Episode Details

In this second part of my exploration of the Astor fortune and its relationship with Mackinac Island and native communities, I look at the ways by which the fur trader impacted the island and its ecosystems, both human and non-human. I also break down the evolution of the island into a tourist destination, how the Astors bowed out of it as the fur business died down, but how ultimately they ended up back there in spirit. The Grand Hotel’s history also highlights here the growth of tourism, a leisure class, and a century-long national obsession with Gilded Age romanticism and luxury. Finally, we unpack the life of Titanic passenger John Jacob Astor IV, who walked on board as its wealthiest passenger because of his ancestors’ decisions; he perished in the cold water that night, but the myths of his legacy live on. How is he somehow on Mackinac now? Who are the island’s ghosts? Come along and find out.

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