The First North American Christmas Carol Posted December 20, 2022 If you were able to attend the Colonial Christmas event at Colonial Michilimackinac, you experienced part of how Christmas was celebrated at the Mission of St. Ignace at Michilimackinac in 1679. An earlier Jesuit Christmas celebration resulted in the first North American Christmas carol, the Huron Carol. Father Jean de Brebéuf, born in France in 1593, began his missionary work in New France in 1625. A member of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, he worked mostly among the Wendat, also known as the Huron, near Georgian Bay. He became fluent in their language and, among other linguistic work, translated the catechism into Wendat. In about 1642 Brebéuf wrote “Jesous Ahatonhia” (Jesus, he is born) in Wendat as a Christmas carol for the Wendat he lived among and hoped to convert. It fits the traditional French folk tune “Une Jeune Pucelle.” Father Brebéuf was executed by the Haudenosaunee, also known as the Iroquois, in 1649, but “Jesous Ahatonhia” lived on among the Wendat. It was documented by Jesuit Father Etienne Thomas de Villeneuve Girault at Lorette, Quebec, between 1747 and 1794. It was translated into French by Paul Tsawenhohi (aka Picard), a Wendat notary at Quebec City. It was translated into English in the early twentieth century. “Twas in the Moon of Wintertime,” the most widely known version in the United States, was written by Jesse Edgar Middleton in 1926. It is not a direct translation, but a romanticized version, lumping stereotypes of many Native American cultures together. To hear “Jesous Ahatonhia” in the original Wendat, French, and a more accurate English translation, as well as to see it in American Sign Language click here or watch below:
Chief Wawatam 110th Launching Anniversary Posted August 27, 2021 Frank Kirby Due to increased railroad traffic across the Straits of Mackinac, the Mackinac Transportation Company decided in 1910 that a new ferry needed to be built. The company had two ferries at the time, the St. Ignace, built in 1888, and the revolutionary Sainte Marie, completed in 1893. These vessels had been designed by noted Great Lakes naval architect Frank Kirby and he was asked to plan the new ship. The keel was laid on June 1, 1911 at the Toledo Shipbuilding Company of Toledo, Ohio as hull number 119. The ship was christened Chief Wawatam after an Ojibway Indian who befriended British fur trader Alexander Henry in the 1760s.Captain Louis Boynton At 9:10 a.m. on August 26, 1911, the Chief Wawatam was side launched with no ceremony or traditional breaking of champagne on her bow. Charles Calder, part owner of the shipyard, recorded that it was a clear day and the launching proceeded with “not a scratch on her hull.” The ship was 338 feet long, 62 feet wide and had a draft of 20.7 feet. Built with a steel hull, she would be the largest and most powerful railroad ferry to serve the straits. She could carry 28 to 32 railroad cars depending on their size. The hull was taken to a fit-out dock where work was completed. The ship set sail for the straits on October 16, 1911 with Commodore Louis Boynton in command. The Chief was constructed with many unique features including three engines, two in the stern for propulsion and one in the bow for ice breaking. The bow propellor first appeared on the St. Ignace after Boynton successfully used two vessels tied bow to bow to break ice. The ship was one of the first to have electricity for lighting although lanterns continued to be carried as backup. In order to protect the open bow, the anchor was placed on the stern. Thus, the vessel could anchor stern-to during a storm preventing water from entering through the sea gate. For many years, the ship bore the words “U.S. Mail” on her bow as she carried letters and packages between the two peninsulas. The Chief Wawatam operated at the Straits of Mackinac until August of 1984 when the railroad pier in St. Ignace collapsed. The ship remained tied to the dock until 1988 when the State of Michigan, which owned the vessel, sold it to Purvis Marine Limited of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Prior to her departure, numerous objects, paper material and other items were selected and removed by Mackinac State Historic Parks staff. The plan was for the state park to store the collection until a transportation museum in St. Ignace could be built. Funding for the museum fell through and the state park continues to be the home for the collection. Objects including the ship’s steering wheel and engine room telegraph are on display in the Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse.
On This Day: Battle of Mackinac Island, August 4, 1814 Posted August 4, 2019 American soldiers from the 17th, 19th, and 24th Infantry Regiments joined men from the Corps of Artillery, the Marine Corps, and the Ohio militia during the battle. On August 4, 1814, war came to Mackinac Island. The island, which had been captured by the British in 1812, was now the focus of an American campaign to reclaim the region. That campaign reached its zenith as hundreds of American troops landed on the island’s north shore, marched inland, and encountered well-entrenched British, Canadian, and Native American troops. (more…)
On this day: Capture of Fort Mackinac, July 17, 1812 Posted July 17, 2019 Just over 200 years ago, Lieutenant Porter Hanks of the U.S. Regiment of Artillery awoke to a particularly unpleasant surprise. As July 17, 1812 dawned, Hanks learned that not only was the United States at war with Great Britain, but, more concerning, that a force of 600 British soldiers, Native American warriors, and Canadian militiamen stood poised to attack Fort Mackinac. (more…)
