News & 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.
Hedge’s Wigwam once stood at Woodward and 10 Mile as a concrete teepee cafeteria serving barbecued beef and chicken pot pie to generations of Michigan motorists. This article traces its rise from juice stand to landmark, its 1967 closure, 1972 fire and the statues that remain.
These scenes from around Edmore Michigan, in Montcalm County, show what came after Michigan’s great lumber boom. Once this ground held a deep white pine forest; by the early 1900s, it was a sea of stumps. Crews of farmers and hired …
Drive along Dixie Highway today and Fair Haven, Michigan is easy to miss. A few marinas, a bar or two, and long stretches of reeds along Anchor Bay do not look like much. Yet the history of Fair Haven Michigan shows …
The History of Casco Michigan comes alive in a stack of real photo postcards. One-room schools, bean fields, orchards and family homes show how a modest St. Clair County farm township built its daily life.
From the brick Hotel Lenox to St. Augustine’s stone church and the steady hum of the Grand Trunk Railway, the history of Richmond Michigan between 1890 and 1930 shows how a modest farm town adopted modern life without losing its close community ties.
Michigan has a pretty interesting history that goes beyond what you usually hear about. While many people think of its big factories and industrial growth, there are also many lesser-known stories that have helped shape the state’s identity and culture. These …
We examine a local legend of Indian gold and a hermit who made a castle at Loosemore point near the tip of Michigan’s Thumb.
Defunct Michigan automakers once filled Detroit, Lansing and Kalamazoo with factories, jobs and big promises. This feature profiles Packard, Hudson, AMC, REO, Hupmobile, Detroit Electric and Checker, and explains how each tried to stand against the Big Three before finally closing the doors.
