During the Civil War, it was not uncommon for Army units to have mascots to lift spirits and build loyalty among the soldiers. One of the most famous mascots was Old Abe, a remarkable eagle… More →

It started with a mother's love... Fleeing from a forest fire, a mother bear urges her two cubs into the watery shelter of a vast body of water. Though it will be difficult, she knows if they More →

The word “Petosegay” in the Ottawa language means “rays of the rising sun” or “sunbeams of promise.” The Legend of the Petoskey Stone tells the tale of a man named after this word and how his More →

Although most people were afraid to enter the Spirit Wood because of the Pukwudjininees (tiny fairies), young Leelinau loved the Spirit Wood more than anything else and spent an increasing… More →

In this retelling of the legend about the creation of Mackinac Island, the wise and kind painted turtle Makinauk tells his friends Loon, Beaver, and Otter that now was the time to build a… More →

Long, long ago there was a time when men did not venture into the deep ocean waters. It was believed that the world was flat and to sail beyond the horizon meant falling off the edge of the… More →

Young Dikewamis and her family are forced to keep moving as the "moving stone mountains" creep closer and closer to their village, driving away the bison and deer, turning the waters to ice,… More →

Voyageur is the French word for "traveler," but in the Great Lakes region during the seventeenth century it described those men who made their living trading furs and goods along water… More →