News History & Fun in Michigan
This tag hints at articles and stories about Michigan history and the Michigan Thumb region. Michigan was part of the Northwest territory, and starting in 1815, the fur trade and influx of settlers and land speculators began.
By the time Michigan became a state in 1838, much of the southern third was already cris-crossed with improved Indian trails and initial roads. In a few short years, the lumbering era would begin, followed by the agriculture growth resulting from the cleared land.
These early postcards capture Cheboygan when the riverfront did the heavy lifting. Steamships tied up at the dock, a canning plant and paper mill hummed nearby, and Main Street stayed crowded day after day. It’s a snapshot of a town built to move goods, not commuters.
Learn how St. Helen, Michigan transformed from a bustling lumber town into a peaceful lake community and even the boyhood home of Charlton Heston.
Before bridges spanned the St. Clair River, the Port Huron ferry carried thousands across the border. Three wooden steamers tell the story of a risky, vital crossing.
In 1910, Belleville, Michigan ran on schedules, not nostalgia. This feature examines daily life before Belleville Lake, when trains, mills, schools, and Main Street defined how the town worked.
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.
Linkville, a small unincorporated village in Michigan, thrived between 1890 and 1930 as a farming community and key railroad stop. However, post office closures and improved transportation led to its decline, leaving St. Paul Lutheran Church as its enduring landmark.
Berne, Michigan was a quiet farming hamlet in 1900. This report covers daily life—farming, schoolhouses, church gatherings—and the families who helped build this rural Thumb-area village.
Once a quiet farming village, Walled Lake became one of Michigan’s busiest summer destinations. Dance halls, amusement rides, and lakeside crowds reshaped the town between 1890 and 1940.
