Charles Kraus

Thompsonville in Time: A Northwestern Michigan Story, 1890-2021 Charles Kraus

This book is the story of the travails of a small northwest Michigan village that enjoyed robust and rapid growth at the turn of the 19th century but lost its stature over time. Early on, Thompsonville served as a busy hub of two trains lines, one heading to Frankfort and the other to Traverse City and eventually Petoskey, Michigan. But its early prosperity quickly flagged after the virgin forests were depleted by lumbering operations. Add to the mix multiple downtown fires and dam failures. New businesses (which didn't depend on lumber) tried to make a go of it, but success was elusive. Some nearby towns and villages suffered the same fate and became ghost towns. Yet Thompsonville somehow managed to hold on. The book concludes with a hopeful chapter about the village's revitalization, thanks to the Betsie Valley Trail and nearby Crystal Mountain Resort, which are drawing an influx of outdoor enthusiasts and new residents, who treasure the rivers, forests and fresh-water lakes.