News & Fun in Michigan
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.
Huron City Michigan is a historic district and museum with buildings from the 1800s. The town was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995. The tiny town is open for tours on Friday and Saturday during July & August.
The Gamble Plantation is an obscure yet fascinating attraction showing the role Florida played in the Civil War and how slavery propped up the economy of the Confederacy.
The romanticized view of the old south belays the fact that the Gamble plantation was an economic failure.
Today Pigeon is the wind capital of Michigan. Once a rural railway stop for the Pontiac, Oxford, and Port Austin Railroad and Saginaw, Tuscola, Huron Railroad
Port Crescent State Park, located in southern Michigan, was once a thriving lumber town before becoming a ghost town. Today, it offers outdoor activities and preserves a rich history, including remnants of its past, amid scenic natural beauty along Lake Huron.
Grindstone City made a humorous attempt to get tourists driving by to stop and take a look and maybe take a selfie with Mr. Grindstone.
In the summer of 2015, underwater explorers made history by conducting a five-day archeological survey of a Bell P-39Q Airacobra fighter plane in Lake Huron.
The accidental find of the Marshal Sandstone formation in Michigan’s Upper Thumb in 1834 gave rise to one of the areas first industries. Grindstone City became famous for its production of huge grinding wheels until a disruptive technology change slid the industry into obsolescence.
The name Pointe Aux Barques was coined by French sailors and voyageurs in about 1760. The name literally means the point of boats, This is because the rock formations at the tip of the Thumb looked like the prow of a ship. It was also known as a hideout for sailors.
The year is 1912. An exclusive modern resort community is opened at the tip of Michigan’s thumb with direct train service from Detroit. For over 100 years it has been a resort community.
