The End of the Road in Michigan

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 from its early days as a Montmorency County center to its years as a railroad stop, hotel town, farm market and Lake Avalon resort community.

The story includes State Street, Louis Davidson’s Department Store, the Winona Hotel, the Hillman depot, local elevators, Cronk’s service station, early automobiles, hunting clubs and the cottage culture that grew around Brush Lake, later known as Lake Avalon.

One of Hillman’s most surprising turns came when the Detroit & Mackinac Railway reached the village after the old pine boom had already faded in much of the region. The train gave Hillman a boost, but the town’s future came from something broader: farms, stores, roads, lake visitors and a main street that kept coming back after fire and change.

This episode is for listeners interested in Hillman history, Montmorency County, Northern Lower Michigan, vintage Michigan towns, logging-era communities, small-town railroads and early Michigan resort life.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 looks at how the automobile reshaped travel from the 1920s through the 1950s, using Spikehorn Meyers, Hedges Wigwam, Michigan tourist towers and other quirky stops as examples of the era when a good sign could make a family pull over.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 criminal group tied to rum running, hijacking, extortion and murder.

This episode follows the gang’s rise and decline through newspaper accounts, with the Collingwood Manor Massacre of 1931 as the turning point that helped break its power.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 Alpena, Traverse City and Sault Ste. Marie, where ashes fell on the water “as if from a volcano.”

This episode follows the fire through newspaper reports and the firsthand escape account of Mildred Swan, a Bay City teacher who ran through burning orchards and fences to survive.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 collapsing under pressure from private automobiles, buses, rising costs and court-approved abandonments.

This episode follows the decline through newspaper accounts from Saginaw, Monroe and Berrien Springs, showing how electric rail gave way to Michigan’s road age.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

This episode includes AI-generated content.

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 crops, and helped fill wartime labor shortages.

This episode follows the final days of German POWs at Fort Custer and Camp Evelyn, using 1945–46 newspaper clippings and historical records to tell the story of enemy soldiers who came to Michigan as prisoners — and, in some cases, hoped to return one day as free men.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 journey through Michigan’s deep north woods quickly turned into one of the Upper Peninsula’s most shocking crimes.

A horse-drawn resort stagecoach carrying bankers and vacationers rolled along a lonely wilderness road when an armed gunman stepped from the trees. The robbery left one man dead, triggered fears of lynching in Gogebic County, and launched a manhunt that gripped newspapers across the Midwest. The suspect, Reimund Holzhey, became known as the “Gogebic Highwayman,” a mysterious figure whose courtroom testimony, claims of insanity, and strange later life only deepened the legend.

Using original 1889 newspaper accounts, regional historical records, and local Upper Peninsula history, this episode reconstructs the dramatic story behind what many still call Michigan’s last great stagecoach robbery. Along the way, it examines the fading frontier era of Lake Gogebic’s grand resort hotels, railroad tourism, and the rough wilderness roads that once connected them.

Was this truly the last stagecoach robbery in North America? The answer may surprise you.

#MichiganHistory #LakeGogebic #UpperPeninsula #TrueCrimeHistory #MichiganMoments #StagecoachRobbery #OldWest #GogebicCounty #Marenisco #GreatLakesHistory

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

This episode includes AI-generated content.

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 the forest and the town’s future.

By 1928 conductor Joseph Maddy had brought the National Music Camp to Interlochen, and by 1962 the Interlochen Arts Academy opened as a boarding school for gifted artists.

Interestingly, it all grew from that one decision to spare the pines – a logging-era move that paved the way for music. Thanks for listening, please follow us for future episodes.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 town became both an industrial workhorse and a starting point for North Country travel.

From charcoal iron and logging payrolls to the steady presence of the state hospital and the early pull of Tahquamenon country, Newberry’s story is about adaptation without pretense. It’s a place shaped by winter, work, and the people who stayed when the boom years cooled.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

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 back to the early 20th century, when steam trains, Model Ts, and streetcars carried thousands to the first popular beach west of Detroit. What began as a quiet farming village transformed into a lakeside playground filled with dance halls, glowing pavilions, and the roar of the Flying Dragon roller coaster.

We tell the story of rival dance halls that packed nearly a thousand people onto polished maple floors. We revisit the Walled Lake Amusement Park, where families rode Ferris wheels at sunset and teenagers stayed out late beneath spinning mirrored lights. And we explore how, even during the Great Depression, this small Michigan town kept the music playing. 

This episode is about ambition, escape, and the simple power of summer nights by the water. It is the story of how Walled Lake became more than a dot on a map — it became a memory for a generation.

The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

This episode includes AI-generated content.