The year that began with a historic, emergency birth would be characterized by crisis and history as well, as an Island that has long been immersed in its own past was time and again forced to confront it.

This year may be best remembered as the year Islanders learned just how fragile their bridge to the mainland is. And while the Steamship Authority dominated the news and conversation, it was not the only news.

Ticks and right whales dominated headlines, but 2017 was also filled with quieter environmental stories, from rare plants to visiting birds.

Reversals of fortune. Institutional turmoil. Environmental stress. This could be a pencil sketch of 2017 in America — and a way to envision the year on Martha’s Vineyard as well.

The ouster of Martha’s Vineyard Hospital CEO Joe Woodin and the reaction that followed was one of several Island controversies that occupied the attention of readers over the past year.

A final August vacation for a sitting president. An Island grappling with the heroin crisis. A community rallies around the family of a fisherman lost at sea. Here’s look at major stories that engaged Gazette readers in 2016.