More than a century ago, Mason County was a much different, harsher place. Arriving by foot and boat to find a dense wilderness, hardy pioneers carved out tiny settlements stretching right to the coast of Lake Michigan. When the lumber industry arrived in Michigan, the settlements grew to boomtowns and new towns formed. To serve the lumber industry, the railroad spread across the county, and immigrants and settlers flooded in to have their chance at the American Dream. But when the lumber ran out, the mills closed down. Jobs disappeared, and so did these towns. Out of the thirty-nine settlements, only two cities and six fading villages remain today. Join local author Sandi Lewis-Malburg as she uncovers the towns that time forgot.

Mason County: 1850-1950 portrays the settlement and growth of Mason County, Michigan, as the area transformed from a land covered in virgin pine and native settlements to communities of farmers and manufacturers. This history of the region begins with images of logging and mills and follows the growth of towns, villages, and individual townships. The adversity, struggles, successes, and joys of carving a new life from the wilderness are captured in more than 200 carefully selected images. These unique photographs illustrate a life of hardship, service, and dedication to faith, family, and community as the area transitioned and changed over the decades.

Montcalm County, Michigan, has had 56 sites that qualify as ghost towns, shadow towns or paper towns. This book provides history and context to each one of them, township by township.

Many of eastern Michigan's old boomtowns and sleepy villages are faded memories. Nature reclaimed the ruins of some while progress paved over the rest. Discover the stories of lost communities hidden in plain sight or just off the beaten track. The vanished religious colony of Ora Labora fell into a state of near-constant inebriation when beer became the only safe liquid to drink. Lake St. Clair swallowed up the unique currency of Belividere along with the place that issued it. Abandoned towns still crumble within Detroit's city limits. Alan Naldrett delves into the fascinating history of eastern Michigan's lost settlements.