital part of the island community today just as it was during the American Revolution 246 years ago.

To learn more about Mackinac during the Revolutionary War, read At the Crossroads: Michilimackinac During the American Revolution, by David Armour and Keith Widder, available at Mackinac State Historic Parks online bookstore.

Editor’s note:
Ice crossings are an important part of Mackinac Island’s history. Today, the Mackinac Island Free Press looks to public safety officials to determine when the ice bridge has formed and whether it is safe to cross. At the time of publishing, the ice bridge is not considered safe to cross. We encourage readers to prioritize safety and follow guidance from local authorities.

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