Last year, I investigated whether payphones are still available in Grand Rapids, and if so, how many of them are operational. It was quite a journey that led me to call old payphone numbers and be shocked when many of the numbers were still in use, but not in the way anyone would expect.
Since 96% of Americans have a cellphone, payphones and landlines are on the verge of obsolescence. However, a recent discovery has led me to reopen my payphone investigation, as it turns out one of Michigan’s more remote places is also in possession of one, if not the only working payphones in the entire state.
Mackinac Island’s Lone Payphone
Located on the west side of the island near the restrooms, you’ll find what most people will walk past without giving it a second thought. It’s only when people pick up the phone and hear a dial tone that they realize this payphone isn’t just a novelty piece.
For just 50¢, you can make any call you want. One commenter on this post revealed that people have been known to place 911 calls, not knowing the phone was actually active.
Michigan Bell was the original telecommunications company that began in 1904 and was the primary supplier of phone communication until it was legally broken up in 1984. Ameritech, now AT&T, purchased the company after the breakup. Since this payphone is marked with the Michigan Bell, an Ameritech Company, it’s safe to say this payphone has most likely been on the island for nearly forty years.
As surprising as it is for someone to stumble across a working payphone, it would make sense that Mackinac Island, of all places, would have a functioning relic like this. The place where cars are banned and horse-drawn carriages are the norm would have a payphone. There are reportedly two more payphones in the Grand Hotel, though it isn’t known if they are still in service.
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