The world got bigger for most people around 1900. Trolleys and automobiles appeared in southeast Michigan around then, and more people could enjoy distant places. Travel time from Detroit to Sylvan Lake’s natural beauty and attractions was slashed to about an hour. In the early 1890s, entrepreneur Merrill B. Mills planned hundreds of acres of his property at Sylvan Lake as streets, subdivisions and the luxurious Sylvan Lake Inn. Even more boldly, he created a local link to the regional trolley system, inviting visitors and investors to the community he was creating.
Wayside Sign – The Great Escape: Traveling to Sylvan Lake
Object ID: 2013-020-006
Date: 2013
Collection: Sylvan LakeSubjects: Wayside Sign
Max Klein Painter inventor
Object ID: 2013-020-007
Date: 1950
Collection: West BloomfieldSubjects: Biography
Max Klein was the man who invented (or co-invented) paint-by-numbers, the fad that swept the nation in the early 1950s. In 1956 he sold his interest in the painting business (Craft Master brand) and began a successful career in plastics. Later in life, Max resided in West Bloomfield until his death on 20 May 1993. I am writing a brief biographical sketch of Max and would like to know if you have in your holdings any information relating to him?
Thanking you in advance for the favor of your reply, I am,
Le Roy G. Barnett PhD
Contributing Editor
CHRONICLE Magazine
Historical Society of Michigan
Harold Ward Obituary
Object ID: 2013-020-008
Collection: Orchard LakeSubjects: Biography
Harold Ward Obituary