December 28, 2005
Book covers local legends
Bob Wilson authors second volume on years 1860-1880
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Compiling the next segment of Traverse City history into one book, Bob Wilson just released Grand Traverse Legends, Volume II: The Formative Years 1860-1880.
Delving into the founding people, events, businesses and personalities who helped shape the region, Wilson's engaging style and eye for telling detail bring the distant past to life.
"To me, there's always a lot of surprises," said Wilson, who terms himself an amateur historian. "That's what part of the fun is, just digging all the stuff out."
This book documents the community's transition from logging hub into manufacturing center and the pages abound with entrepreneurial spirit. Barrel, harness, brick and casket makers are profiled as well as store keepers of all stripes: meat, hardware, livery, dry goods and clothing. Names that resonate more than a century later through descendents or roads skip through the pages: Carter, Greilick, Beitner, Petertyl and Milliken.
Wilson works to tease out what made the area unique, how the pioneers four and five generations ago persevered in an untamed wilderness.
"The character of the pioneers of Traverse City made it what it is," said Wilson, a 1954 graduate of Traverse City Senior High. "There were a lot of other logging camps where the barons came in, took all the trees and just left it. I think Perry Hannah had the vision for more than a lot of lumber."
Noting the indomitable spirit of these founders, Wilson added: "They sure went through a lot of disasters, I'm amazed at how they would pick up and start over again."
The book sketches the life and contributions of 52 historical figures, including numerous photos of people, homes, businesses and other relevant images, such as plat maps and newspaper clippings. Choosing who to include is one of the tough choices the author faced, though he uses two main criteria.
"The real bottom line is whether I can get enough information, if there's enough available," he said. "They have to be interesting people, too."
Wilson, a retired aeronautical engineer and minister, searched for interesting stories of early women in the region. The second volume includes three: poet Mary K. Buck, writer Martha Cram-Bates and pioneer businesswoman Ada Sprague-Pratt.
Arriving in the city in 1861, Sprague-Pratt opened a millinery and fancy goods story at the age of 17. Competing with the large Hannah, Lay company store was a challenge, but the young entrepreneur persevered and for 19 years ran a successful shop. She also wrote extensively about the city's early days and Wilson reprints an excerpt.
Working on a steady book-a-year cycle, Wilson is already digging through the Historical Society's archives to compile Volume III for a December 2006 release. The basement archives include with newspaper indices dating back to 1858, cemetery records for the surrounding region, yearbooks from Traverse City Senior High, church records, plats and many other documents.
"It's relatively well organized," said Wilson, adding that their trove includes National Cherry Festival historical documents: "There's a lot of information here that we store for the people across the street."
Published by the local Arbutus Press, with printing paid for thanks to the Traverse City State Bank, all proceeds of Grand Traverse Legends Volumes I and II benefit the Historical Society. A grant from Rotary Charities helped launch the series more than two years ago.
As president of the society and an active member for 12 years, Wilson sees his works as a way for people to both learn about the region's history and support historical preservation.
"We have a good volunteer staff but we would like to expand our hours," he said of the society. "If we had more funds, too, we would like to upgrade our computer equipment."
Grand Traverse Legends: Volume I The Early Years is available at the Grand Traverse Heritage Center, Border's Books, Horizon Books, the Traverse City State Bank, Petertyl Drug and Thompson Pharmacy.