This image shows the Mt. Pleasant, Michigan Home and Training School, an institution for the developmentally disabled. Originally established in the late 19th century as a school for Native Americans, it closed in 1933 to reopen with its new purpose a year later.
There is no description on the back of this card.
The home was renamed the Mt. Pleasant Home and Training School in 1946, so the date of the postcard is most likely in the 1940s. The facility closed in 2008 due to budget shortfalls and declining attendance.
Tag: postcard
Pentwood Camp, Pentwater, Michigan
This is an image of a pair of simple campground cabins located in the lakeside community of Pentwater, Michigan.
There is no description on the back of this card.
–The cabins no doubt are long gone, as this appears to be a very informal development. The marking on the right building indicates where the sender’s family stayed during their visit.
The postcard was used but is not dated. However, the stamp used is from the wartime issues of the 1940s.
Cooley Bridge Park, Cadillac, Michigan
This image shows Cooley Bridge Park at the cascades of the Manistee River flowing down a hillside near Manistee, Michigan at the Highway 55 over crossing.
There is no description on the back of this card. The caption on the front reads:
ROAD SIDE PARK AT COOLEY BRIDGE • F254
BETWEEN CADILLAC AND MANISTEE MICH.
–The park is still there, and there is a picnic area under the still existing bridge.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.
River Scene, Location Unknown
This image shows a flowing river scene taken from a vantage point in the middle of the river.
There is no description on the back of this card. It is likely it is of a river in Michigan as that is where the postcard was purchased.
The river looks smooth and glassy due to the long exposure used in by the photographer. Faster exposures were possible in this era, but the photographer may have wanted a longer exposure to intensify the detail on the negative.
This postcard was used and is dated 21 August 1915.
Burt Lake, Michigan
This image is of Burt Lake, Michigan during an afternoon showing the sun reflecting on the water as the camera points to the west, with the sun partially obscured at the top of the image.
There is no description on this card, only the caption: Sunset on Burt Lake
The image is not quite of a sunset, as the sun is not in close proximity to the horizon as would be expected in a typical sunset picture.
The lake is 17,00 acres of surface area, with a 73 feet maximum depth. It is located in Cheboygan County, the northernmost county in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.
Scenic Drive, Eagle Harbor Michigan
This image shows the rather rough road called Sand Dune Drive along the shore of Lake Superior on the Keweenaw Peninsula in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
There is no description on the back of this card. The caption on the bottom states:
Scenic view Sand Dune Drive
Eagle Harbor Mich
–The sand beach in this area stretches for four miles from the unincorporated village of Eagle Harbor.
The auto shown indicates that the image likely dates from the 1940s.
General Store and Lodge, Drummond Island, Michigan
This image is a view of the general store and gas station, with the lodge building in the background.
There is no description on the back of this card. The caption at the bottom states:
H&H General Store and O-Man-Me-King Lodge
Drummond Island, Mich.
–It is expected that in the intervening decades these buildings were replaced with more substantial structures, as the lodge on Drummond Island now is much newer.
The car tail light at the far left indicates that this image likely dates from the 1950s.
Fort Shelby Hotel, Detroit, Michigan
This image is an artist’s rendition of the main entrance to the Fort Shelby Hotel in Detroit.
The description states::
HOTEL FORT SHELBY
Lafayette Blvd. and First Street
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
900 rooms with bath, in ideal downtown location. Air-conditioned rooms, all with circulating ice water, savior, chair-side radio. Finest accommodations at moderate rates. Delicious food and beverages in Empire Room, Tiger Bar and Java Room. Convenient parking. Children free.
–The hotel was constructed in 1916 and was purchased in 1951 by the Albert Pick Hotel group. The hotel closed in 1973 and was largely unused until renovation began in 2006. It is now an Embassy Suites with some apartments on the upper floors.
This card was used and is dated 25 April 1956.
Park Shelton Hotel, Detroit, Michigan
This image shows the imposing three tower structure of the Park Shelton Hotel on East Kirby in Detroit, Michigan.
The description states:
Park Shelton Hotel
East Kirby at Woodward Avenue
DETROIT 2, MICHIGAN
“Detroit’s Midtown Transient Hotel”
Overlooking the beautiful Art Center in the midtown business sector of the Motor City, the Park Shelton offers the luxury and atmosphere of an exclusive club…home of the unique Sapphire Room, featuring “Service with Charm.”
–This is not the first name for this structure, as it was built as the Wardell in 1926. It’s name has changed several times since, and it was first called the Park Shelton Hotel in the 1950s. It was later converted into apartments and is now condominiums.
This image likely dates from the 1950s.
Charles Manor Restaurant, Grand Rapids, Michigan
This image shows the Charles Manor, a restaurant on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
The description states:
Dine at Charles Manor
Chicken, Steak, Ham and Trout Dinners
By Reservation — For your convenience
It’s never too late to call
Dinners for one or more persons
ALSO
Luncheons, Weddings, Dinners for all occasions
209 Charles Ave. at Cherry St.
Phones: 80875
94485
–The business is gone, but the building is still on the site and in good repair, as shown here. Other than paint and a few other modifications, the building looks much the same now as then.
This image likely dates from the 1940s.