Then and Now – Platts Drugstore Port Sanilac
This historical Drugstore is deemed as being Michigan’s longest family owned continuously operating pharmacy in Michigan. It stands today as a boutique shop in Port Sanilac.
Category: History
Our best Michigan history posts are found below.
The Lake Huron Shipwreck of the Iron Chief
The picture post on our sister site about the huge dock in Forrestville gives rise to the question. Why did they name the boathouse the Iron Chief? A little exploring showed that there indeed was a ship with this unusual name but she was not made out of iron. Today, she lays in over a hundred feet of water off the shore of the Grindstone City in the Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve
Steamship Excursion From Detroit 1910
While railroads had been in service for much of the major cities in southern Michigan, excursion steamships were still a comfortable and viable option to get to Michigan’s northern resort areas. You could board a ship on a Friday evening, have dinner on board, and arrive in north Michigan the next morning.
The Pier Based Coast Guard Station Harbor Beach
The Coast Guard Station at Harbor Beach, originally built in 1910 and relocated in 1935, served as a training facility during WWII before closing in 1987. Despite preservation efforts, the station was demolished in 2004. It played a significant role in the Great Lakes waterway system and local maritime history.
Sebewaing Railway Depot – The Historical Center of the Western Thumb
While neglected, with broken windows, faded peeling paint and vines almost covering one end, this historic depot helped make the region an economic powerhouse for the eastern shore of the Thumb for decades
Emil Baur Gave Relief to the Indians at Ora Labora After 1871 Great Fire
In October of 1871, a great forest fire swept across much of the Thumb region including the section of Michigan that included the lands of the former colony of Ora Labora. The colony was in the process of being disbanded and the lands sold off, but large holdings remained including some cabins and buildings. The colony’s benefactor and primary landowner, the Harmony Society immediately sent $200 for distribution among the needy.
The Pioneer Sketches of Jacob Parkhurst
Jacob Parkhurst was born in 1771. During his youth, his family lived in West Virginia he and traveled extensively into the Northwest Territory in the Ohio River Valley. This is his adventures told in his own words.
The Last Time A Michigan Governor Shutdown the State Due to a Pandemic
Gretchen Whitmer’s order to “Stay Home, Stay Safe” is a Michigan shutdown of the nonessential business due to the coronavirus outbreak. This was done once before by Michigan governor Albert Sleeper in October 1918.