This is a meticulously researched, authoritative history of a small town in Benzie County founded in 1889 at the point where two railroads intersected. In the 1890s its residents, swollen with pride and optimism, boasted it was the “biggest little town in Michigan.” In 2005 a Traverse City columnist wrote, “Alas, they were wrong. Thompsonville had no real future at all.” The village like many small towns in northern Michigan relied on a wealth of local natural resources, a bountiful supply of hardwood trees in this case, for its early success and growth. But when the Piqua Handle Factory and a wooden dish factory cut down all the hardwoods the two companies either went out of business or moved. For the village of 1,000 it was the beginning of a long, slow inexorable decline. Bad luck also played a part when the dam supplying electrical power to the village collapsed several times. Then there’s the fire that burned downtown to a crisp.
The author has mined a rich vein of local history including memoirs, letters, contemporary newspaper articles, diaries, unpublished manuscripts, the state archives, railroad histories, historical associations, and numerous libraries. The book also uses more than a hundred historical photographs to tell Thompsonville’s story. Entertainment, religion, social life, sports, community activities are all covered in this comprehensive history. There is hope for revitalization of the village and the community from the same features that first attracted people to settle here – its natural resources. The Betsey River has been designated a natural river and attracts fishermen, kayakers, canoeists and a day use park invite hikers, birdwatchers, and snowshoeing in winter. The Crystsl Mountain Resort brings skiers to the area in the winter, and a railroad bed has been turned into hiking a biking trail. The village is still on maps and optimism seems to be the watch word for Thompsonville.
The book is a great example of how local histories should be written and produced.
Thompsonville in Time: A Northwest Michigan Story 1890 – 2021 by Charles T. Kraus. A Benzie Area Historical Society Publication, Mission Point Press, 2021,
$34.95 softcover, $44.95 hardcover.
