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today we take you to Kiy Michigan A
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rural village whose early prosperity was
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captured in faded postcards and quiet
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sidewalks Located in Hiron County KI
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once stood at the intersection of
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agriculture industry and transportation
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For a brief moment it was a town on the
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move At the turn of the 20th century Kiy
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Michigan was more than a dot on the map
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a working town with purpose These
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photographs taken between 1920 and 1923
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reveal a place alive with motion Orn
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buggies storefront awnings and suited
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men pausing on dusty sidewalks In the
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first image dated February 1921 we see
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the town's core the post office and bank
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anchored a street lined with small shops
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and a confectionary offering ice cream
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cigars and tobacco Job's lunch scrolled
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on the canopy hints at the rhythms of
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daily life quick meals neighborly talk
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and business transactions all within
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earshot of the postm's desk KI had
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something many thumb communities lacked
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A rail depot the Pure Marquette station
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shown in a second image made KI a stop
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along one of the region's vital
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commercial corridors Here the engine
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puffs gently as children and towns
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people gather beside the rail car its
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doors open to goods and travel on the
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box car The faded letters of the New
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York Central and Terminal Line Nyc dot
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and T.L remind us that this was a town
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tied not just to Michigan's economy but
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the nations In another view of Main
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Street's north side storefronts are
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active with local businesses The Norton
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Brothers Drugstore marked clearly by the
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sign on the glass was one of many
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family-run establishments that met daily
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needs remedies soda and likely a fair
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amount of local gossip People linger on
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the sidewalks children in brimmed hats
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buggies lined along the curb This wasn't
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just a street It was a meeting ground By
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the 1920s the town's architecture
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reflected ambition A two-story brick
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bank building sits at the corner like a
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fortress of prosperity Electric and
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telephone poles crowd the skyline early
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signs of modernization Yet beneath the
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technology and commerce this was still a
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community rooted in farming Ki was
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primarily known for its white navy beans
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It eventually claimed the title of bean
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capital of the world A panoramic street
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view looking east captures the full
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scope of Ki's ambition Stacked porches
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narrow wooden walkways hitching posts
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and rows of modest storefronts reveal
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the layered life of a small town in
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Michigan's thumb While time would
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eventually draw industry and rail
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service away from towns like this the
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photographs serve as a reminder these
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places mattered They were more than
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passing stops They were homes
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livelihoods and places where futures
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began That's it If you enjoyed today's
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journey through Ki please share it with
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friends or leave a review And remember
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sometimes the most meaningful stories
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aren't found on highways but on the
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roads that end in quiet towns
