From 1850's logging on the Boardman River to 1940s pilot training on mini-aircraft carriers on Lake Michigan; from the brand new Park Place Hotel to Dick Bassett's hermitage on Bassett Island; from major crossroads like Traverse City and Charlevoix to obscure sidings like Mabel and Blackwood; the leading characters and minor characters on the expanding Grand Traverse stage kept things busy here for 100 years. That was the way it was. And here it is. The nonpareil nonagenarian Larry Wakefield has also kept busy. In this collection of stories he fleshes out the major episodes and digs up the minor vignettes that amuse as well as educate. These stories form a history of the Grand Traverse region. Each offers a short excursion into the amazing landscape of our busy past.

The Way It Was:
Stories from the Grand Traverse Region
written by Larry Wakefield
ISBN 0-9766104-8-5