News History & 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 Avenue in Port Huron is captured here in the streetcar era — rails in the street, a web of overhead wires, and a busy downtown corner anchored by a “National Bank Building.” The Library of Congress notes that a Neo-Classical …
Before bridges spanned the St. Clair River, the Port Huron ferry carried thousands across the border. Three wooden steamers tell the story of a risky, vital crossing.
In 1910, Belleville, Michigan ran on schedules, not nostalgia. This feature examines daily life before Belleville Lake, when trains, mills, schools, and Main Street defined how the town worked.
A vintage postcard view shows the Huron Shores Club House in Forester — a big, bright building with a long screened porch and room for a crowd. What memories do you have of Huron Shores or Forester back in the day?
A Michigan Central freight train lies wrecked on the Haak Branch in 1912 — and the note on the back says the writer jumped clear while the engineer had to be pulled out.
A rare look at the Fraser House after the fire that emptied the hotel into the winter night — and changed downtown Bay City’s skyline.
A postcard labeled ‘Residence’ shows a Port Austin home that later became Questover — and today welcomes guests as 85ten Boutique Hotel & Events
A labeled postcard gives us a rare look inside the Coaster Craft Corp. factory in Port Austin, Michigan.
