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On the cover
This bridge in Hillsdale's Emery Park appears to be made of tree branches, but is in fact cement that has been crafted to imitate wood. The medium, known as Trabajo Rustico, was introduced to Michigan by Mexican sculptors in 1929. Photo Ronnie Jones, Jr.

Online stories from this issue:
One Family's Journey to Earthly Paradise
Van Raalte's Settlement
Three Oaks against the World

all online stories

The stories below are featured in the July/August 2008 issue of Michigan History.

Fun, Folly and Fire on Lake Michigan
By Gordon G. Beld—As early as 1882, hotels, resorts and vacation cottages began springing up in Holland. Ottawa Beach, on the north side of the Holland Harbor channel, and Macatawa Park, on the south side, competed for tourists. They also had to contend with fires, erosion and heavy storms.

A Historic Cannon comes to Alpena
By Raymond J. Herek—More than seven thousand visitors flocked to Alpena’s city hall on July 4, 1912, to witness the unveiling of a cannon from the martyred U.S.S. Maine.

Lansing Remembers its Boys in Blue
By Paul D. Arnold—In spring 2007, the Curtenius Guard, Camp 17, of the Sons of Union Veterans began cleaning and restoring the Soldiers Lot at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Lansing. They honored the fallen soldiers by restoring the site and rededicating it.

The story of Michigan J. Frog
By Le Roy Barnett—Hollywood screen artist Chuck Jones created a six minute cartoon starring a dancing frog in 1955. The amphibian—today known as Michigan J. Frog—was voted the fifth best overall cartoon of all

Creating Art with Cement
By Gladys Saborio—Mexican artists Dionisio Rodriguez, Raphael Corona and Gabriel Cardosa came to Michigan in 1929 and created perhaps dozens of pieces of public art in Hillsdale, the Irish Hills and elsewhere. The medium, known as Trabajo Rustico, involves crafting cement to look like trees, woodcarvings and rope.

A Resort Called Blaney
By Jack Jobst—Brothers Harold and Earle Stewart built the Blaney Park Resort in the early 1930s. This Upper Peninsula location offered cool summers and an abundance of lakes, streams and trails. To this natural playground, the brothers added cottages, a swimming pool, tennis courts, a golf course, an inn and a restaurant.

Blaney Park's Bird Man
By Deidre Stevens—Dentist Karl Christofferson gave up dentistry at the age of fifty-one to start a second career in 1927. He began banding birds to study their migration patterns, and worked as an animal keeper at Blaney Park, educating visitors about area wildlife for over thirty years.

The Village of Copper Harbor
By Paul LaVanway—Dr. Douglass Houghton discovered copper in the Keweenaw Peninsula in 1840. By the spring of 1843, copper mines dotted the landscape, bringing immigrant workers into the area. The U.S. Army built Fort Wilkins to keep the peace between Native Americans and the miners who arrived on the Keweenaw to strike it rich.

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