East Moran Bay is a small, historic harbor in the

Straits of Mackinac The Straits of Mackinac ( ; ) are the short waterways between the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas, traversed by the Mackinac Bridge. The main strait is wide with a maximum depth of , and connects the Great Lakes of Lake M ...

adjacent to the city of St. Ignace in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. The harbor is used as a commercial port for Star Line Ferry and Shepler's Ferry ferry boats from St. Ignace to

Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( , ; ; ; ) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac and "Mitchimakinak" in Ojibwemowin, meaning "Great Turtle". It is located in ...

, a tourist center of the Straits of Mackinac. The bay and its harbor are guarded by the Wawatam Lighthouse. The bay is a traditional place for

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment (Freshwater ecosystem, freshwater or Marine ecosystem, marine), but may also be caught from Fish stocking, stocked Body of water, ...

, and several St. Ignace archaeological sites associated with Native American history are located adjacent to the bay. In historical times, the bay was used as a harbor by the Mackinac Transportation Company, operator of

train ferries A train ferry is a ship (ferry) designed to carry railway vehicles, as well as their cargoes and passengers. Typically, one level of the ship is fitted with railway tracks, and the vessel has a door at the front and/or rear to give access to t ...

; the '' Vacationland'' and her sister vessels, which crossed the Straits carrying motor vehicles; and the

Arnold Transit Company Arnold Transit Company is a ferry boat company serving Mackinac Island in Michigan for over 140 years. From 2016 to 2024 Arnold Line's assets including the boats and docks were operated and branded as Star Line Ferry (later Mackinac Island Ferry C ...

ferry boat line to Mackinac Island. State historical markers describe the history of the harbor. A bottomland survey of East Moran Bay was performed by the Michigan Underwater Preserve Council and its volunteer sport divers in the early 1900s and published by the

United States Government Printing Office The United States Government Publishing Office (USGPO or GPO), formerly the United States Government Printing Office, is an agency of the Legislature, legislative branch of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal gove ...

in 1992. The city of St. Ignace has built and maintains an East Moran Bay waterfront path, the ''Huron Boardwalk'', marked with signs and artifacts, to interpret and celebrate the bay and its heritage. The artifacts include the remains of a Mackinaw boat built about 1899.

References

{{Reflist Bays of Michigan Bodies of water of Mackinac County, Michigan