News History & Fun in Michigan
Site announcements of changes that affect the Thumbwind website are highlighted.
News and events of Michigan’s Upper Thumb that are worth knowing in the region.
Here are some of the top stories.
A vintage view of People’s Ice Co. on Huntoon Lake shows how big the “ice business” once got in Waterford — harvesting and storing winter ice to keep Michigan cool long before refrigerators took over.
President William Howard Taft’s 1911 stop in Battle Creek drew a massive crowd — and this postcard captured the flags, bunting and excitement on the platform.
The American Fur Company headquarters on Mackinac Island once controlled trade across the Great Lakes. Built in the early 1800s, it shaped Michigan’s economy, society, and role in early American capitalism.
Boys crowd around a long worktable inside Camp Jeanette in Waterford, Michigan, a children’s camp tied to the Good Samaritans of Michigan. The message on the back reads like a straight-up fundraising pitch: the group said it was giving about 1,000 …
A 1958 glimpse of U.P. travel: Miller’s General Store at Jim and Mort Miller’s Cabins near Little Hog Island, where U.S. 2 drivers stopped for gas, supplies, and a night near Lake Michigan.
This is an early 1900s advertising postcard for Goebel’s Malt Extract, showing kids playing “doctor” — a little “patient” resting while the pint-size physician makes a house call beside a bottle of the product. Goebel was a major Detroit brewer, and …
The Winter of 2025-2026 is now underway across the upper Great Lakes region. As ice cover increases, changes in weather patterns and lake activities will be expected. This daily report provides the latest updates on ice conditions across the lakes. Lake …
Linkville, a small unincorporated village in Michigan, thrived between 1890 and 1930 as a farming community and key railroad stop. However, post office closures and improved transportation led to its decline, leaving St. Paul Lutheran Church as its enduring landmark.
