Michael R. Federspiel – författare

This is a compilation of personal photographs, historical images, and written excerpts illuminating Ernest Hemingway's significant ties to northern Michigan. In the early 1900s, the Little Traverse Bay area in northern Michigan was transitioning from a sparsely populated lumber region to a hotspot for tourists. Looking to enhance dwindling freight business, the region's railroad and steamship companies mounted elaborate and effective marketing campaigns to lure tourists from as far away as St. Louis, Kansas City, and Louisville to experience the area's pristine natural beauty and abundant leisure activities. Ernest Hemingway's family was among those who vacationed 'up north' in this era; his parents built a cottage on Walloon Lake near Petoskey to summer away from their home near Chicago. In "Picturing Hemingway's Michigan", author Michael R. Federspiel introduces readers to the Hemingway family, who were typical of many that vacationed in the area. He also paints a picture of life in northern Michigan between 1900 and 1920 and traces the many connections between the area and Hemingway's body of work.In chapters that incorporate candid family photographs from the Hemingway's own collection, historical images of the region, and archival excerpts from Hemingway's letters, journals, and stories, Federspiel shows that the region left an indelible mark on the young writer. To reveal the connections between northern Michigan and Hemingway's fiction, Federspiel examines not only Hemingway's famous Nick Adams stories, which were set in the area, but also later works like "A Moveable Feast". With more than 250 images, "Picturing Hemingway's Michigan" leads readers on a tour of the people, places, and activities that deeply influenced one of America's most famous authors during his twenty-two summers in northern Michigan. Anyone interested in Michigan history, the life of Ernest Hemingway, or the culture of the early twentieth century will enjoy this beautiful volume.

The railroad’s arrival in the 1870s tranformed the formerly sleepy Little Traverse Bay region into a tourist mecca. Victorian resort communities and the growing towns of Harbor Springs and Petoskey provided lodging, dining, entertainment and supplies to an influx of settlers, speculators and tourists who visited in the summer or stayed year-round. Over the decades, cars have replaced trains and steamships and many structures have been preserved, altered, or demolished, but Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present shows that the area’s history is still very much a part of the present day. Featuring contemporary images by Rebecca Zeiss, over three hundred historic (most never before published) photos and historical narrative by Michael R. Federspiel, this volume documents both the development of the tourist economy and also serves as a snapshot of the region today.Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present is divided into chapters by place and topic. Federspiel and Zeiss look at the cities of Petoskey and Harbor Springs; the resort associations of Bay View, Wequetoning and Harbor Point; and railroads, steamships and excursions. Along the way, they visit historic hotels, public buildings, residences, commercial districts and waterfront areas. At many sites, Zeiss’s beautiful and precise photos show that the historic views are still as they were; at others, they are hidden behind facades or structural alterations. Sometimes the historic sites are simply gone, replaced by something totally new or an empty lot. Federspiel also includes an introduction on the making of modern Little Traverse Bay and introduces the leaders and businessmen behind it.Popular tourist regions often boast beautiful souvenir photo books or history books addressing their past. Little Traverse Bay, Past and Present is both, making it of interest to visitors and local residents alike who want to learn more about the area’s nineteenth-century history as well as those interested in its appearance today.