The most up-to-date and complete reference source on the Upper Peninsula

Touring Michigan's Upper Peninsula (U.P.) is like taking a two-week trip by station wagon. Not in terms of time—you can sample plenty if four days is all you have. It’s about stepping back and appreciating a place of raw scenic beauty dotted with roadside attractions, blinker-light towns, rustic cabins and hand-painted signs advertising smoked fish and homemade jam. With 100 Things to Do in the Upper Peninsula Before You Die, discover a land mostly surrounded by the Great Lakes Huron, Michigan and Superior, linked to the state’s Mitten-shaped Lower Peninsula by a five-mile suspension bridge spanning the Straits of Mackinac. The U.P. surprises with Victorian-era and car-free Mackinac Island, millions of acres of forests, waterfalls, wildlife, remnants of the prosperous copper mining era, and 1,700 miles of spectacular shoreline. It’s home to about 311,000 hardy Yoopers (U.P.-ers), just 3% of Michigan’s population across a third of the state’s territory. Cell phone service can be spotty and the top speed along two-lane highways is 55 mph—all the better to slow down and embrace the U.P., whether you’re in search of extreme sports experiences, soft adventure or a simple slice of solitude.

WITH A FOREWORD BY LISA M. FINE, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY—Michigan’s Upper Peninsula is known for its natural beauty and severe winters, as well as the mines and forests where men labored to feed industrial factories elsewhere in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. But there were factories in the Upper Peninsula, too, and women who worked in them. Phyllis Michael Wong tells the stories of the Gossard Girls, women who sewed corsets and bras at factories in Ishpeming and Gwinn from the early twentieth century to the 1970s. As the Upper Peninsula’s mines became increasingly exhausted and its stands of timber further depleted, the Gossard Girls’ income sustained both their families and the local economy. During this time the workers showed their political and economic strength, including a successful four-month strike in the 1940s that capped an eight-year struggle to unionize. Drawing on dozens of interviews with the surviving workers and their families, this book highlights the daily challenges and joys of these mostly first- and second-generation immigrant women. It also illuminates the way the Gossard Girls navigated shifting ideas of what single and married women could and should do as workers and citizens. From cutting cloth and distributing materials to getting paid and having fun, Wong gives us a rare ground-level view of piecework in a clothing factory from the women on the sewing room floor.

"Get ready to discover the rich history of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. From its earliest days, it has evoked words of love, beauty, mystery, and legend. Drawing on oral histories, newspapers, census data, archives, and libraries, Russell M. Magnaghi has written the seminal history of a very 'special place' as seen through the eyes of the men and women who have lived here- the famous and not so famous. For the first time in over a century, a complete history of the U. P.- from prehistoric origins to the present- is available. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan: A History is an extraordinary book celebrating this unique sense of place."--Back cover.

Hiking Michigan’s Upper Peninsula features fifty of the best hikes in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Detailed maps and trail descriptions make navigating these wonderful trails easy, from family-friend strolls to popular vistas to hillier wooded pathways. FalconGuides have set the standard for outdoor guidebooks for more than thirty-five years. Written by top experts, each guide invites you to experience the adventure and beauty of the outdoors. Look inside to find: Hikes suited to every ability Mile-by-mile directional cues Difficulty ratings, trail contacts, fees/permits, and best hiking seasons An index of hikes by category—from easy day hikes to waterfalls Invaluable trip-planning information, including local lodging and campgrounds Full-color photos throughout GPS coordinates

Born-and-raised Michigander Paul Vachon provides an insider's view of the Upper Peninsula, from the rocky outcrop of Copper Peak in the Superior Upland to the meadows and forests of quiet Drummond Island. Vachon also offers carefully designed itineraries to match the interests of any traveler, such as "Echoes of the Edmund Fitzgerald," "Getaway to Mackinac Island and Beyond," and "Camping Out in the U.P." Complete with details on discovering the tranquility of Tahquamenon Falls, boating at Indian Lake State Park, and enjoying music and dance at the glamorous Calumet Theatre, Moon Michigan's Upper Peninsula gives travelers the tools they need to create a more personal and memorable experience.