Ghost Towns of Michigan: Volume 1 Volume 1

by Larry Wakefield

Here is the first volume in the Ghost Towns of Michigan series, featuring 33 of Michigan's most fascinating ghost towns, along with numerous historic photographs. These are stories of land speculators, wildcat bankers, boom-and-bust lumber barons, pioneers who refused to give up, and small towns with big ideas that didn't quite pan out.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1882376773
• ISBN13: 9781882376773
• Release Date: June 1994
• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press Michigan
• Length: 181 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Michigan ghost and near-ghost towns

What constitutes a ghost town can be widely interpreted, I suppose, but readers should be aware that quite a few of the towns dealt with in this book are alive and healthy; almost all of them can still be found in the DeLorme Michigan Atlas. Be that as it may, Larry Wakefield knows a good story when he sees one, and all the towns listed here have a good story or two attached to them. Most of the towns are located in the southern part of the state, and Wakefield gives good directions (mostly) for those venturing into the field. The locator maps for each town, however, are a bit crude, and the star indicating the location of Superior which he has north of Grand Haven should be down by Holland. Also the directions for Kensington in Oakland County seem fuzzy (US-16 is actually I-96 and Turtle Lake is now Kent Lake). But the book is entertaining and well written, and those who like to mosey around small towns or placenames on a map that once held greater promise than they show today should find much to admire in this book.

I really like it.

I just got this book in the mail and it is very intersting. I am originally from Michigan so this book holds an extra special interest for me. I reccomend this book to anyone interested in ghost towns in general or in Michigan ghost towns in particular. The book is very imformative. 5 stars.

ghost towns fact or fiction

i have lived in mich my whole life and spent many summers up north. i got this book right around the time i recieved my licence, so this book made up north interesting for a kid. my brother and i drove to the area's near us, and managed to locate two of them. we found an old cemetary, and the the oldest head stone was about 1920ish. we also found ruins of a house and a very old rusted ford. it was fun. if you are ever in the area get a map of the northern half of the state and try to locate them. its a great time to spend with your kids.

This book is a good mix of storytelling and history.

I found this book in a bookstore on a rainy day and did not put it down till the last page was read. Having spent meny summers in Michigan this book directed me to a few new spots I had not known about. A few made for some interesting sight seeing and photography. In particular, "The ghostly Ruins of Marlborough". I spent the better half of a hot summer day walking, climbing and exploring the "the Ruins of Rome". Nearby North Lake provided a place to cool down before dinner. If you explore the back roads when you travel this gives you some interesting spots to stop. I would have liked it if there were better maps of the locations in the book but overall it made for several interesting days. If you like reading about the history of Michigan or ghost towns this is a good book. I now know how I want to spend next summer. Looking for "Ghost Towns Of Michigan Part 2"Brian