Flags have flown over Fort Mackinac since British soldiers constructed the post in 1780 during the American Revolution. As symbols of authority and national pride, the fort's flags were faithfully raised by soldiers at the beginning of every day. In good weather, they hoisted a sprawling garrison flag visible from the middle of the Straits of Mackinac, while in inclement weather they flew a much smaller storm flag. United States soldiers first raised the Stars and Stripes over Fort Mackinac in 1796 when they took control of the post. In 1835, when Private John McCraith built a new flag staff on this site, he buried a note in a bottle that soldiers found 34 years later while reinforcing the pole. They added a second note and returned the bottle below ground, where it remains buried but not forgotten after unsuccessful efforts to find it.