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

by Mikel B. Classen

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

Dan Seavey, the infamous pirate based out of EscanabaAngelique Mott, who was marooned with her husband on Isle Royale for 9 months with just a handful of provisions and no weapons or toolsVigilantes 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 CrossingKlaus L. Hamringa, the lightkeeper hero who received a commendation of valor for saving the crews of the Monarch and Kiowa shipwrecksThe strange story of stagecoach robber Reimund (Black Bart) HolzheyThe whimsical tale of how Christmas, Michigan got its monikerThe 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)

From Modern History Press

Genres: History, Audiobook, Nonfiction

164 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2022

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. He is founder 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 Roosevelt and the Marquette Libel Trial; was published in 2015. Both published by the History Press. He has a book of fiction called Lake Superior Tales, which won the 2020 U.P. Notable Book Award. His book, Points North is a non- fiction travel book published in 2019. Points North has received the Historical Society of Michigan’s, “Outstanding Michigan History Publication,” along with the 2021 U.P. Notable Book Award. Since then, he has released, True Tales, the Forgotten History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, and the newest release is Faces, Places, & Days Gone By, a Pictorial History of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, all published by Modern History Press.

Reviews

[Joe Holman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb book. This should be mandatory reading for all Michigan history classes. He does a masterful job of presenting just how wild and untamed the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was for centuries and how, even today, some of the wild remains in those of us who call this place home.

[Brittany Larson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an interesting read! I recommend reading it if you are interested in how the U.P. was developed and the history behind the names and places!

[Dean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was surprised at what times were like so many years ago. This book was very well written, informative, well-researched, and enjoyable.

[Diane Teeter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found some of the tales quite interesting,especially those that were from the area where I grew up.

[Carolyn Wilhelm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historical tough times! Exciting stories! Little House this book is not, yet life-saving deeds of kindness and compassion are also recorded on these pages as opportunities to be a hero were many.

Consider mining. Yes, rarely paired with pioneers such as Laura Ingalls Wilder, yet it is part of history at the same time. And Lake Superior! So few people understand how cold it is year-round (about 40 degrees) or how many shipwrecks (about 350) have taken place in the deepest waters of the Great Lakes. Before modern mariner tools, sailors had a strenuous, grueling life when pirates were plundering boats. Surviving crashes in winter required ingenuity and persistence unless a body became an icicle. And slavers trafficked women to stockades, as detailed in the book.

[Nate · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an intriguing book. It was very interesting & enjoyable. And am voluntarily leaving my review.