News History & Fun in Michigan
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.
In 1859, a ferocious wolf attacked a Michigan farmer. The farmer’s wife exhibited remarkable courage, engaging the wolf in a deadly fight. Her heroic stand underscored the unpredictable nature of wildlife and human bravery.
The 1887 shipwreck of the steamer barge Osceola near Port Crescent revealed a chaotic aftermath, as locals salvaged flour that floated ashore, while rescue crews struggled to recover the stranded vessel. Eventually deemed a total loss, it was later salvaged and rebuilt.
Author and local historian Mark Putman takes a journey back to the 1800s, an era of the land speculation, logging, and development of Elkland Michigan, and Cass City
Side-wheeler steamers were used across the Great Lakes well into the late 1800s. The East Saginaw and Bay City line ran on Michigan’s Saginaw River.
The 1901 Wabash Railway disaster in Seneca, Michigan, resulted in over 90 deaths, largely among Italian immigrants. A collision caused by engineer miscommunication highlighted severe railway safety failures, sparking public outrage and demands for improved protocols to prevent future tragedies in early 20th-century rail travel.
The crash of a Northwest Airlines DC-4 into Lake Michigan on June 24, 1950, remains in the top 20 of the deadliest unsolved commercial aviation disaster in U.S. history. The plane, carrying 58 passengers and crew on a nonstop flight from …
In January 1925, the Port Huron Times launched Michigan’s first winter air delivery to the isolated Thumb region during a severe blizzard. It was likely the first time a military aricraft was used to delver newspapers.
113 years ago, the Harbor Beach TImes kept everyone up to date. No news was too obscure, strange, or quirky that it didn’t warrant a few lines in the paper.
The story of the luxurious Bay Port Hotel and the railway resort era in the late 1800s was short lived.
Was the untimely demise of one of its guests the cause if its downfall?
The Blizzard of 1967, a monumental snowstorm in Chicago, left 23 inches of snow and paralyzed the city on January 26-27. It prompted community resilience and vividly marked everyday life, with many personal stories reflecting struggle and camaraderie amid the challenges and chaos of the storm.
