December 10, 2003
Author peers into the past with postcards
Charles Wright pens book on vintage cards
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Jot a note on the back, slap on a stamp and mail - duty done to the friends or family back home. Postcards, they don't get no respect.
Thanks to Charles Wright, however, postcards about Traverse City now boast a book of their own: "Traverse City in Vintage Postcards." Mining earlier times as documented through nearly 200 postcards, Wright draws a picture of the development of Traverse City from a farming and logging community into a year-round recreation center.
For Wright, a 1973 graduate of Traverse City Senior High and now a resident of Southfield, the book brings the history of his hometown to life. It also recaptures his own dormant sense of adventure, a childhood wish for exploration buried by adult responsibilities. This time, the exploring is the past - rediscovering Traverse City.
"So many books, especially those that deal with history, are dry," he said. "Even as a kid, I told my dad I wanted to be an adventurer or an explorer. He told me there weren't many jobs in that, but I think I've proved him wrong."
A writer for his whole career - spanning the profession from advertising to journalism - Wright stumbled on the idea for the book last March. He and his son were browsing through a Borders in Southfield when he spied a book on Cadillac and his imagination sparked. As a writer, other ideas previously danced through his mind; in fact, the middle desk drawer of his office was stuffed with scraps of paper sporting one concept or another.
This time, Wright took action, pursuing the thought before it became another middle-drawer relic. He wrote down the publisher's name and within days fired off an email proposing a postcard tour through Traverse City history.
The acquisitions editor was intrigued enough to phone, asking why Traverse City and if he had any writing experience. Wright replied that he was a native and had been making a living as a freelancing writer since he was 17. He passed the first hurdle and she asked for a 500-word proposal.
"My 500-word proposal became 3,900 words," recalled Wright, who as a thorough and meticulous writer and researcher was determined to document the book's possibility.
Approval came two weeks later but he was suddenly wary: writing the book meant turning down other work for a significant block of time. Steady work, work that led to other work and paid the bills and was guaranteed. He headed north for a weekend to visit his parents, who still live in Traverse City, and think it over.
"After that, I decided to do it," he said, knowing if he didn't do it he'd kick himself later.
Wright began delving and sorting, sifting and searching, looking for cards and looking for explanations of what the cards showed. He haunted antique shows, flea markets and other venues searching for post cards of the area and from the right eras. He also cross-referenced every piece of information in each of the paragraph-size captions as well as tapped living history resources such as Larry Wakefield, a local author and historian.
"I could really lose myself in this, you're always discovering something new," he said. "Probably one of the most difficult aspects was to include a little bit of everything, I wanted a smattering of everything that would really give a good picture of the town."
With the book completed, Wright plans to donate the bulk of the postcards used in the book, those not from his family collection, to the Grand Traverse Heritage Center.
"It is like modern archeology and I really want to see this information preserved for future generations," he said.
He finished writing in mid July and with the book now released, Wright was in town over the weekend for two reasons: promote the book at a book signing at Horizon Books and begin work on his next book. This time his sights are zeroed in on Petoskey's history.
"There will be a heavy focus on the Bay View area," he said. "Tourism developed in Petoskey long before it did in Traverse City."