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The Inn at Stonecliffe was
originally a private home built by self-made millionaire Michael Cudahy.
Michael was born in Kilkenny, Ireland during the potato famine in 1841
to a modest and hardworking family.
At the age of 8, he left Ireland with his family to escape the potato
famine and boarded the “Goodwin” bound for the United States. The voyage
to the land of opportunity came at a terrible price; his baby sister
Anna died on board.
The grieving family settled in the Chicago area and began toiling for a
brighter future. Cudahy was only 14 when he and his brothers dropped out
of school to help support the family by working in a slaughterhouse.
Over the years he saved and worked his was way up through the ranks. His
labor took fruit in 1892 when he established the Cudahy Packing Company.
The impoverished immigrant boy turned respected business owner was the
first person to ship meat on refrigerated wagons, making meat packing a
year round business.
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Michael and his wife had seven children, four boys and three girls.
He owned a home in Hubbard’s Annex on the island in the late 1800’s, which he later sold to his brother Edward.
He then went to California in 1897 and traded in real estate to expand his fortune.
He returned to Mackinac Island in 1904 and bought 150 acres, making him one of the largest landowners ever on Mackinac Island.
Cudahy handpicked renowned architect Frederick Perkins to fulfill his visions of a stunning West Bluff mansion.
Perkins also designed the Governors Mansion on the island. In 1904, construction was completed on Stonecliffe and it became the largest private home on Mackinac Island.
It is known that a serving girl who worked for the Cudahy family in the early 1900’s died in the apple orchard on the property.
There are frequent stories floating about that the scent of apples lingers in her old living quarters on the third floor.
This may be a mere flight of fancy, but it adds to the imagination and unique charm of the estate.
Michael Cudahy’s delight in the mansion was mournfully short – he died five years after construction in 1910.
Stonecliffe was purchased in 1915 by Alvin & Sallie Hert.
The politically involved couple made their fortune in the creosote business.
The major customers for their preserved wood products were the rapidly expanding railroads in the Midwest.
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The adventurous couple made many additions to the property including the building that is now the site of the Grand Hotel’s Woods Restaurant.
It was originally built as a playhouse for their children. They used the grand dining room of the mansion as an “amusement lounge” for entertaining.
Alvin Hert, like Michael Cudahy, enjoyed the mansion for a very short time.
He died in 1921 at the age of 65 while attending a Republican National Committee meeting when he was “smitten by apoplexy.”
After his death, his wife Sallie continued her political career in her husband’s memory and went on to become vice-chairman of the Republican National Committee from 1924-1935.
Sallie Hert was strongly considered for a position on President Hoover’s cabinet as Secretary of the Interior in 1928.
Sallie retained ownership of Stonecliffe for over 33 years.
She passed away at her home at age 83 in 1948 and left the estate to the Episcopal Cathedral foundation of Washington D.C.
They later sold the property to a public interest group called Moral Rearmament. The group was interested in ethics and justice in world politics and policies.
The MRA used the mansion as part of their Mission Point summer
conference center.
The Kennedy’s and many other world leaders were known to participate in many MRA functions.
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MRA also developed the complex that is now home to Mission Point Resort where a museum in tribute to MRA can be enjoyed by island visitors.
In the mid-1960's, MRA sold Stonecliffe and the conference center to a
board of trustees, which founded an independent college.
The president of the college was Dr. S. Douglas Cornell, executive
officer of the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C. The new
college, called Mackinac College, had a curriculum that included foreign
language, sciences and humanities. During the college years, 1966-1970,
students cleaned and insulated the Stonecliffe buildings, and their ski
team cleared a downhill ski slope. Eventually the college finances
foundered, one class graduated, and the grounds were again put up for
sale. However, this ending did not silence Mackinac College alumni, who
set up an endowed Mackinac College Legacy Fund in 2005 through the
Mackinac Island Community Foundation (http://www.micf.org/).
The fund supports environmental and educational projects on the Island.
In April 1971, Stonecliffe was purchased by television evangelist
Reverend Rex Humbard of the Cathedral of Tomorrow for about $3,000,000,
and more ski runs were carved out of the 190-acre Stonecliffe property.
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In the 1970's the Inn at Stonecliffe was home to a ski resort.
During this same time entrepreneur George Staffan purchased the estate and began running it as an Inn.
It continues to be run as an Inn today.
The Staffan’s owned Stonecliffe until 2000, when Dr. and Mrs. Michael Bacon, along with the Robert Pulte family became the proud owners of the beautiful Inn.
While there have been many added amenities to the property, the Inn at Stonecliffe has preserved all of its rich history, grace, and elegance.
The Inn proudly celebrated its centennial year in 2004 and cherishes the history and ambiance that the property has brought to Mackinac Island for over 100 years.
Experience the romance and history of the Inn at Stonecliffe, on beautiful Mackinac Island.
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