This audio collection of amazing short stories is taken from the Great Lakes region and the Tip of Michigan’s Thumb. We love Michigan's history, places to see, and things to do in Michigan. Each episode is taken from feature articles from Thumbwind.com and Michigan4you.com. So, as a podcast, you can enjoy them anytime and anywhere. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s tale from the End of the Road in Michigan. Thank you for taking the time to listen to check out and listen to our little podcast. If you like this kind of tale...
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Nov 13, 2026 · 12:12
What began as a Chicago businessman's dream of inexpensive Michigan land ended in a devastating fire that destroyed one of western Michigan's most unusual resort hotels. In this…
Nov 12, 2026 · 20:49
During the Cold War, 16 Nike missile batteries formed a defensive ring around metropolitan Detroit. Behind guarded fences and heavy steel doors, Nike Ajax and later Nike Hercules…
Nov 4, 2026 · 11:10
She convinced the army she was Franklin Thompson . Years later, she had to convince Congress that she was, too. In 1861, Sarah Emma Edmonds enlisted in Detroit and joined the…
Nov 1, 2026 · 12:34
How did a parish priest in Royal Oak, Michigan, become one of America's most powerful voices—and what happened when that familiar voice began spreading hate? In this episode of…
Oct 25, 2026 · 9:15
Michigan women spent decades pressing for a voice at the ballot box. In 1912, a state suffrage amendment failed by just 760 votes. This episode follows Sojourner Truth, Mary T.…
Oct 25, 2026 · 8:29
Detroit, 1933. A world-famous artist. An automobile empire. Twenty-seven murals that would ignite one of the city's fiercest cultural controversies. When Mexican artist Diego…
Oct 22, 2026 · 19:08
Whitmore Lake: The Resort Town That Harvested Ice In the early 1900s, Whitmore Lake, Michigan, was a thriving summer destination where passenger trains delivered vacationers to…
Oct 22, 2026 · 12:26
Before the Mackinac Bridge became Michigan’s most recognizable crossing, it was a proposal that repeatedly stalled. Engineers drew plans. Supporters pushed lawmakers. Financing…
Oct 22, 2026 · 14:06
A car heads north from Toledo before dawn. Michigan State Troopers signal its driver to stop. Moments later, it strikes a log pulled across the highway. Officers find illegal…
Oct 19, 2026 · 13:29
In September 1925, Dr. Ossian Sweet moved his family into a brick house at 2905 Garland in a white Detroit neighborhood. The next evening, a crowd gathered, rocks struck the…
Oct 16, 2026 · 8:26
In 1837 and 1838, Michigan’s border towns became a key part of the Patriot War. Secret Hunters’ Lodges recruited supporters in Detroit, Port Huron, and nearby communities as…
Oct 16, 2026 · 7:49
From 1928 to 1930, crews built a highway tunnel beneath the Detroit River using steel, concrete, dredging, and compressed-air excavation. One 500-ton tube nearly toppled when its…
Oct 12, 2026 · 9:04
Before Bissell became a household name, Anna Sutherland Bissell was selling carpet sweepers store by store in Grand Rapids. When fire destroyed the company’s factory, she helped…
Oct 12, 2026 · 7:34
Harriet Quimby was a Michigan-born journalist who became the first American woman to earn a pilot’s license. After 33 lessons at the Moisant Aviation School, she took on a…
Oct 12, 2026 · 10:42
A kiln designed for dental porcelain helped launch one of Detroit’s most distinctive artistic businesses. Behind Pewabic Pottery’s shimmering glazes stood Mary Chase Perry…
Oct 7, 2026 · 9:42
A bomber an hour. Behind that famous production record were thousands of workers learning new trades, finding homes, and raising families during World War II. In this episode of…
Sep 15, 2026 · 8:02
A freighter keeps moving. A small boat pulls alongside. High above the water, a bucket descends on a rope. For a sailor waiting for news from home, this is the delivery that…
Sep 14, 2026 · 19:13
On Oct. 22, 1929, the railroad car ferry Milwaukee left Wisconsin for Grand Haven, Michigan, despite a severe storm raging across Lake Michigan. The 338-foot vessel carried 25…
Sep 5, 2026 · 16:23
In the winter of 1936-37, General Motors workers in Flint, Michigan, did something radical: they stopped working and refused to leave the factories. For 44 days, workers occupied…
Sep 4, 2026 · 11:16
Algonac, Michigan, became the birthplace of Chris-Craft on a river crowded with steamers, fishing boats and summer visitors. This Michigan Moments episode follows the town from…
Aug 27, 2026 · 15:29
At the mouth of the St. Clair River, a maze of channels and islands became Detroit’s favorite summer escape. Steamers carried families to Harsens Island, Tashmoo Park, private…
Aug 20, 2026 · 16:51
When copper mines closed during the Great Depression, more than three-quarters of Keweenaw County’s workforce was reportedly unemployed. Local and federal officials responded…
Aug 5, 2026 · 19:37
On a cold November morning in 1926, fifty-one miners descended into the Barnes-Hecker Mine near Ishpeming expecting another ordinary shift. Minutes later, a violent collapse sent…
Aug 1, 2026 · 13:33
On Oct. 15, 1908, a freight train pulled away from Metz, Michigan, carrying families trying to escape one of the worst forest fires in state history. The passengers believed the…
Jul 31, 2026 · 13:58
In June 1968, Richard and Shirley Robison took their four children to the family’s secluded summer cottage near Good Hart, Michigan. Twenty-seven days later, a caretaker entered…
Jul 28, 2026 · 14:32
Before dawn on Nov. 29, 1966, the Great Lakes freighter Daniel J. Morrell broke in two during a violent storm on Lake Huron. Twenty-nine men were aboard. Only one came home.…
Jul 27, 2026 · 7:48
On Jan. 11, 1945, Michigan state Sen. Warren G. Hooper was found shot to death in his car along M-99 near Springport. Four days later, he was expected to testify in a sweeping…
Jul 27, 2026 · 7:48
In 1864, a respected young banker in Hudson, Michigan, vanished with $60,000 in cash—money that belonged to townships, soldiers, and widows. His name was William Treadwell, and…
Jul 25, 2026 · 7:25
On a cold November night in 1953, a U.S. Air Force jet vanished over Lake Superior while chasing an unidentified radar contact. The crew—Lt. Felix Moncla and Lt. Robert…
Jul 25, 2026 · 11:28
Before Route 66 became an American road-trip icon, Michigan motorists were already following another ambitious highway south. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we…
Jul 11, 2026 · 9:03
At the turn of the 20th century, Alma, Michigan transformed from a quiet former lumber town into a thriving industrial hub. Sugar beet fields replaced pine forests, and a…
Jul 1, 2026 · 9:50
The Fishing Village of Leland Michigan: One of the Last Commercial Fisheries on Lake Michigan tells the story of Fishtown, a rare working waterfront that grew from Native fishing…
Jun 26, 2026 · 4:21
For nearly 100 years, the Hotel Ojibway has stood as one of Michigan's most recognizable historic hotels. Overlooking the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, it welcomed tourists,…
Jun 24, 2026 · 18:59
Michigan is full of towns that once had mills, mines, hotels, post offices, rail depots, docks, stores and big plans. Then the timber ran out. The copper market fell. The…
Jun 21, 2026 · 10:40
The Pere Marquette docks in Arcadia, Michigan, once connected a small Lake Michigan village to a much larger world. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we follow the…
Jun 16, 2026 · 12:38
In 1863, a group of German Methodist families came to the edge of Wild Fowl Bay near Bay Port, Michigan, with a bold plan. They would build a Christian colony in the wilderness.…
Jun 16, 2026 · 10:46
Hillman, Michigan , began as Brush Creek, a small settlement shaped by timber, water, farm trade and the Thunder Bay River. In this episode of Michigan Moments, we follow Hillman…
Jun 3, 2026 · 12:12
Michigan’s roadside tourism boom turned two-lane highways into stages for bear camps, tourist towers, novelty buildings, tiny chapels, diners and roadside oddities. This episode…
May 31, 2026 · 14:05
During Prohibition, Detroit’s location across from Windsor helped turn the Detroit River into a major liquor-smuggling route. From that underworld came the Purple Gang, a violent…
May 29, 2026 · 15:22
In October 1908, northern Michigan burned. The Metz Fire destroyed a village, killed dozens and left hundreds homeless. At the same time, fires threatened communities near…
May 29, 2026 · 14:16
Michigan once had a broad electric interurban rail network that linked Detroit, small towns, farms, factories and lake resorts. By the late 1920s and early 1930s, that system was…
May 28, 2026 · 12:45
During World War II, more than 6,000 German and Italian prisoners of war were held in Michigan. They cut pulpwood in the Upper Peninsula, worked in fruit orchards, harvested…
May 27, 2026 · 9:10
In the summer of 1889, wealthy tourists stepped off Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad trains bound for the White House Inn on Lake Gogebic. What began as a peaceful…
Mar 13, 2026 · 8:04
Interlochen, Michigan was once a timber town on a narrow strip between two lakes. In 1917 the state bought a stand of white pines to create Michigan’s first state park, saving…
Feb 27, 2026 · 7:49
Newberry, Michigan rose with the railroads and the timber economy, then learned how to survive the long shift that followed. In this episode, we trace how a small Luce County…
Feb 27, 2026 · 8:33
Walled Lake, Michigan — just 25 miles from Detroit — was once one of the Midwest’s most electric summer destinations. In this episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we step…
Feb 27, 2026 · 7:48
On a hill above the Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie, Fort Brady stood guard for more than a century. It never became a battlefield. It rarely made national headlines. Yet for…
Feb 26, 2026 · 12:10
The End of the Road in Michigan is a nostalgic journey to the far corners of the Great Lakes State—where highways thin, weather makes the rules, and history still feels close.…
Feb 26, 2026 · 28:54
In this episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we tell the bizarre true story of the House of David — a celibate, vegetarian religious commune in Benton Harbor that ran one…
Feb 26, 2026 · 9:03
In the early 1900s, Romeo, Michigan, was a farm town with a surprisingly modern advantage: electric interurban rail service. It gave residents a way to reach jobs, shops, and…
Feb 25, 2026 · 15:03
Long before Farmington became a suburb, it was a stopping point on one of Michigan’s most important roads. This episode traces Farmington’s story from the late 1800s through the…
Oct 28, 2025 · 7:15
Explore the captivating story of Fort Brady, Michigan, from 1900 to 1941. This video looks at the historic U.S. Army fort in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, where soldiers guarded…
Oct 12, 2025 · 13:11
In 1763, the Great Lakes erupted in rebellion. The war between Britain and France had ended, but peace never reached the frontier. When British officers replaced French traders…
Aug 18, 2025 · 7:14
On September 8, 1860, the sidewheel steamer Lady Elgin collided with the schooner Augusta off Winnetka, Illinois, sending more than 300 passengers into the frigid waters of Lake…
Aug 16, 2025 · 9:17
The Bear Man of Harrison, Michigan In the 1930s and 1940s, motorists driving through Harrison, Michigan, often stopped at a roadside attraction unlike any other: Spikehorn…
Aug 15, 2025 · 12:27
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we journey to Beaver Island — the largest island in Lake Michigan and the only place in America that once had a king. From 1848 to…
Aug 12, 2025 · 7:30
In the early 1900s, Hancock’s Quincy Mine —nicknamed Old Reliable—was one of America’s most productive copper mines. It reached over a mile underground, ran the world’s largest…
Aug 6, 2025 · 6:40
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan , we take you back to the early 1900s, when Saugatuck transformed from a quiet lumber town into a vibrant summer retreat for…
Aug 6, 2025 · 6:11
This episode traces North Adams , a Hillsdale County village that grew up along the rails and wired itself for the future. We open with the town’s most retold story—blacksmith…
Aug 6, 2025 · 6:12
At the far eastern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula lies De Tour Village, where the St. Marys River meets Lake Huron. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we trace De…
Aug 6, 2025 · 6:10
The History of Tower, Michigan (1900–1950) In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we travel to Cheboygan County to tell the story of Tower, a northern Michigan village…
May 1, 2025 · 9:14
On September 5, 1881, Michigan’s Thumb was engulfed by one of the deadliest forest fires in state history. In this gripping episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we recount…
Apr 29, 2025 · 4:58
Before the freeways, before commercial flights, lake steamers were the gateway to the Midwest. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we chart the rise and fall of the…
Apr 25, 2025 · 24:03
In 1911, the tiny farming town of Tyre, Michigan, was rocked by a string of mysterious deaths in the Sparling family. Over the course of two years, four men from the same…
Apr 23, 2025 · 8:11
In January 1911, two young brothers vanished into the frozen waters of Lake Huron. What followed was one of the most daring rescue efforts in Great Lakes history. With ice…
Apr 21, 2025 · 8:41
Pontiac’s War: Fire on the Frontier, Peace in the Shadows In 1763, as British flags replaced French ones across the Great Lakes, the First Peoples of Michigan faced a new…
Apr 20, 2025 · 7:04
Beneath the waters of Lake Huron lies one of the oldest known hunting grounds in North America. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we explore the discovery of the…
Apr 17, 2025 · 6:11
The Sinking of the Lady Elgin – Milwaukee’s Night of Mourning In this emotional 10-minute episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we recount the 1860 wreck of the Lady Elgin—a…
Apr 16, 2025 · 7:03
What do you do when your town dies? If you're William Carter and William McCoy in 1880s Michigan, you move your hotel — building and all — to where the action is. In this episode…
Apr 13, 2025 · 7:12
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we uncover the remarkable 1838 journey of 15-year-old Edward Petit , the first European child born in Port Huron. As a teenage fur…
Apr 12, 2025 · 16:15
Step aboard the grand steamers that once ruled the Great Lakes. In this episode, we trace the story of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company — from its 19th-century founding…
Apr 11, 2025 · 6:54
Explore the rise, golden era, and trials of Bay Port, Michigan’s Gillingham Fish Company – once the world’s largest freshwater fishery – in this documentary-style narrative.…
Apr 10, 2025 · 5:21
Explore Michigan’s shipbuilding legacy from 19th-century schooners to Great Lakes freighters. Learn how towns like St. Clair and Port Huron became shipbuilding hubs in “Schooners…
Apr 9, 2025 · 3:44
Explore the rise and fall of New River, Michigan, on "End of the Road in Michigan." Discover how this once-thriving lumber and salt production village emerged in the mid-19th…
Apr 8, 2025 · 15:47
In this episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we investigate the tragic 1907 sinking of the fishing tug Searchlight , which vanished during a Lake Huron storm just outside…
Apr 7, 2025 · 5:48
Join us on "End of the Road in Michigan" as we explore the inspiring story of Captain Aaron Peer and Grindstone City . Discover how a remote shoreline community in Michigan’s…
Apr 6, 2025 · 9:04
Explore the fascinating life and enduring legacy of Douglass Houghton, Michigan’s pioneering geologist, whose groundbreaking discoveries initiated the Michigan Copper Rush and…
Apr 6, 2025 · 7:09
In 1679, a wooden ship named The Griffon sailed into Lake Michigan—and vanished without a trace. Built by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the Griffon was…
Apr 5, 2025 · 5:36
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we follow fur trader Louis Campau as he builds the first permanent white settlement in the Saginaw Valley in 1815. From his log…
Apr 5, 2025 · 7:21
For more than 50 years, a mysterious glowing light has appeared in the remote woods near Paulding, Michigan—captivating curious visitors, spawning ghost stories, and defying…
Apr 2, 2025 · 7:40
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we uncover the quiet collapse of Port Crescent, a once-promising Thumb Coast lumber town left behind when Washington said no. In…
Apr 1, 2025 · 4:41
In 1962, a group of college students met at a union retreat in Port Huron, Michigan —and wrote a document that changed political activism in America. Known as the Port Huron…
Mar 31, 2025 · 6:52
In 1966, Michigan came dangerously close to a nuclear catastrophe—just 30 miles from downtown Detroit. A failed cooling system at the Fermi 1 fast breeder reacto r caused a…
Mar 31, 2025 · 3:44
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we revisit the terrifying days of September 1894, when the deadly Hinckley Fire in Minnesota blanketed Michigan in dense, choking…
Mar 31, 2025 · 4:57
In June 1909, disaster struck at the Canadian Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie when a massive lock gate failure sent four ships into chaos—two sank, and the Great Lakes shipping…
Mar 30, 2025 · 4:23
From winter wheat to Ferris wheels, this episode of End of the Road in Michigan uncovers how Huron County helped shape Michigan—and the nation. Based on a 1959 article from the…
Mar 30, 2025 · 4:47
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we revisit the gripping true story of the 1924 Caseville forest fire. With high winds and dry weather fueling the blaze, a small…
Mar 29, 2025 · 4:00
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we recount the harrowing collision between the passenger steamer City of Cleveland II I and the freighter Ravnefjee l off the…
Mar 29, 2025 · 2:41
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we revisit the tragic crash of Capital Airlines Flight 67 near Midland. The disaster claimed 47 lives and exposed critical gaps in…
Mar 29, 2025 · 3:01
Dive into the intriguing history of Michigan’s Pontiac, Oxford & Northern Railroad, affectionately known as the Polly Ann. Running through the Thumb region from 1889 to 1984, the…
Mar 29, 2025 · 6:13
Beneath the waters of Michigan’s Thumb lie hundreds of shipwrecks—silent remains of steamers, barges, and schooners that met their end in Lake Huron. In this episode, we share…
Mar 28, 2025 · 3:59
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we trace the long, colorful life of Port Austin’s iconic Lakeside Inn — a building that began as Huron County’s temporary…
Mar 28, 2025 · 3:18
On a frigid December night in 1930, Elkton, Michigan , watched helplessly as its beloved schoolhouse rose in flames. The fire lit the sky for miles, consuming a building that had…
Mar 28, 2025 · 3:39
In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan , we head back to 1894 and uncover the story of Bay Port, a once-thriving summer resort on Saginaw Bay. Promoted by the Flint &…
Mar 27, 2025 · 4:11
From Civil War-era origins to the modern day, the Smith-Culhane House in Port Austin stands as a quiet witness to Michigan's evolving story. In this episode of End of the Road in…
Apr 12, 2024 · 6:27
The Upper Thumb has been deemed the “Closer Up North ” for Southeast Michigan and Detroit. Are you looking for a summer trip just far enough to feel like a getaway? We share 12…
Apr 7, 2024 · 20:44
Explore the best beaches in Charlevoix, MI, for a perfect family getaway. Unwind on the shores of Lake Michigan, Lake Charlevoix, and Torch Lake, each offering unique…
Apr 6, 2024 · 20:55
We journey through Southwest Michigan’s inland lakes – where each one presents a unique canvas of tranquil beauty and boundless adventure. From fishing to boating, these…
Jan 28, 2024 · 7:37
George W. Jenks , a figure of significance in the Michigan Thumb region, lived a life intertwined with history. From his early days as a Civil War soldier to his prosperous…
Jan 24, 2024 · 6:25
We explore the intriguing life of Jeremiah Jenks , a Michigan pioneer whose vision transformed the Thumb region. His story is a blend of entrepreneurship and community, shaping…
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