Daily Great Lakes Ice Cover Report (Dropped from 54% to 40%) – February 19, 2026

Posted on February 19, 2026February 19, 2026 by Michael Hardy

The Winter of 2025-2026 is now underway across the upper Great Lakes region. As ice cover increases, changes in weather

Daily Great Lakes Ice Cover Report Now at 54% – February 15, 2026

Posted on February 15, 2026February 15, 2026 by Michael Hardy

The Winter of 2025-2026 is now underway across the upper Great Lakes region. As ice cover increases, changes in weather

History of St. Helen Michigan – From Logging Boom to Beautiful Lakeside Village (1870-1940) – Video

Posted on February 15, 2026February 19, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Learn how St. Helen, Michigan transformed from a bustling lumber town into a peaceful lake community and even the boyhood home of Charlton Heston.

Short History of Camp Custer Michigan – Eye-opening Views of a Boot Camp, Hospital, and Military Legacy (1917 – 1968)

Posted on February 13, 2026February 19, 2026 by Michael Hardy

The history of Camp Custer Michigan begins in 1917, when farmland near Battle Creek became a massive Army training center. Its soldiers, nurses, hospitals, and barracks shaped two world wars and left a lasting mark on the region.

Brief History of Ortonville Michigan – The depot, the mill, and the day the rails failed (1890-1940)

Posted on February 12, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Ortonville’s early 1900s video show a working Main Street, a depot on the Detroit United Railway line, and a hotel called the Yolande House. A federal crash report from 1929 adds the hard edge: progress came fast, and it came with risk for local riders.

Surprising History of Farmington Michigan – From Frontier Village to Thriving City (1820 – 1940)

Posted on February 10, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

The history of Farmington Michigan from 1890 to 1940 tracks a town shaped by farming, rail travel, fires, and steady civic growth along Grand River Avenue.

When Port Austin Made Coaster Craft Scooters & Flying Scot Bikes

Posted on February 8, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

One small factory on the edge of Michigan’s Port Austin made Coaster Craft scooters, toy wagons and Flying Scot bikes for almost 20 years.

Today the building hosts arts and craftsmen booths and has a bicycle repair shop.

Downtown Port Huron’s Bank Corner, Then and Now

Posted on February 8, 2026February 23, 2026 by Michael Hardy

Huron Avenue in Port Huron is captured here in the streetcar era — rails in the street, a web of