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.

Sepia-toned postcard image of a two-story brick hall with arched windows on a street corner, labeled “Post-1 P.L.A.V. Hamtramck, Mich. Sept. 24-1938.

Post 1 P.L.A.V. – Hamtramck’s Veterans Hall, 1938

Posted on January 28, 2026May 1, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A 1938 postcard freezes a familiar Hamtramck corner: the Polish Legion of American Veterans’ Post 1 hall, built in the 1920s and long used as a neighborhood gathering place.

First Carriages Made In Romeo Michigan – 1844

Posted on January 28, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Romeo’s Main Street, likely early 1900s. Two horse-drawn vehicles pause as flags wave. A sign on the coach at right claims it was the first carriage built in Macomb County, circa 1844. The claim is proud, if approximate. Romeo, about 30 miles north of Detroit, later became known for the Michigan Peach Festival, launched in 1931.

When Waterford Harvested Winter – People’s Ice on Huntoon Lake

Posted on January 27, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A vintage view of People’s Ice Co. on Huntoon Lake shows how big the “ice business” once got in Waterford — harvesting and storing winter ice to keep Michigan cool long before refrigerators took over.

When President Taft Came to Battle Creek (1911)

Posted on January 27, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

President William Howard Taft’s 1911 stop in Battle Creek drew a massive crowd — and this postcard captured the flags, bunting and excitement on the platform.

John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company Headquarters 1817 – The Robert Stewart House – Video

Posted on January 27, 2026April 14, 2026 by Michael Hardy

The American Fur Company headquarters on Mackinac Island once controlled trade across the Great Lakes. Built in the early 1800s, it shaped Michigan’s economy, society, and role in early American capitalism.

Inside Camp Jeanette – A 1930s Waterford Summer for Detroit Kids

Posted on January 26, 2026June 13, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Boys crowd around a long worktable inside Camp Jeanette in Waterford, Michigan, a children’s camp tied to the Good Samaritans

Cabins and Supplies on U.S. 2: Miller’s at Little Hog Island (1958)

Posted on January 26, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A 1958 glimpse of U.P. travel: Miller’s General Store at Jim and Mort Miller’s Cabins near Little Hog Island, where U.S. 2 drivers stopped for gas, supplies, and a night near Lake Michigan.

The Littlest Doctor’s House Call (Goebel’s Malt Extract)

Posted on January 25, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

This is an early 1900s advertising postcard for Goebel’s Malt Extract, showing kids playing “doctor” — a little “patient” resting

Linkville Michigan History (1890–1930) A Small But Viberent Thumb Farming Town that Vanished – Video

Posted on January 25, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Linkville, a small unincorporated village in Michigan, thrived between 1890 and 1930 as a farming community and key railroad stop. However, post office closures and improved transportation led to its decline, leaving St. Paul Lutheran Church as its enduring landmark.

History of Berne Michigan – A 1900 Snapshot of this Forgotten Ghost Town

Posted on January 25, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Berne, Michigan was a quiet farming hamlet in 1900. This report covers daily life—farming, schoolhouses, church gatherings—and the families who helped build this rural Thumb-area village.