News History & Fun in Michigan
Ortonville’s early 1900s video show a working Main Street, a depot on the Detroit United Railway line, and a hotel called the Yolande House. A federal crash report from 1929 adds the hard edge: progress came fast, and it came with risk for local riders.
Michigan once supplied nearly all of America’s chicory. This report traces how farms, factories, and railroads built a quiet but profitable coffee industry across the state.
Polly Ann Railroad history still runs under your feet. Follow the 100-mile route from Pontiac to Caseville, meet the depot towns, and see how freight and mail shaped daily life.
These vintage photos track Utica’s shift from wagons and rail to bank buildings, a cooperative creamery, and car-era Main Street—plus the canal project that shaped the town even after it failed.
From Spencer Creek’s mills to a Pere Marquette showpiece depot, Alden, Michigan reinvented itself on the shore of Torch Lake. See how railroads, boats, and one short main street reshaped this small northern Michigan town.
When Henry Ford’s gas electric train rolled into Tecumseh in 1926, it wasn’t just another railcar—it was Ford’s bold move to reinvent railroad travel. This short-lived yet visionary project connected his automotive empire to Michigan’s rail lines in revolutionary fashion.
The Detroit and Huron Railroad opened in 1913, linking Cass City and Bad Axe. Once vital to Michigan’s Thumb, it ran its final train in 1951 before fading into history.
Oxford, Michigan’s history runs from gravel pits and railroads to bustling downtown streets and the Lone Ranger’s voice. A small town that helped build Michigan’s industry and culture.
