By the start of the 20th century, the Grand Haven area had begun to establish itself as a desirable vacation spot, as well as the center of a vigorous manufacturing base. Trains, stately steamers, and private automobiles brought visitors to the resorts of their choice, while many new companies joined other well-established firms, broadening employment opportunities for local workers. It was a time of significant change, and the picture postcard helped record those changes. In this book, a companion to The Grand Haven Area: 1860-1960, the history of Grand Haven and the surrounding area is revealed through picture postcards. Lakeshore scenes, resorts, and cottages are paired with images of bridges, streets, homes, and people at work and play to document a remarkable era of originality, enjoyment, and progress.

Settlers arrived at the mouth of the Grand River on November 2, 1834. Their community was christened Grand Haven, as it offered a secure harbor. As the logging industry grew, shipping expanded, and Grand Haven Harbor became especially busy during the financial boom and westward expansion that followed the Civil War. Northwest Ottawa County became an established resort destination, and passenger boats frequented the harbor as well. Heavy traffic through Grand Haven caused concern about shipwrecks. The first crew of lifesavers was formed in 1871 and soon joined the United States Lifesaving Service. In 1915, the United States Lifesaving Service merged with the United States Coast Guard. Grand Haven has long had a proud association with these dedicated crews, and in 1998, the relationship was marked when Congress designated it "Coast Guard City USA."

At the beginning of the 20th century, Bay City was the third biggest city in Michigan, after Detroit and Grand Rapids. Lumber and sawmills were a big part of that success. The wealth amassed by its lumber barons built a vibrant downtown and mansions along its main streets. Add industry, shipping, sugar beets, schools, and churches to the mix, and you have the pictures in this book. These postcards show you how Bay City looked at its peak in the very early 1900s until about 1940-a time when people were glad they had reached their destinations and happy to send a postcard when they arrived.

In Pastoral and Monumental, Donald C. Jackson chronicles America's longtime fascination with dams as represented on picture postcards from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Through over four hundred images, Jackson documents the remarkable transformation of dams and their significance to the environment and culture of America. Initially, dams were portrayed in pastoral settings on postcards that might jokingly proclaim them as "a dam pretty place." But scenes of flood damage, dam collapses, and other disasters also captured people's attention. Later, images of New Deal projects, such as the Hoover Dam, Grand Coulee Dam, and Norris Dam, symbolized America's rise from the Great Depression through monumental public works and technological innovation. Jackson relates the practical applications of dams, describing their use in irrigation, navigation, flood control, hydroelectric power, milling, mining, and manufacturing. He chronicles changing construction techniques, from small timber mill dams to those more massive and more critical to a society dependent on instant access to electricity and potable water. Concurrent to the evolution of dam technology, Jackson recounts the rise of a postcard culture that was fueled by advances in printing, photography, lowered postal rates, and America's fascination with visual imagery. In 1910, almost one billion postcards were mailed through the U.S. Postal Service, and for a period of over fifty years, postcards featuring dams were "all the rage." Whether displaying the charms of an old mill, the aftermath of a devastating flood, or the construction of a colossal gravity dam, these postcards were a testament to how people perceived dams as structures of both beauty and technological power.

Provides historical coverage of the United States and Canada from prehistory to the present. Includes information abstracted from over 2,000 journals published worldwide.