True Tales: The Forgotten History of Michigan's Upper Peninsula

by Mikel B Classen

Overview

What Were Pioneer Days Really Like in the U.P.?

The combination of mining, maritime and lumbering history created a culture in the U.P. that is unique to the Midwest. Discover true stories of the rough and dangerous times of the Upper Peninsula frontier that are as enjoyable as they are educational. You'll find no conventional romantic or whitewashed history here. Instead, you will be astonished by the true hardships and facets of trying to settle a frontier sandwiched among the three Great Lakes.

These pages are populated by Native Americans and the European immigrants, looking for their personal promised land-whether to raise families, avoid the law, start a new life or just get rich... no matter what it took. Mineral hunters, outlaws, men of honor creating civilization out of wilderness and the women of strength that accompanied them, the Upper Peninsula called to all. Among the eye-opening stories, you'll find True Tales includes:

• Dan Seavey, the infamous pirate based out of Escanaba
• Angelique Mott, who was marooned with her husband on Isle Royale for 9 months with just a handful of provisions and no weapons or tools
• Vigilantes who broke up the notorious sex trafficking rings - protected by stockades, gunmen, and feral dogs - in Seney, Sac Bay, Ewen, Trout Creek, Ontonagon and Bruce Crossing
• Klaus L. Hamringa, the lightkeeper hero who received a commendation of valor for saving the crews of the Monarch and Kiowa shipwrecks
• The strange story of stagecoach robber Reimund (Black Bart) Holzhey
• The whimsical tale of how Christmas, Michigan got its moniker
• The backstories of famous pioneers, such as Peter White, George Shiras III, Governor Chase Osborn and many others

"This book is a gold mine of vacation possibilities, providing dozens of fascinating little-known facts about many of the innumerable attractions found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. With the aid of a near countless parade of carefully selected historical images, Mikel paints a picture the reader will not ever forget." -- Michael Carrier, author of Murder on Sugar Island (Jack Handler mysteries)

"Deeply informative, but never boring, each chapter covers a different event or person in the often dangerous and sometimes lawless Great Lakes frontier. Maybe Michigan natives especially will be surprised by these stories from the state's past. Claussen doesn't focus on the well-known or the glamorous stories, but instead the odd, the little-known, and the people who labored so hard to provide for themselves and their families in an unforgiving and brutal environment. This is a wonderful volume to better understand the little-understood region that is Michigan's Upper Peninsula." -- Axie Barclay, Portland Book Review

"It's not that these stories have never been told... yet any collection keeping stories alive seems worthy. The author delves into the darker corners of the U.P. history, some he admits he himself had a hard time believing. All told, the book is a nice sampler and keepsake of the wild, weird, and wonderful things that should have given the Upper Peninsula its own genre of 'Western'." -- Konnie LeMay, Lake Superior Magazine

Learn more at MikelBClassen.com

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615996360
Publisher:	Modern History Press
Publication date:	03/19/2022
Pages:	162
Sales rank:	1,064,403
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Mikel B. Classen has been writing and photographing northern Michigan in newspapers and magazines for over thirty-five years, creating feature articles about the life and culture of Michigan's north country. A journalist, historian, photographer and author with a fascination of the world around him, he enjoys researching and writing about lost stories from the past. Currently he is managing editor of the U.P. Reader and is a member of the Board of Directors for the Upper Peninsula Publishers and Authors Association. In 2020, Mikel won the Historical Society of Michigan's, George Follo Award for Upper Peninsula History. Classen makes his home in the oldest city in Michigan, historic Sault Ste. Marie. He is also a collector of out-of-print history books, and historical photographs and prints of Upper Michigan. At Northern Michigan University, he studied English, history, journalism and photography. His book, Au Sable Point Lighthouse, Beacon on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast, was published in 2014 and his book, Teddy Rooseveltand the Marquette Libel Trial, was published in 2015, both by the History Press. He has a book of fiction called Lake Superior Tales published by Modern History Press, which won the 2020 U.P. Notable Book Award. His newest release is Points North a nonfiction travel book published in 2019 by Modern History Press. Points North has received the Historical Society of Michigan's, "Outstanding Michigan History Publication," along with the 2021 U.P. Notable Book Award. To learn more about Mikel B. Classen and to see more of his work, go to his website at www.mikelclassen.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Romantic ideas of the pioneer days in Michigan's Upper Peninsula will fade quickly as these true tales of lawless, rugged, wild-weather, difficult times before about 1900 are perused. Laws were few, enforcement was scarce, violent events were often, and shipwrecks were many. However, opportunities to be a hero were as numerous and wonderful life-saving deeds of kindness and compassion are recorded in these pages as well. Classen does history an excellent service by revealing the truth. Sometimes we think humanity has advanced little. An attitude quickly challenged in these pages. Readers will feel gratitude for all they have today after finishing these tales." —Carolyn Wilhelm, MA, Midwest Book Review

"This book is a gold mine of vacation possibilities, providing dozens of fascinating little-known facts about many of the innumerable attractions found in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. While most would agree that there exists no more interesting place to explore than Michigan's U.P., the way Mikel describes the individual points of interest exponentially enhances the qualities of each attraction. For instance, while I have driven through Trout Lake hundreds of times, I never knew that the historic Dan Dunn gunfight occurred at one of the bars in that little town-Mikel provides all the details. Nor was I ever made aware of all the tragic stories that unfolded between the lighthouse at Whitefish point and the little-known Vermillion Rescue Station located a few miles to the west-not until I found Mikel's exquisite presentation. With the aid of a near countless parade of carefully selected historical images, Mikel paints a picture the reader will not ever forget." —Michael Carrier, author of Murder on Sugar Island (Jack Handler series)

"Classen accomplished what he set out to do-provide readers with interesting and true tales about the U.P. He did not romanticize the history and told bold facts to enlighten the reader. The U.P. was uncharted territory with harsh beginnings. Captains battled terrible storms while sailing on Lake Superior. Corrupt entrepreneurs made money off the suffering of young women. Classen rang bells for unsung heroes. Much can be learned about Chase Osborn's efforts-the man who became the first governor of Michigan from the U.P. and Peter White, founder of Marquette. So much can be learned by reading Classen's book. It is highly recommended." —Sharon Brunner, U.P. Book Review

From the Publisher