Kelly Pucci is a freelance writer who divides her time between Chicago and rural Michigan. Her interest in history began on a grammar school trip to see the dioramas at the Chicago Historical Society (now the Chicago History Museum). Her writing credits include three books-- amp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison, Chicago's First Crime King: Michael Cassius McDonald and Hidden History of St. Joseph County, Michigan --as well as many articles for newspapers and magazines.

Whether prehistoric and glacially slow or swift and modern, countless changes to Mackinac Island have driven much of its history out of sight and memory. Eons ago, waves washed away soft rock to leave behind limestone formations like Arch Rock, which have survived virtually unchanged for thousands of years. Other natural curiosities were regrettably destroyed in the twentieth century. To this day, the Grand Hotel welcomes guests from around the world but lost are smaller hotels such as the New Mackinac and the Lasley House, where a large--and live--bear stood chained to the front door. Steamships and schooners that brought celebrities like Mark Twain and members of the Barnum & Bailey Circus to the island long ago sank in the Straits. Author and historian Kelly Pucci explores the lost history of Mackinac Island.