History


The Hippie Tree. (Photo via  Jeremy Thompson, CC BY 2.0)
That One Time in Michigan…When a Tree Became a Portal to Hell

If your Up North trip takes you toward Traverse City (and you like creepy stuff), you might detour over to the Hippie Tree. According to legend, what appears to simply be a downed willow tree covered in bright paints is actually a portal to hell.

Reimund Holzhey. (Source: Archives of Michigan)
That One Time in Michigan…When a Stagecoach Robber Turned His Life Around

Here's how stagecoach robber Reimund Holzhey went from a life sentence to a new life.

(Image via Detroit Historical Society)
That One Time in Michigan…When the Detroit Lions Were Champs

The tale of a time when the Detroit Lions were one of the best football teams in the US—and maybe, just maybe, it foretells a rising success story for this 2023 NFL season.

(Source: Mackinac Bridge Authority)
That One Time in Michigan…When the Mackinac Bridge Was Built

Whether you're heading north into the natural splendor of the Upper Peninsula or coming down into the Mitten, few things compare to the wonder you feel as you drive over the Mighty Mac. But how did it come to be?

That One Time in Michigan…When We Went to War With Ohio

The true story about how Michigan's "boy governor" led Michigan to war with Ohio and got the Upper Peninsula in the process.

(Scan via Lansing State Journal)
That One Time in Michigan… When an Elephant Stormed Through Lansing

It was Sept. 26, 1963, and a traveling circus had stopped at the South Logan Shopping Center in Lansing, Michigan. One of the show’s acts was Rajjee the elephant. 

The Story of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald

One moment, it was there. A blob on the radar screen, indicating the 729-foot freighter, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, was still sailing ahead. But in the next moment, it was gone. It was Nov. 10, 1975. The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was known for its speed, having set and broken many shipping records. But on this...