Pictures of homesteads past – early – mid 1800s

Historical pictures from the Mikel Classen Historical Pictures Collection

Early engraving of a first homestead.

Pictures of early settlers trying to tame the wild country of Upper Michigan is always interesting to me. I don’t have many of these early settler pictures but I thought I could put up a few of my favorites. Some have focus issues as with many old cameras, but they are still glimpses into that rough and rugged past.

This is an old homestead that was near Marquette.

Some of these old picture show some form of home life. We are so used to modern conveniences and technology, seeing these old pictures shows just how rough life was. It is good that the days of mud, muck, and manure are past. Some things of the modern age are not over-rated, hot water, lawn mowers, garden tillers, all products of trying to ease this harsh life.

This was located near the Sault on the Michigan side. It is the home of an Ojibwa family.

Often we over-romanticize the past, casting aside the many realities of life on a homestead. Everyday was a chore laden struggle for survival.

This picture was from an old stereoview. This was another from somewhere near Marquette.

The brutal environment, the bugs, the dampness from the marshes, the endless preparation for the next winter, all made living from day to day, an amazing feat.

This is a picture from Manistique that shows an early family. Yes, that is a child sitting among the chickens.

I hope you enjoyed these little windows of settling the U.P.