I have always visited Mackinac in the summer when Main Street is teeming with horses, carriages, bikes and many, many people. Main Street felt as if we’d found a supernatural museum. The roadway was so peaceful and serene. What’s it like to live on this small island year round? Margaret […]
Educational
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Where do all the Mackinac Island horses go in the winter? Chuck thought they relaxed by sitting at a bar drinking while wearing derby caps. I adore his imagination. Sometimes I have to roll my eyes, though. We were curious and started our research. After digging deeper, we found several […]
In preparing for our winter escapade to Mackinac Island, I researched the fascinating history of the area. This is the first in a series of articles about the island and the people who have called it home. The Anishnaabek (also known as the Odawa, Ojibway and Potawatomi) tribes inhabited the […]
Without a winter coat, preteen Mike Farnam tried to escape from Traverse City State Hospital. As he crossed the farm field, which had been closed less than a decade before in 1957, the snow was up to his waist. He approached barn #206 full of cows who were now managed […]
The treatments for mental illness have changed and adjusted over the past century. The Traverse City State Hospital spanned this timeframe. It was a perfect hospital to conduct research. Experimentation was evident as medical regimens were developed. I have held a lot of curiosity about navigating these remedies as our […]
Heading into a small boutique in the basement of the Traverse City State Asylum, I introduced myself to a shopkeeper, “Hi! I’m Martha, a travel blog writer. What stories can you share about this hospital?” A white puff-ball dog entered the shop and crossed to the counter with determination. The […]
“It was a cold snowy day in mid January 1965. We started out just before daylight. The ride was very quiet and long. At times we were in a complete whiteout due to a strong lake effect storm pounding the west coast of Michigan. The heater was on high but […]
Who better to understand mental illness than one who had been seized by authorities and hospitalized five times over a twenty-two year span? Dr. Ferguson led a troubled life of addiction and psychotic breaks. In 1954 he arrived at Traverse City State Hospital, but not as a patient, but rather […]
Have you ever wondered about the Traverse City Asylum? As a youngster we’d drive by it on our way to Lake Leelanau to visit relatives on my mother’s side of the family. As we passed this marker, my mom would share that she had gone to ‘the insane asylum’ every […]
I turned onto 8th street and before me was a HUGE Catholic shrine with marble statues. This stunning display is in the small village of Mio, Michigan. (east of Grayling) There are only 1,884 residents, yet there’s this impressive European structure. I slid my car to the side of the […]