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.
Arcadia’s Pere Marquette docks once linked steamers, rail lines, lumber yards and furniture shipments. The small Manistee County harbor became a busy transfer point where Great Lakes commerce met village life in the early 1900s, before roads and trucks changed how the town moved goods.
The Traverse Regional History Center is taking a different approach to preserving local history. Rather than focusing on artifact collections, the organization is building a regional resource dedicated to storytelling, education, and digital engagement.
Crystal Falls Michigan rose on iron ore, railroads, and hydroelectric power. These rare photos and stories reveal how the Upper Peninsula town survived boom years, deadly mine collapses, the Great Depression, and WWII.
Acme, Michigan, began as a creek-powered mill town east of Traverse City, then shifted to farms, schoolhouses, roadside diners and resort travel. Its story shows how a Grand Traverse Bay community changed without losing its old outline.
Camp Jeannette in Waterford, Michigan, gave Detroit boys two weeks on Lester Lake. The Good Samaritans charity promoted free summer stays, but later faced criminal allegations, tax trouble and bankruptcy. The result is a camp story with both warmth and warning.
This Michigan Moments video looks at Fairgrove, Michigan, through historic postcards showing village streets, the railroad depot, grain elevator and local businesses.
Historic photos tell the story of Harrisville, Michigan, during the early 1900s. From the D&M Railroad depot and MacDonald Hotel to Sturgeon Point Lighthouse, Harrisville State Park and Main Street stores, the images show a Lake Huron town shaped by work and travel.
Alabaster, Michigan, grew around gypsum, rail cars and Lake Huron shipping. These early photos show the U.S. Gypsum quarry, the aerial dock, the school, the hotel and the 1910 mill fire that nearly stopped the town’s main source of work.
