Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps Beginning in 1866, the Sanborn Map Company began creating detailed maps of many U.S. towns. For over a hundred years they sold these maps to fire insurance companies to help them assess the risk of fire. Sanborn maps show mainly streets and structures and where water mains were located, the kind… Continue reading Fun With Maps #3
Author: Wild and Woolly Days
Fun With Maps #2
Original Survey Maps Early in the State of Michigan’s history, the government sent out surveyors to chart and map each and every corner of their new state. The survey maps of the Upper Peninsula were prepared throughout the 1840s to the 1850s. Surveyors tramped through woods and swamp with their chains and compasses and transits.… Continue reading Fun With Maps #2
Fun With Maps #1
Archaic Michigan Maps One the many research rabbit holes I fell down while preparing Wild and Woolly Days was old maps of the Upper Peninsula. Not just 1880-1920 maps, but really old maps. They are full of imaginary islands, odd names, charming little drawings. What’s more, many of these maps have been put online and… Continue reading Fun With Maps #1
Tragedy at Shoepac Creek
The Tragedy at Shoepac Creek is story of early Germfask and Portage Townships, a tale of pioneers, and isolation and very bad luck. Although it was very well known in its day, by the mid-20th century the story had become almost forgotten. Many details were lost altogether, while others were altered by fading memories, or… Continue reading Tragedy at Shoepac Creek
Fun With Postcards #2
I thought we’d take a little closer look at two more of the postcards from my collection. I call them the “Leoline Postcards” since one is from a woman named Leoline, and one is mailed to a woman named Leoline. And yes, they turned out to be the same woman. The first is this card,… Continue reading Fun With Postcards #2
Drama in the Deestreck Skule
In this corner we have Robert J. Burrows, age 21, the son of Ariel W. Burrows and the nephew of Henry J. Burrows, both of whom owned land on the south side of Big Manistique Lake in the 1880s and 1890s. On the other side James Livingston, age 60. In the 1880s he and his… Continue reading Drama in the Deestreck Skule
Fun With Postcards #1
I thought we’d take a little closer look at one of the earliest postcards I collected. First, we will examine the image. This picture was taken at the intersection of Newberry Avenue and Truman Boulevard, look-ing north. The brick building on the right (with the five upper story windows) was the first brick building in… Continue reading Fun With Postcards #1