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this is Michigan Minute uncovering the
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pioneering moments of the Great Lakes
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State imagine a warm July afternoon in
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the early 1900s on Michigan's Rose
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Island nestled gently against the east
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shore of Sageno Bay near Sebuing
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families gather beneath shady groves
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spreading picnic blankets and settling
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in for leisurely afternoons laughter
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mixes with the splash of oars and the
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distant hum of boat motors as visitors
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stroll along wooden docks extending
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invitingly over clear waters rose Island
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Resort wasn't just a vacation spot it
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was the heartbeat of summer in
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Michigan's Thumb region early 20th
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century postcards and photos capture its
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lively scenes vividly elegantly dressed
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couples dancing in waterfront pavilions
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fishermen casting lines from small
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wooden boats and groups assembling
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excitedly to watch thrilling motorboat
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races that became annual Fourth of July
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staples the resort rose to popularity
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1916 propelled by ambitious new owners
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Fred and GR Derky and businessmen from
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Sageno they envisioned a community haven
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quickly establishing cottages a hotel
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renowned for its hearty chicken and frog
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leg dinners and the famed dance pavilion
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where orchestras played and couples spun
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across polished floors into starry
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evenings but life along Sageno Bay could
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be harsh in November 1917 a powerful
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noraster swept violently across the bay
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heavily damaging Rose Island's beloved
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pavilion yet with determined optimism
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the community quickly rebuilt refusing
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to let one storm dampen their spirit
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into the 1920s and 1930s Rose Island
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thrived newspaper ads eagerly promoted
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the island as the resort's mecca a
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charming getaway with beaches boating
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and baseball motorboat races continued
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to draw spectators from all over
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Michigan cementing Rose Island as an
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destination today although Rose Island
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Resort itself has faded into history its
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memories remain vibrant captured in
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sepia toned photographs and the
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nostalgic recollections of summer
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afternoons long past for those who spent
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their summers here Rose Island wasn't
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just a place it was the soul of summer
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this has been Michigan Minute follow us
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for more bite-sized images of Michigan
