Through a carefully-curated selection postcards, author Emma Wolf takes the reader through the bygone days of Manistee County, full of lumber barons, streetcars, steamships, and charming images of daily life in this coastal Michigan community.
The name "Manistee" comes from the Ojibwa who lived in the region. Some believe it means "Spirit of the Woods"—and that seems fitting. The abundance of towering white pine trees attracted John Stronach to build the first sawmill in the area in 1841. A thriving lumber town rose up along the river. A fire destroyed much of the town in 1871, and wealthy lumber barons decided to rebuild the town out of brick; those structures still line River Street today. The Manistee streets are quieter now than they were in the town's heyday, but the Victorian charm and over a century of remarkable history remain. Drawing from the postcards of lifelong collectors and information from residents whose families have lived in the town for generations, Emma Wolf and the Musculus family bring the unique history of Manistee County to life.