Summer in the Country

The early years of the twentieth century found the country enjoying the prosperity of the Industrial Revolution. A broader segment of society, the rising middle class, was able to experience the leisures that new-found wealth could offer. Traveling via rail, ferry or even the novel mode of auto transport, people sought time away from the grime of urban life and the heat of summer. The simplicity of a rural landscape, the bounty of beachfront, and the moderate temperatures of western Michigan gave many Midwestern travelers the respite they sought. The author John Steinbeck wrote, "Michigan, handsome as a well made woman, and dressed and jewelled. It seemed to me that the earth was generous and outgoing here in the heartland, and, perhaps, its people took a cue from it."