Little Traverse History Museum

Fochtman's Department Store on Mitchell Street in Petoskey burned on March 2, 1914. The newspaper reported that $100,000 in stock was destroyed. The fire department arrived in about 90 seconds, but the hydrant in front of the store was frozen.

On March 2, 1926- 100 years ago- Alice Erwin left Harbor Springs on a trip to New York and Washington DC. Alice was the author of a nature column in the newspaper, which was made into a book, Nature Talks, after her death.
https://www.petoskeymuseum.org/alice-c-erwin.html

The Bear River Valley Heritage Center is located at 621 Charlevoix Ave. It was used as Hose House #2. The building was also used as the Third Ward voting place.
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Alma Cessar moved from Resort Township to Petoskey as a young girl. She received her nursing training from the Petoskey Hospital. Alma was the first school nurse hired by the Petoskey Public Schools.
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Dorinda Bowman was born in 1880. Dorinda’s family owned Bowman Jewelry Store on Howard Street from 1883 to 1955. They lived first on Fulton Street and later at 720 Grove Street. Dorinda studied to become a missionary in the Mennonite Church and went abroad for seven years doing missionary work.

Petoskey's first official Winter Sports Carnival was held in 1928, although there were events the year before. The college hockey championship game between Michigan State and Michigan Tech was played during the carnival.

A group from the Detroit Figure Skating Club was featured at the 1931 Winter Carnival in Petoskey. Here you can see the group on bump-jumpers.

The 1930 Winter Carnival in Petoskey featured a fox hunt.

Stanley Kellogg with his prize-winning snow sculpture of Abraham Lincoln sitting in front of an illuminated fireplace. The sculpture was made for the 1929 Winter Carnival Parade, held on February 12, Lincoln's birthday.

Petoskey's Winter Carnival was operated by the Winter Sports Club and the Chamber of Commerce as a way to increase winter tourism. The club sold pins to members. Seen here are the 1930 club pin and carnival program.

The 1933 Winter Carnival Ball sold tickets for $1.00 per couple, or 25 cents to watch from the balcony.

The ski jumping contest at Petoskey's Winter Sports Park was a popular event at the 1935 Michigan Winter Carnival.

Michigan's 1935 Winter Carnival was held in Petoskey from February 8th to the 17th. It spanned two weekends and featured indoor and outdoor events, including luncheons, fashion shows, skating exhibitions, and snowshoeing tours.

The Central School gym was the site of the Governor's Ball during the Michigan Winter Carnival in the 1930s. You could buy a ticket to attend the ball, or for a reduced price you could watch from the balcony.

Mable Johansen, first president of the Petoskey Figure Skating Club, won first place for her costume at the Mardi Gras celebration during the 1932 Winter Carnival.

Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon was the 1941 Michigan Winter Carnival King. He and Queen Marie Markert presided over the carnival, which included a Sno-Skooter Derby, hockey games, and figure skating exhibitions.

Eunice Schaller was the Michigan Winter Queen in 1934. The Michigan Winter Carnival was in Petoskey from February 1 to 11 that year. After the coronation ceremony at Winter Sports Park, there was a figure skating exhibition by the Petoskey Skating Club and the Olympia Skating Club of Detroit.

Did you know that Petoskey residents used to ride bobsleds down Mitchell Street? The city even had people stationed at the cross streets to stop traffic.

Heisman Trophy Winner Tom Harmon was crowned King of the Michigan Winter Carnival in February, 1941. The Queen was Marie Markert. You can see the Queen's robe on display at Crooked Tree Arts Center in their On Ice exhibit through February 28.

Jean Baptiste Trotochaud, a French-Canadian voyageur, was the first white settler of the Petoskey area, having purchased land in 1851. He is best remembered for donating the land and providing the carpentry skills to build the St. Francis Solanus Church.
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The Queen's Coronation was a big part of the Michigan Winter Carnival, held in Petoskey in the 1930s. You can see the Queen's robe at Crooked Tree Arts Center as part of their new exhibit On Ice. The image is from the 1936 carnival, with the queen in the center wearing the robe.

Stanley Kellogg made ice thrones at Winter Sports Park for the Michigan Winter Carnival, held in Petoskey in the 1930s. He was helped by workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can see his model of this throne at Crooked Tree Arts Center as part of their On Ice exhibit through February 28.

The name Petoskey comes from Ignatius Petoskey, an Odawa leader who lived during a period of enormous change in the Great Lakes region. Born in 1787, Ignatius Petoskey lived through the early years of the expansion of American settlement into Odawa homelands.
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Bozo the Skating Mule is on display at Crooked Tree Arts Center in their new exhibit On Ice. This photo, from 1935, also features John Van Zon as the ringmaster and Mable Johansen as the figure skater.

Did you know that Petoskey's Winter Sports Park used to have a toboggan run? It was built in 1927 for the first Winter Carnival and operated until about 1940 when an accident injured six children.

Do you have a bump jumper? Petoskey began holding "jumper" contests at the Winter Carnival in 1933. No one really knows who invented them, but some boys from Massachusetts got a patent in 1904, and someone from Petoskey trademarked the name Bump Jumper in 1977.

Elfrida de Jaffa Travelogues A European travel journal written in the early twentieth century by a female traveler.

Travel along with us to 1913 Paris! We're reading Elfrida de Jaffa's travel journals all about her trip to #Paris with her mother, Erwinia at #Christmas. December 21 is their train trip across France. www.petoskeymuseum.org/elfrida-de-j...

Santa’s here, we’re singing carols and enjoying cookies and mulled wine. Join us!

We hope you can come to our Christmas open house on Friday, December 13, 6-8 pm. Santa will be giving out treats and we will be singing carols around the #Hemingway piano.

Did you know that the Hillcrest Motel was once considered as a location for the museum? Instead, it was sold to fund renovations on the depot. #Petoskey #History