By the start of the 20th century, the Grand Haven area had begun to establish itself as a desirable vacation spot, as well as the center of a vigorous manufacturing base. Trains, stately steamers, and private automobiles brought visitors to the resorts of their choice, while many new companies joined other well-established firms, broadening employment opportunities for local workers. It was a time of significant change, and the picture postcard helped record those changes. In this book, a companion to The Grand Haven Area: 1860-1960, the history of Grand Haven and the surrounding area is revealed through picture postcards. Lakeshore scenes, resorts, and cottages are paired with images of bridges, streets, homes, and people at work and play to document a remarkable era of originality, enjoyment, and progress.

Between 1790 and 1850, waves of Anglo-Americans, African Americans, and European immigrants flooded the Old Northwest (modern-day Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin). They brought with them a mosaic of Christian religious belief. Stephen T. Kissel draws on a wealth of primary sources to examine the foundational role that organized religion played in shaping the social, cultural, and civic infrastructure of the region. As he shows, believers from both traditional denominations and religious utopian societies found fertile ground for religious unity and fervor. Able to influence settlement from the earliest days, organized religion integrated faith into local townscapes and civic identity while facilitating many of the Old Northwest's earliest advances in literacy, charitable public outreach, formal education, and social reform. Kissel also unearths fascinating stories of how faith influenced the bonds, networks, and relationships that allowed isolated western settlements to grow and evolve a distinct regional identity. Perceptive and broad in scope, America’s Religious Crossroads illuminates the integral relationship between communal and spiritual growth in early Midwestern history.

Includes Part 1, Number 1: Books and Pamphlets, Including Serials and Contributions to Periodicals (January - June)