Snyder marking bicentennial of British withdrawal from Mackinac Island after War of 1812

DETROIT – Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and others are helping mark the bicentennial of the true end of the War of 1812 on Mackinac Island.

Snyder was expected to take part in a ceremony Saturday evening in Marquette Park near Fort Mackinac. He was to be joined by Canadian Consul General Douglas George.

The event, which was set to feature a Mackinac Island Peace Garden dedication, marks the 200th anniversary of the British withdrawal from the island — now a tourist attraction in the Straits of Mackinac connecting lakes Michigan and Huron. The war officially ended months earlier.

British forces had recaptured the fort in 1812 with help from hundreds of Native Americans in one of the war’s first military actions. The Battle of Mackinac Island — a monthlong effort by the U.S. to get it back — came two years later.

The centerpiece of the Mackinac Island Peace Garden is a bronze statue by Gareth Curtiss. It depicts the Americans, British, and Native Americans who fought for the island.

The peace garden is one of several along the U.S.-Canada border marking the peace between the nations since the War of 1812.

“It’s important to reflect on the events of 200 years ago, and it’s also important to remember in our world today that peace is fragile,” Snyder’s spokesman, Dave Murray, said in an email to The Associated Press. “We contemplate peace not just between neighbouring countries, but between neighbours, and it’s important that we focus on working together, treating people with the respect and dignity they deserve.”