Michigan Ghost Towns of the Lower Peninsula [Paperback]

Roy L. Dodge (Author), Diane Tedora (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1998

Michigan: the way it was. Michigan Ghost Towns compiles settlements and communities that have faded into Michigan's history and legend: Bamfield and Bryant were stations or stops on the AuSable & North Western Railway, a narrow gauge track extending from AuSable to Commins, in Oscoda County. In 1908 Charlie Cote, a Frenchman, was the only inhabitant of Bryant. Orral A. Wardlow, now living at Glennie (1970), said Charlie could feed and sleep half-a-dozen people and his place was ""modestly"" famous for his pea soup. Wardlow said Harry Garrett and Ray Rose were supervisors on the railroad. ""The train, which made one round trip daily, was made up of 20 to 25 bunk cars for hauling logs, and whatever boxcars were needed to haul freight, which was not much. The daily arrival of this train at Glennie was something to look forward to, and greeted by the whole town."" ""Billie Ellis, the conductor, would go into Joe Solomon's general store and help himself to a smoked herring that was always handy on top of the counter,"" Wardlow said. ""I don't remember that he ever paid for one, and Joe never complained. It seemed to be a matter of course that Billie had his herring."" Averill: The former village of Averill, famous during the early logging days of Michigan and the Saginaw Valley, lays in a built up business section bordering old US-10 highway between Sanford and Midland. Present day signs advertising a lumber yard, cocktail lounge, and other business places named ""Red Keg"" are the only reminders of the notorious saloon with a whiskey keg mounted on a pole and painted red that inspired lumberjacks to call the place ""Red Keg."" Located on the Tittabawassee River, and later the terminus of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, Averill was the gateway to the vast expanses of white pine timber in the world's most famous lumbering center, the Saginaw Valley. Red Keg was made famous in legends and songs of the lumberjacks. The Valley's most notorious fight between Silver Jack Driscoll and Big Joe Fournier occurred in this saloon, first operated by Billy McCrary, who was no slouch as a riverman and rough and tumble fighter. Later the Red Keg was run by Edward Francis, who moved to Michigan from Canada. After the big fire that destroyed most of the village in 1875-76 Francis moved to Sandford where he opened another hotel.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Avery Color Studios; Combined edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932212646
• ISBN-13: 978-0932212641
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,800,507 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, February 16, 2009

By 

C. Shultz (chicago, il United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Michigan Ghost Towns of the Lower Peninsula (formerly Michigan Ghost Towns 1 & 2) (Paperback)

This book is really interesting. It captures local Michigan history around the state that might otherwise have been lost. I have really enjoyed reading this.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book, athough dated, July 20, 2011

By 

M. Johnson (Detroit, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Michigan Ghost Towns of the Lower Peninsula (formerly Michigan Ghost Towns 1 & 2) (Paperback)

If you like local history, this is a great book for your library. However, keep in mind that it was written in 1970 and many of the sites the author mentions, like the towns he writes about, are now gone.