Carved out of the wilderness seemingly overnight, Harrison had its beginnings with the coming of the railroad and its controversial new location as the seat of Clare County. Businessmen, a few families, and armies of lumberjacks soon gave Harrison a reputation as the toughest town in Michigan. More than 10 years of the lawless lumber era gave way to the beginnings of a peaceful village in 1891. The streams and lakes previously used for water, ice, and log hauling became attractive to touri...

Vibrant and captivating Nevada City began as a gold-mining camp called Deer Creek Dry Diggins. The large gravel deposits alongside this creek reportedly delivered a pound of pay dirt a day by the fall of 1849, when A. B. Caldwell�s general store opened to supply this haphazard collection of tents. By March 1850, somewhere between 6,000 and 16,000 boisterous souls called it home, and the new town was christened �Nevada,� meaning �snow covered� in Spanish. After 1861, townsfolk took to addin...

Before Eldon Lee died at the age of ninety-six, he told his daughter about his lifes many adventures. These adventures begin in Little Egypt, deep in southern Illinois. His stories blend family history with tales of farming, school, hometown life, courtship, and entrepreneurial endeavors. He also recalls the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, the 1925 Tristate Tornado, working at the 193334 Century of Progress Exposition, dancing in Windy City ballrooms, becoming a family man, and serving in World W...

North Ogden is a quiet community nestled in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains. The majestic Ben Lomond Peak silently towers over the city to the north with Lewis Peak standing guard to the east. Beautiful panoramic scenery is enjoyed in all directions. During the early 19th century, the city and surrounding areas were inhabited by the Spanish and Native Americans and explored by trappers. North Ogden City was established in 1851, and the challenges facing the pioneer families were num...

New Paltz was established in 1678 by a small group of Huguenot refugees and their families. These pioneers settled into the fertile Wallkill River Valley with the majestic Hudson River to the east and the Shawangunk Mountains defining the western border. These families endured what today would be insurmountable odds, yet for generations they survived and constantly improved their quality of life. The homesteads of these patentee families still stand along historic Huguenot Street and are t...

Originally called Deer Creek, Roseburg was the creation of entrepreneur Aaron Rose. After becoming county seat for Douglas County in 1854, the city�s growth was assured. Roseburg became the bridge between the populated Willamette Valley and the mining districts of Southern Oregon. Situated in a panoramic valley created by the North and South Umpqua Rivers, Roseburg�s population increased dramatically over the next 155 years. In 1872, the Oregon and California Railroad arrived and the city ...

Old Town, situated in north-central Maine, sits snugly along the mighty Penobscot River. Taking advantage of the river's vibrant woods and watershed, Old Town would become the country's leading producer of timber in its early history. Penobscot Indian tribes had inhabited the land for more than 6,000 years, but the area's resources were so vast that, by 1836, the first railroad in Maine had established a line from Bangor to Old Town, with many eager to access the town's wealth. Since its s...

Incorporated as the Farwell City Company by wealthy businessmen and nurtured by a few founding families, Farwell was a unique planned community in the wilderness of mid-Michigan. Farwell brought businessmen, lumberjacks, Civil War veterans, hopeful farmers, and other courageous pioneers due to its location at the convergence of a new state road and the railroad, with valuable virgin timber in all directions. Carefully platted and attracting many businesses, Farwell successfully transitione...

In 1824, Hervey Bliss, who according to Duane DeLoach�s Blissfield�s First 150 Years stood �about five feet, three inches tall, with a somewhat florid complexion and . . . blue eyes,� left Monroe County, blazed a trail 20 miles through the woods, built a log cabin, and founded the village of Blissfield on the west bank of the River Raisin. In 1826, George Giles, a neighbor of Bliss in Monroe County, moved onto land on the east side of the river in a place he called Lyons. Before the river ...

The Moosehead Lake region has long been a place where travelers go to escape. In the first half of the twentieth century, the region became a mecca for hunters and fishermen, as well as for travelers looking for rest and relaxation at popular resorts such as the Mount Kineo House. The Moosehead Lake Region: 1900-1950 uses vintage photographs to tell the story of this Maine retreat. The images depict visitors and residents of Greenville, Shirley, Rockwood, Beaver Cove, and Kokadjo; the lumb...

One-hundred-fifty miles west of Dallas, on a gently rolling prairie that was once the predatory domain of the Plains Indians, lies Shackelford County. Anglo-American settlers began arriving in the 1850s to raise livestock and cultivate crops near the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. To protect the settlers from the Indians, the US Army established Fort Griffin in 1867. In true Wild West fashion, the raucous town of Fort Griffin sprang up nearby to service the soldiers, cattle drovers, and b...

Located between Monroe and Detroit in Michigan, Flat Rock�s history begins with the Wyandot, Huron, and Seneca Indians who once hunted and fished along the Huron River. Founded in 1823 by Michael Vreelandt, the area started to grow and prosper when settlers discovered the fertile lands and waterpower of the Huron River. The power of the river attracted settlers to build and operate two sawmills, a flour mill, and a blacksmith shop. When Pres. Abraham Lincoln called for volunteers to join t...