Port Austin, located at the tip of Michigan’s Thumb, has a long history as a lumbering, fishing, and shipping town. By the late 1800s and early 1900s, it had become a small but thriving rural community. This photograph captures a moment when horse-drawn transport was still the norm, and the town maintained its quaint, tree-lined streets before modern development.
If this is an original postcard, it could have been part of a series of souvenir cards depicting Port Austin’s landmarks and daily life, possibly sold at a local store or post office.