Vehicles Forbidden. Shall We Hoof It Or Ride?

Do you like to drive? Daily? On road trips? I am grateful for the ability and freedom to drive, though by and large I would rather not. Where we live, Uber isn’t an option. We do not have a subway or an L. While we can walk to the vintage downtown replete with shops, restaurants, and a cheese monger (yum), we do not have a grocery store. One must have a car here and in most of the United States, or at least some other mode of transportation besides our own two feet.

One of the reasons I love traveling in Europe is due to the walkable cities and public transportation. If you are a step counter and have traveled there, you probably reached 20K steps daily without blinking. This is especially helpful for health and the ability to consume delightful regional dishes.

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My husband and I would like to live in a walkable area for a time to give it a try. In case you would as well and are wondering where, Walk Score touts these cities as the top five in the US: San Francisco, New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington D.C. Stats also exist for transit and bike friendly cities.

It is one thing to choose not to drive. It is entirely another not to have the choice. We have relatives who are unable to do so for health reasons. It is a sad transition of losing independence. On the flip side, did you know there are also areas of this country where driving cars is forbidden for everyone? Seriously. It is true. A friend and I visited one such site. You can bet I would like to visit others on this list. Such history to appreciate. Links included in case you would like to virtually explore. While not inclusive, these are a few of the no drive zones:

• Bald Head Island, North Carolina – A long history exists from Native American inhabitants to explorers and pirates. With the first lighthouse of 1789, this island changed names multiple times. Now attainable via ferry, it is a hot spot for outdoor activities and has a conservancy for loggerhead turtles. 
• Daufuskie Island, South Carolina – Rich history abounds, much like Bald Head. Descendants of the Gullah people still live on land belonging to their families since just after the Civil War. Boats are the mode of transportation to this island.
• Fire Island, New York – A whaling center in the 1700 and 1800s, Fire Island dates to 1653. The only way to step on these dry shores is via ferry or seaplane.
• Halibut Cove, Alaska – Scandinavian fisherman ran a Halibut fishery there in the early 1900s. Ferries are also the means to access this location.
• Island of Monhegan, Maine – Europeans first visited in 1603. With a large nature preserve and an attempt to maintain atmosphere, only businesses may use trucks on occasion.
• Mackinac Island, Michigan – Horse drawn carriages and bikes permitted today.
• Supai, Arizona – The Havasupai Indian Reservation longs to preserve and protect the environment. Town is accessible by two feet or four hooves (of the horse persuasion).

If you read my prior posts, you will know the answer to this question. Which location above did we visit?

Or you might have guessed it - Mackinac Island. Next question, what modes of transportation existed on Mackinac in the early years? In a prior post we discussed the fact that the British left Fort Michilimackinac and established a fort on Mackinac island. They dismantled portions of the original and moved the sections via horses. Did the horses swim? Not for that task. Ice at that time of year allowed horses to walk across the expanse pulling portions of buildings from one location to the next. Horses remained on the island through today.

So, did automobiles ever traverse that bit of earth? Yes, indeed they did. The late 1800s rolled in with automobiles used by residents, many purchased from the Michigan Oldsmobile manufacturing plant. Disputes arose over concerns that the horses would be scared by the new contraptions. The horse and carriage, as the original means for transportation, tours, and carrying supplies faced danger. In 1898, a ban prohibited automobiles from that time forward. 

Notice the image at the top of this post and these below replete with bicycles for visitors. Horses are offered to ride for a fee or horse and carriage as an alternative. The only vehicles on the island are reserved for electrical repairs and emergencies. This restriction on vehicles lends nostalgia - akin to stepping back in time. Except for directly behind the horses. I jest but do mind your step on the streets. Small price to pay for the ensuing peace.

To access the island, early residents and visitors traveled by boat and ferry. Captain William H. Shepler realized the business potential in 1945 and his vision continues today via his descendants with Shepler's Ferry as one of the services. Patrons can board at St. Ignace or Mackinaw City. 

Are you interested in visiting a no drive zone? Which would you choose?

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for an online magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 130 Plans, in 44 languages on the Bible.com app.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a college senior. If it were up to Rebecca, she would be traveling - right now. First up, trips to see their two grown sons. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, she tackles the craft of fiction while learning from a host of generous writers. 

Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X/Twitter

Foundations on Mackinac Island - Rocks and Faith

What is your reaction when you see a bulky door with crackling paint and rusted hinges? Or, a church with stones of various shapes and sizes forming walls that hold windows filled with intricate stained glass. Perhaps a stately house sporting uneven bricks surely cured by hands instead of those mass-produced.  What thoughts race through your mind?

What do you think is beyond this gate at right? Who lives there? And for how long? Is this house a new purchase or a family heirloom from the onset of Mackinac Island in the 19th century? Can you imagine all the little feet stepping into an enchanted courtyard? What games did they play over the years?

When I see an old building or other relic from the past, I stop. I cannot help myself. As I stand in awe, I first wonder at the people who turned the creaky handle and opened the thick door to pass through. How many over the years? What did they wear, eat, and how did they work? Did they believe in God? Serve Him? Did they marry? Have children and grandchildren? What prayers emanated from the pews? If the structures are historic, how many walked across the floors? Imagine all the people...

Here is a prime example at left. One glance and ten photos later I was still attempting to ascertain what this was and how it arrived in its present form.This conglomerate rests near the bay in Le Havre, France. Question-inducing to be sure. It appears at face-value to have multiple additions over time using varied styles and materials. Fodder for thought. Itching to go beyond the door, aren't you? Me too. Sadly, that wasn't an option. We will just have to wonder.

A similar sequence of events transpired as we passed the Little Stone Church on Mackinac Island. (Photo at right.) At the onset, I thought this was the only other church on the island aside from St. Anne's. Later as I researched, I learned there are a few other churches that called Mackinac home.

We visited Fort Michilimackinac the last two posts. If you missed the insider details, links are at the bottom. I shared that St. Anne's (built by the French) existed at the original fort (photo below left) and the latter constructed St. Ann's Church (built by the British) remains on Mackinac island (below right).

So how did faith make a way to an island, now home to 500 people and a tourist destination? Jesuit priests delivered Roman Catholicism to the Straits of Mackinac and in 1670, Father Jacques Marquette and his band of Huron landed on Mackinac Island. Though the poor soil discouraged the Huron, and they left a year later. After, Jesuits ministered within the palisade of Fort Michilimackinac beginning in 1715. As the British struggled to defend the fort, they transferred to Mackinac. Not only did they build a new fort, but dismantled and recreated Ste. Anne’s Church on the island. At that time, logs formed the walls, and the building sat along the shore. Eventually, Magdelaine Laframboise, a notable fur trader, donated land near her home. The church moved to its new location in 1820. In exchange of the land, Mme Laframboise asked to be buried under the altar. Father Henri Van Renterghem granted her request after she passed in 1846. There she remained until the church renovations of the 1990s. She was moved to the garden when the museum opened.

The oldest surviving church building in Michigan, known as Mission Church started in 1829. Missionaries Reverend William Ferry and wife, Amanda founded the Protestant church while serving the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission,. To fulfill their calling, the couple sought to teach Native American children. With the decline of the fur trade, church attendance waned. The history of the building itself then featured private use, a meeting house, a substitute location for the Catholic church, among other purposes until Mackinac developed as a summer destination in the late 1800s. The restored building held services again in 1895. The State of Michigan assumed ownership in 1955. Now a State Park, from May through October, couples have the option to marry within this historic, New England style church.

In 1899 the Union Church Society formed the Union Congregational Church. In 1904 the construction of this adorable church consisted of assembling walls of fieldstone. If you read the first post on Castle Farms, you learned how farmers joked of the plethora of stones in Michigan. There are three ornate stained-glass windows that shed light on the history of Mackinac Island. From the fur trade to missionary William Ferry. Now an historic site, The Little Stone Church is a popular wedding destination. Visitors can tour the interior of the church and grounds in summer months.

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The final two churches on Mackinac are Trinity Episcopal Church and Mackinac Island Bible Church. Trinity Episcopal Church as a building was erected in 1882. Yet John O’Brien, an Episcopalian and Irishman, placed the cornerstone in 1842. In 1994, Mackinac Island Bible Church started. This church is unique as it is a church in name of the body, not in a building. The congregation meets at the Mission Point Resort in the theater.

An interesting point many sites offer is while the different congregations sought the same populations, which would seem to foster competition. Due to the nature of the geography, the denominations worked together. Case in point, multiple denominations worshipped inside the Little Stone Church.

For an island with 3.8 square miles in total area, it is home to many churches. Though, consider where we live. On the main street outside my neighborhood, I can count three churches. There are even more in the near vicinity. Are there numerous churches where you live? Are any of them over 350 years old?

If you missed the prior posts on Fort Michilimackinac you can find them here: Unearthing the Past at Fort Michilimackinac and Sneaking Inside the Walls of Fort Michilimackinac.

Sources below if you would like to read a bit more about the Mackinac churches and their histories.
https://steannechurch.org/history/
https://www.mackinacparks.com/blog/historic-mission-church/
https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.14321/j.ctt7zt6cw
https://www.mackinacparks.com/mackinac-venue/historic-mission-church-wedding/
https://www.littlestonechurch.com/history.htm
https://www.mackinacisland.org/blog/post/churches-of-mackinac-island-350-years-of-historic-beauty/

As a child, Rebecca loved to write. She nurtured this skill as an educator and later as an editor for anonline magazine. Rebecca then joined the Cru Ministry - NBS2GO/Neighbor Bible Studies 2GO, at its inception. She serves as the YouVersion Content Creator, with over 130 Plans, in 44 languages on the Bible.com app.

Rebecca lives near the mountains with her husband and a rescued dog named Ranger. She is a proud mom of an American soldier and a college senior. If it were up to Rebecca, she would be traveling - right now. First up, trips to see their two grown sons. As a member of ACFW and FHLCW, she tackles the craft of fiction while learning from a host of generous writers.

Connect with Rebecca: Facebook Goodreads Instagram Pinterest X/Twitter

Something to Digest: The Strange Partnership of William Beaumont and Alexis and St. Martin

William Beaumont’s medical training consisted of an apprenticeship of observation more than book learning. The son of a Connecticut farmer and Revolutionary War veteran, Beaumont left home at the age of 22 to embark on his training and career. After receiving a medical license in Vermont, he eventually signed up to be a surgeon’s mate in the United States Army. He served during the War of 1812 before he went into private practice for a few years before returning to the military and being assigned to Fort Mackinac on Mackinac Island in 1821.

William Beaumont, by Tom Jones - NYPL Digital Gallery, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8436050

In 1822, French-Canadian voyageur, Alexis St. Martin, was visiting the post of the American Fur Trading Company on the island. He was accidentally shot at close range by a shot gun. The pellets penetrated his abdomen doing damage to his stomach and his ribs. Beaumont was summoned to treat him, though St. Martin wasn’t expected to survive. Still, the surgeon committed to the young man’s care, taking time to followthrough and check on him. 

St. Martin did survive, but the wound didn’t close. Instead, the open outer skin of the wound adhered to the layer underneath creating a permanent opening to the stomach called a gastric fistula. When he ate, food fell right through the hole in his side unless he kept a compress over it. He could no longer work for the fur trading company and the local authorities wanted to send him back to the Quebec area. Dr. Beaumont feared he wasn’t strong enough for the trip and offered to take his patient in. He hired St. Martin to be his servant.

By Frances Anne Hopkins - http://www.litterature-quebecoise.org/colonie2.htm [dead link], Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2139872

In 1825 St. Martin agreed to allow Beaumont access to perform experiments on his open stomach. Pieces of food on a silk string were dipped into the gastric juices while the doctor observed how he digested the food. St. Martin went with Dr. Beaumont to where he was stationed at Niagara Falls and Washington, D.C. St. Martin eventually married and had several children. When he received word that one had passed away, in 1831, St. Martine wanted to return to Canada to be with his family. He returned with his family to Beaumont where he was stationed in Wisconsin. 

A young Alexis St. Martin By Jesse Shire Myer - A book, Life and Letters of Dr. William Beaumont ..., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2983496

Beaumont wanted to bring St. Martin with him to St. Louis, but he was determined to return to Canada with his family. The research finally ended in 1833, when they parted ways.

Beaumont’s research culminated in a 280-page book covering the physiology of digestion, even the effect that mental disturbances have on gastric juices! It was truly groundbreaking research at the time. 

Fort Mackinac
By Drdpw - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26978253

Though the doctor sent letters to St. Martin to try and convince him to return for more research, the former fur trader wouldn’t consent unless he could bring his whole family with him and receive an agreeable amount of compensation. Beaumont lived the rest of his life out in St. Louis in private practice as a doctor of some renown. He died at the age of 68 in 1853 from a closed head injury after slipping on icy steps. 

Elderly Alexis St. Martin with open wound.
By Jesse Shire Myer - A book, Life and Letters of Dr. William Beaumont ..., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2982466

While St. Martin was occasionally taken to medical facilities for show, St. Martin lived, mostly in poverty, until 1880 when he died. His family made sure that his body had begun decomposing and buried him in a secret grave to keep curious researchers from performing illegal autopsies on his corpse.

Dr. William Beaumont and Alexis St. Martin made an interesting pair, dependent on one another for a time. While they may not have developed a close friendship due to class and personality differences, their strange partnership opened a window on human digestion to the medical community as never done before.

Kathleen Rouser is the multi-published author of the 2017 Bookvana Award winner, Rumors and Promises, her first novel about the people of fictional Stone Creek, Michigan, and its sequel, Secrets and Wishes. She is a longtime member in good standing of American Christian Fiction Writers. Kathleen wanted to be a writer before she could even read. She longs to create characters who resonate with readers and realize the need for a transforming Savior in their everyday lives. She lives in Michigan with her hero and husband of thirty-some years, and the sassy tail-less cat who found a home in their empty nest. Connect with Kathleen on her website at kathleenrouser.com, on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/kathleenerouser/, and on Twitter @KathleenRouser.

The Last Memory in The Great Lakes Lighthouse Brides Collection

Lighthouses have long been the symbol of salvation, warning sailors 

away from dangerous rocks and shallow waters.

Along the Great Lakes, America’s inland seas, lighthouses played a vital role in the growth of the nation. They shepherded settlers traveling by water to places that had no roads. These beacons of light required constant tending even in remote and often dangerous places. Brave men and women battled the elements and loneliness to keep the lights shining. Their sacrifice kept goods and immigrants moving. Seven romances set between 1883 and 1911 bring hope to these lonely keepers and love to weary hearts.

The Last Memory by Kathleen Rouser
1899—Mackinac Point Lighthouse
Natalie Brooks loses her past to amnesia, and Cal Waterson, the lighthouse keeper who rescues her, didn’t bargain on risking his heart—when her past might change everything.

A Bit of ROMANCE NOVEL History

If there is a romance gene, I’ve got it. I know romance novels haven’t always had the best reputation, but they are the hottest selling genre, with sales of over a billion dollars annually. So when did this love of romance novels begin?

Before Gutenberg invented the printing press, making romance novels more accessible to the masses, romance stories existed. The ancient Greeks had them as well as many other cultures. The ones that weren’t copied over and over by hand were told by word of mouth and acted out as plays, as were other types of stories. There is a list of over twenty ancient Greek romance novel titles, most are but mere fragments of the original stories. Only five of them have survived in a nearly completed state.

The Native Americans of Mackinac Island, Michigan have a tale about Arch Rock on the Island. 

An Indian maiden was tied to the rock by her father when he forbid her to marry the brave she was in love with. Her tears melted away the gigantic hole in the limestone rock, leaving the arch we see today. Her warrior rescued her and took her with him to his people. Though this story is used to explain a geological formation, it’s interesting that the Native Americans chose to use a romance theme to explain it.

The first recognized modern romance novel is considered to be Pamela or Virtue Rewarded by Samuel Richardson in 1740. 

. . . and the first from the woman’s point of view. (Interesting that romance novels before this were from the man’s point of view or probably omniscient point of view.) It was one of the first best-sellers. Go romance!

Then in the early 1800s came Jane Austen and then Charlotte Brontë in the middle of the century. Romance novels became more popular after World War I. Walter Scott developed the popular mass-market version of the historical romance novels which is said to have begun in 1921 with the publication of The Black Moth.

Mills and Boon, British publishers, began publishing hardback romance novels in the 1930s, which were popular across England. In 1957, Harlequin Enterprises, a Canadian company, began releasing Mills and Boon’s category romances in North America. In the 1970s, Harlequin bought Mills and Boon and other companies published romance novels as well that were now being sold in mass-market stores and other places where women shopped like supermarkets.

I think of Grace Livingston Hill (1865-1847) as the forerunner to the current modern-day Inspirational romances, both category and stand-alone. She wrote over 100 novels and short stories. Her published works span from the 1870s until after her death in 1947. Her last novel, Mary Arden, was finished by her daughter Ruth and published in 1948.

Romance novels continued to change and adapt to the market and have continued to sell more and more copies. Romance novels have many, many sub-genres that contribute to the large number of sales. These vast sub-genres enable romance readers to find just the right fit for them.

This reader (and author) is happy romance novels are still going strong.

HAPPY READING!

NEW!

The MISSADVENTURE BRIDES Collection

Love Is One of Life’s Greatest AdventuresSeven daring damsels don’t let the norms of their eras hold them back. Along the way these women attract the attention of men who admire their bravery and determination, but will they let love grow out of the adventures?
Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure, a 1904 road-tripZola Calkin sets out on an adventure to be the first woman to drive across the country. Will the journalist tasked to report her presumed failure sabotage her efforts? Or will he steal her heart?

MARY DAVIS s a bestselling, award-winning novelist of over two dozen titles in both historical and contemporary themes. Her 2018 titles include; "Holly and Ivy" in A Bouquet of Brides Collection (January), Courting Her Amish Heart (March), The Widow’s Plight (July), Courting Her Secret Heart (September), “Zola’s Cross-Country Adventure” in The MISSAdventure Brides Collection (December), and Courting Her Prodigal Heart (January 2019). She is a member of ACFW and active in critique groups.

Mary lives in the Pacific Northwest with her husband of over thirty-four years and two cats. She has three adult children and two incredibly adorable grandchildren. Find her online at:

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Pingree's Potato Patches

By Tiffany Amber Stockton

Last month, I shared about the "Old West manners." If you missed that post, you can read it here: http://www.hhhistory.com/2017/08/old-west-manners-book-giveaway.html.

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Pingree's Potato Patches

This month, I'm going back to highlight one of my older books from a 3-book series set in historical Detroit during the Industrial Revolution. The effects of this boom in industry took a little longer to reach the ranches and undeveloped wide, open land of the West, but they weren't without their needs that the industry offered. The general stores of those western towns relied on the railroad industry as well as the major cities and the production of items the trains brought to them so they could sell the treasures to folks living nearby.

As I researched details for book 2 in this series (entitled Hearts and Harvest released in September 2009), I came across newsworthy events such as the Pullman Strike in Chicago in the summer of 1894 which about shut down all transportation west of that city. You can bet the western towns felt the effects when they couldn't get their standard shipments of goods and materials because the trains weren't running.

Another major component of this recent book is spotlighting the Pingree Potato Patches which were established following the economic recession that occurred in 1893. Overinvestment in railroad development led to widespread bank failures and the eventual closing up shop of several prominent business or industries. Places such as cookstove companies, railcar industries and shoe factories all had to close their doors when they could no longer afford to stay open.

The major cities were hit the hardest, but once the effects trickled outward toward the western territories or states, the folks living in those towns suffered as well. Mayor Pingree of Detroit was the first man to settle on public works as a means of recovering from the financial crisis. Instead of allowing those who suffered to be left to their own devices, the mayor sought out donations of land from investors who had purchased the plots, hoping for a rise in value. The land was then converted into vegetable farms, with potatoes being the prime crop grown. Those who worked the plots would be able to feed their families and provide the surplus to the city to replenish the stores and help rebuild the economy.

The idea held widespread appeal, and soon other cities both in the US and Europe adopted similar plans to help dig themselves out of the financial pits. The recession and potato farming lasted until 1896, but as early as 1894, produce again could be shipped all around the country and folks were ready to face the dawning a new century.

And that's not all. Despite some of the rough-and-tumble sorts who frequented saloons or seemed to populate those typical western towns, there also existed a more genteel lot. And many of them had begun in the major cities before moving west. Many of them even maintained their annual trips back to the big cities like Detroit on their way to places like Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel between the upper and lower Michigan peninsulas. The resort island was a hot spot for the high-society folks who wore bustles instead of spurs as their everyday clothing. :)

Today (with the lack of automobiles and transportation being limited to horses, carriages, bicycles or on foot), the island represents a harkening back to a simpler time....much the same way westerns take us back to the age of westward expansion and the pioneering souls who helped pave the way to the world in which we live today.

NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:

* What would YOU do if you all of a sudden found yourself with nothing after having lived an affluent lifestyle?

* Would you be willing to give up land for those who had lost everything and see those same people farm on that land? Would you be willing to work alongside them?

* What vacations does YOUR family take or what traditions do you have that you do each year?

* What is 1 fascinating fact about today's post which caught your eye today?

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BIO

Tiffany Amber Stockton has been crafting and embellishing stories since childhood, when she was accused of having a very active imagination and cited with talking entirely too much. Today, she has honed those childhood skills to become an author and speaker who works in the anti-aging, health & wellness, and personal development industry, helping others become their best from the inside out.

She lives with her husband and fellow author, Stuart Vaughn Stockton, in Colorado. They have one girl and one boy, and a Retriever mix named Roxie. She has sold twenty (21) books so far and is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Logging in the UP and giveaway!

Please welcome a friend and fellow author, Carrie Fancett Pagels to Heroes, Heroines, and History. Carrie is giving away a copy of her new release so be sure to read down to find out how to enter.

Thanks, Debbie Lynne, for the opportunity to be a guest on HHH, talking about the turn of the century in Michigan, when lumber camps were common in the straits of Mackinac. My Christy Lumber Camp Series shows the progression of three children of a lumber camp boss as they transition from life in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to the Upper Peninsula in pursuit of better logging possibilities at the turn of the century.

First of all, where are the straits of Mackinac? The straits of water lie between the Lower Peninsula of Michigan and the Upper Peninsula. Three cities are the main gateways to this corridor, both today, and historically: Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, and St. Ignace, Michigan. North of the straits of Mackinac we use a “c” at the end of this Indian word and in the Lower Peninsula, a “w” is placed at the end of Mackinac/Mackinaw. In between, the jewel of the straits, lies Mackinac Island. At the turn of the century, St. Ignace was a bustling city with four newspapers and was a mecca for tourists. Today it is a small town just over the Mackinac Bridge, into the Upper Peninsula.

Lilacs for Juliana, which releases in August. The photo was taken on Mackinac Island, during their annual Lilac Festival. It may be hard to imagine, but at the turn of the century, Native Americans were often educated away from home at “Indian Missions” including on Mackinac Island. Children were separated from their parents and lived at school, sometimes for years.

So, at the same time that lumber jacks were chopping down the pines to create beautiful structures like the famous Grand Hotel, the local Chippewa and Odawa were struggling and being “managed” by Indian Agencies, which sad but part of the history of this locale. This gorgeous lilac-covered island has a long history of strategic military location, too, with a French fort in Mackinaw City before the French-Indian Wars, moved to Mackinac Island during the American Revolution, and targeted by the British in the War of 1812.

Although Mackinac Island has a dearth of lumberjacks, lumber camps dotted the countryside both above and below the straits, with easy shipment, by water, of lumber to the mills. This was the prime time and location for Michigan’s “White gold” – the white pines that were frequently as wide across as a man’s height. The woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, full of hardwoods as well as pine, beckoned the lumber camp owners north as the massive white pines were thinned out. This necessitated the transition of lumber camps from Lower Michigan into the Upper Peninsula.

Many lumber camps had almost criminal reputations, and it’s not difficult to find descriptions of some of the nefarious activities that went on, if you search for those. However, this is unlike the family lumber camp, my setting for The Fruitcake Challenge. My Kentuckian grandfather was born near Traverse City, Michigan, during this time—presumably where his father worked as a lumberjack and he returned to run his own family lumber camp. In the 1800s and 1900s, a great many men came up from the South, worked in the woods, and then returned home. As the 20th century approached, lumber camp owners were searching for more virgin woods and they crossed the straits to the eastern and middle portions of the Upper Peninsula. Expanding railroad lines, during this time, made the expansion possible, too. I try to show this in my series, with the Christy family moving their camp to just east of St. Ignace and have a scene with the railroad cross-straits transportation, which was a fun thing to learn about at Mackinaw City’s lighthouse museum. Can you imagine having railroad cars pulled across Lake Michigan?

Want to learn more about lumbering? You can visit the Tahquamenon Logging Museum, in Newberry, Michigan, my home town – where my great-grandparents’ cedar cabin still stands, to get a good idea of what lumberjack life was like. Also, below the straits, in central Michigan is the beautiful virgin white pine stand at Hartwick Pines State Park, which I highly recommend visiting and they have a Logging Museum as well.


GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment to enter to win a pair of teapot earrings made by Carrie plus an ebook copy of the brand new Christmas Traditions Eight-In-One collection, The Fruitcake Challenge (A Selah finalist) The Lumberjacks’ Ball, or Lilacs for Juliana.

Bio: Carrie Fancett Pagels, the author of The Christy Lumber Camp Series, resides in Virginia’s Historic Triangle and enjoys reading, traveling, baking, beading, and researching--but not all at the same time!

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Purchase Links:
Christmas Traditions Eight-In-One collection (August, 2015) on Amazon in Kindle. (Includes Carrie’s story, The Fruitcake Challenge, and seven other novellas by authors Gina Welborn, Darlene Franklin, Jennifer Allee, Cynthia Hickey, Patty Smith Hall, Angela Breidenbach and Niki Turner.

Lilacs for Juliana releases in August, 2015, on Amazon.

The Lumberjacks' Ball (2015) on Amazon in Kindle and paperback.
The Fruitcake Challenge (2014) on Amazon and on Barnes and Noble in ebook and paperback formats.