Inside Port Austin’s Coaster Craft Factory
A labeled postcard gives us a rare look inside the Coaster Craft Corp. factory in Port Austin, Michigan.
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Author: Michael Hardy
Michael is the owner of Thumbwind Publications LLC. It started in 2009 covering Michigan and the Upper Thumb. Today, his Michigan Moments series has established a loyal base of 110,000 followers.
Crates on the Curb – Clabuesch City Drugstore, Sebewaing (1909)
A crate-loaded wagon pulls up to H.C. Clabuesch’s City Drugstore in Sebewaing, in a photo labeled 1909 — a reminder of when pharmacies doubled as community general stores.
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Tragedy at Denmark Junction Near Vassar
Two Michigan Central freight trains met head-on at Denmark Junction in 1916, shattering a quiet night north of Vassar. Vintage photos and reports capture the moment when steel, steam, and fate collided on rural rails.
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Sebewaing 1943 – A Quiet Street Scene — and a Very Funny Note on the Back
Sebewaing in 1943, with Pitcher’s Boat Livery in the background — and a postcard-style note that complains about fish flies and lights out at 10:30 p.m
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Beet Harvest Traffic Jam — Sebewaing Style
Horse-drawn wagons loaded with sugar beets roll through Sebewaing in this vintage scene titled “Hauling Sugar Beets, Sebewaing Michigan.” Long
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Detroit’s Barlum Hotel at Cadillac Square – 1949
Downtown Detroit, circa 1949. The Barlum Hotel looms over Cadillac Square as buses circle the park and workers head toward the courthouse blocks. The bold wall sign faces Barlum Tower—now Cadillac Tower—built in 1927 during the city’s vertical building boom. This view likely sits a block east of Woodward Avenue, long considered Detroit’s spine. The scene is brisk, noisy, and confident, an everyday moment before the hotel’s later conversion to Cadillac Square Apartments.
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Jess and Nell: Sebewaing’s Winter Work Team
Jess and Nell, a team of draft horses, stand hitched to a low winter sled in Sebewaing — dated 1910
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Michigan’s 2 Sky-High Irish Hills Tourist Towers – 1925
Before freeways and food courts, Michigan’s highways were lined with quirky tourist towers. These towering attractions offered sky-high views, cold milk, and bragging rights. Let’s revisit the glory days of Michigan’s roadside observation towers.
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