Why are Pickles Zero Calories – Or Are They?
The zero-calorie label on your jar of Michigan dills is a legal fiction permitted by federal rounding rules. Most snackers reach for a spear from a…
Category: History
We examine stories and events that shaped the history of the Upper Thumb and Michigan. While we focus on the Thumb region, other Great Lakes historical events are covered. Major events include the lumbering era and the 1871 and 1881 great fires. We cover major pioneers and personalities that shaped the region. To hear many of our best stories, visit and subscribe to our Podcast, “The End of the Road in Michigan.”
Our best Michigan history posts are found below.
Michigan Ghost Towns: A Guide to the State’s Abandoned Industrial Settlements
Between 1845 and 1880, the Keweenaw Peninsula produced more copper than any other region in the world, yet today many of the towns that fueled this…
History of Sandusky Michigan – 9 Remarkable Changes That Built a Thumb City
Historic photographs trace Sandusky, Michigan, from its lumber-era roots into a busy county seat shaped by railroads, agriculture and local commerce. The account follows two depots, grain elevators, downtown hotels, the 1915 courthouse fire and the unusual Practical Institute of Pharmacy class photographed in 1929.
Tracing Caseville History: A Guide to Huron County’s Industrial Roots
In the late 1800s, Caseville’s salt wells produced up to 50,000 barrels annually, a massive output that fueled the rapid growth of this Saginaw Bay…
What is Minnesota Known For – Foods and Traditions
In the northern reaches of the Great Lakes region, Minnesota claims the title of “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but the state actually contains 11,842…
Michigan Thumb Tourism: The Ultimate Guide to the Great Lakes’ Undiscovered Coast
What if the most authentic Great Lakes experience isn’t found on the crowded boardwalks of the west coast, but in the quiet, rugged tip of Michigan’s…
Live Regional Webcams: Your Real-Time Window into Michigan’s Thumb
Imagine you’re sitting in a quiet office in Detroit or Flint, dreaming of the 140 miles of freshwater shoreline that make up Michigan’s Thumb Coast….
Michigan Upper Peninsula Ghost Towns: A Travel Map and Historical Guide
Imagine standing in the middle of a silent street where, a century ago, the air hummed with the roar of iron furnaces and the shouts of copper…