Petoskey, Past & Present

May 3, 2015

A book like "Picturing Hemingway’s Michigan," a lushly illustrated introduction to the Hemingway family and how their time Up North influenced writer Ernest, takes a lot of research.

So when the author Michael Federspiel found himself with a plethora of remaining images and material after the book’s 2010 publication, it was really no surprise.

"I did research on the years 1900-1920 in the Little Traverse Bay area and found a monstrous amount of material," Federspiel said. "The museum in Petoskey has 5,000 images alone. It’s a huge treasure trove."

The question became, what to do with it all?

YEAR IN THE MAKING

The answer was clear: a second book, "Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present."

Federspiel’s background positions him perfectly to take on the project. He’s director emeritus of the Little Traverse History Museum and he teaches full time in the Central Michigan University history department.

"This book is a look at our history for our visitors who know what they see now, but don’t know the antecedent," Federspiel explained. "So it connects them to the past of the places they’re visiting."

The book is aimed equally at locals, the people who do know what it used to look like. It’s fascinating no matter which category you fall into.

"Much has stayed the same here for the past 100 years, so it’s really neat to see familiar buildings with a horse and wagon in front of them instead of a minivan," Federspiel said.

During the year he spent writing the book, Federspiel collaborated with Rebecca Zeiss on the photography. Zeiss created present day versions of the vintage photos Federspiel had unearthed, so the images could be compared side-by-side.

"Rebecca’s work is just gorgeous," Federspiel said, "but this book was a challenge for her because I already had an image in my head of where the "˜old’ photographer would have stood to take the shot!"

REMAINS OF THE DAY

The photos fell into several categories, Federspiel explained.

Buildings that remained exactly the same: "like the Perry Hotel and the current museum, which used to be the Chicago and West Michigan railroad station. Those are identical to how they used to be."

Those that have changed dramatically: "there are windows added or the facades have changed, although when you look at the new photos, you can still see the shadows of the old structure."

And those that are simply gone: "with new buildings where they continued from cover story... used to be or even just empty lots."

The Arlington Hotel is one of the latter.

Built in 1883, it sat near the Perry Hotel looking out over the bay and was said to be grander than the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.

"In fact, it was built by the same people that built the Grand," Federspiel said.

The Arlington burned down in 1915 and now is just open park space.

Another interesting place is the building where today’s Chase Bank is located. The spot apparently attracts money.

"All four structures that have been built on that particular lot were banks," Federspiel chuckled. "A wooden building, brick, a "˜70s façade re-do and the current Chase bank. People from Petoskey have depended on a bank being at that exact location since the late 1870s."

SHIFTING HISTORY

Until "Picturing Hemingway’s Michigan" was published, even Federspiel hadn’t realized how fluid history really is. Whether Petoskey, Harbor Springs, Bay View or Wequetonsing, the changes the book showcases from the 1900s to the present were markedly obvious, but within the two years it took the book to be published, things were changing yet again.

"So, even the historical photos we look at are just moments in time," he said.

Yet another challenge was the variety of photos available.

"Early on, people took a lot of photos, when the genesis moment of the town began in 1874," Federspiel said.

"By 1900, we had the essential components of the community in place, but most of the photos taken at that time were in the spring and summer," he continued. "It wasn’t until the 1950s and 1960s, with the advent of year-round skiing and recreation, that there were more photos taken in the winter."

MORE TO TELL

Federspiel’s only regret is that, within the confines of the new book, he didn’t have room to tell all of the stories. Narrowing the book from 800 images to the 300 maximum for publication necessitated a lot of what he called "painful editing."

"I think this book does a nice job as a general survey of that time," he said, "but I’d like to think there would be other books expanding on these stories. Absent are the rich histories of the Native American people and the stories of many of the people who lived here year round."

One example he cited was material covering the Petoskey winter carnival, which included photos of toboggans speeding down a closed-off Mitchell Street at 60 miles per hour, ski jumping at the winter sports park and world-caliber ice skaters.

"There are so many moments like that that we just couldn’t fit in," he said. "But that’s one of the benefits of history: it’s so broad and so deep that there are always lots of great stories to tell."

"Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present" is available at a bookstore near you. Signed copies are available at McLean and Eakin in Petoskey. All profits are donated to the Little Traverse History Museum and the Petoskey and Harbor Springs Area Community Foundation. A complementary exhibit opens Memorial Day weekend at the museum.