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.

Live Regional Webcams: Your Real-Time Window into Michigan’s Thumb

Posted on July 27, 2026August 2, 2026 by Paul Austin

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

Posted on July 26, 2026August 4, 2026 by Paul Austin

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…

Sidnaw, Michigan History – Railroads, Logging and Roycroft Farms

Posted on July 24, 2026July 24, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Sidnaw, Michigan, began as a booming lumber town in the late 1800s. By the early 1900s, it had sawmills, factories, hotels, and a union depot where the Milwaukee Road and South Shore railroads crossed. Families arrived, stores opened, and farms replaced the forests.

Sikorsky S-38 Isle Royale Flight at Rock Harbor

Posted on July 23, 2026July 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A historic image shows a Sikorsky S-38 amphibious flying boat at Rock Harbor during Isle Royale’s early aviation era. The short video traces D. W. Wescoat’s 1932 Royale Line and the aircraft that connected the Lake Superior island with Houghton.

Michigamme Falls Ghost Town: One Photo of a Vanished U.P. Camp

Posted on July 22, 2026July 28, 2026 by Michael Hardy

One historic photograph may show a short-lived settlement near Michigamme Falls in Iron County. Log buildings, a dirt road and an early automobile survive in the image, but the camp’s identity and fate remain uncertain.

Iron Mountain Prohibition: 14 Wine Barrels Meet the Gutter

Posted on July 22, 2026July 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A crowd gathered on East Ludington Street in April 1928 as Iron Mountain and state police emptied 14 barrels containing more than 850 gallons of confiscated wine.

Pine Mountain Ski Jump – Iron Mountain’s 1943 Spectacle

Posted on July 22, 2026July 22, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A 1943 photograph records packed hillsides, bumper-to-bumper cars and fearless athletes at Pine Mountain Ski Jump in Iron Mountain, Michigan.

History of Ironwood, Michigan — Built by Iron Ore Mining and Community.

Posted on July 22, 2026August 4, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Historic images show how iron mines, railroads, immigrant families, winter weather and busy downtown streets shaped Ironwood in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula.