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.

Jess and Nell: Sebewaing’s Winter Work Team

Posted on January 30, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Jess and Nell, a team of draft horses, stand hitched to a low winter sled in Sebewaing — dated 1910

Michigan’s 2 Sky-High Irish Hills Tourist Towers – 1925

Posted on January 29, 2026June 3, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Before freeways and food courts, Michigan’s highways were lined with quirky tourist towers. These towering attractions offered sky-high views, cold milk, and bragging rights. Let’s revisit the glory days of Michigan’s roadside observation towers.

Post 1 P.L.A.V. – Hamtramck’s Veterans Hall, 1938

Posted on January 28, 2026May 1, 2026 by Michael Hardy

A 1938 postcard freezes a familiar Hamtramck corner: the Polish Legion of American Veterans’ Post 1 hall, built in the 1920s and long used as a neighborhood gathering place.

First Carriages Made In Romeo Michigan – 1844

Posted on January 28, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Romeo’s Main Street, likely early 1900s. Two horse-drawn vehicles pause as flags wave. A sign on the coach at right claims it was the first carriage built in Macomb County, circa 1844. The claim is proud, if approximate. Romeo, about 30 miles north of Detroit, later became known for the Michigan Peach Festival, launched in 1931.

When Waterford Harvested Winter – People’s Ice on Huntoon Lake

Posted on January 27, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

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.

When President Taft Came to Battle Creek (1911)

Posted on January 27, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

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.

John Jacob Astor’s American Fur Company Headquarters 1817 – The Robert Stewart House – Video

Posted on January 27, 2026April 14, 2026 by Michael Hardy

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.

Inside Camp Jeanette – A 1930s Waterford Summer for Detroit Kids

Posted on January 26, 2026June 13, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Boys crowd around a long worktable inside Camp Jeanette in Waterford, Michigan, a children’s camp tied to the Good Samaritans

Cabins and Supplies on U.S. 2: Miller’s at Little Hog Island (1958)

Posted on January 26, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

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.

The Littlest Doctor’s House Call (Goebel’s Malt Extract)

Posted on January 25, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

This is an early 1900s advertising postcard for Goebel’s Malt Extract, showing kids playing “doctor” — a little “patient” resting