Hancock, MI - one of the Images series

Images of America Hancock

By John Haeussler

Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, S. C.

2014

The Images of America Series is a wonderful collection for families with tie to the local area – it is like a genealogy of a place.  The interest is local, but also fun for tourists and historians.  In the Hancock book we get a glimpse of the area that was a true frontier landscape where mining was just as intense as the gold fields out west.  This neighbor across the lake to Houghton had an isolated existence compared to Houghton where trails did not cross over water.  It was a railroad hub without access to the rest of the state.

This is the story of mining as well as a town, of fires, strikes, and changing times with some particular gems like the Ringling Brothers elephants going down Quincy and the inside of the harness and buggy shop.  My favorite is the Mitchell’s Furniture Store with chairs hanging from the ceiling. You can find vehicles from across the decades and a changing array of storefronts, but the most fun for me was in the recreational photos and the simple fun that combined outside and exercise.