Brian Leigh Dunnigan

Brian Leigh Dunnigan serves as curator of maps at the University of Michigan's William L. Clements Library. Trained as a historian, he has administered historic sites in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Old Fort Niagara, New York. He has written extensively on the early history of the Great Lakes region, particularly Mackinac and Niagara, and in recent years has developed a particular interest in the pre-photographic imagery—maps, sketches, and prints—depicting the area. His 2001 book, Frontier Metropolis, presented a complete iconography of Detroit from 1701 to 1838, and he is completing a similar work on the Straits of Mackinac to 1860. Dunnigan resides in Grass Lake, Michigan, with his wife Candice and children, James and Claire. All four are riders, and they spend as much time as possible during the summer months at a family home on Mackinac Island.