The Pigeon River Country: A Michigan Forest

by Dale Clarke Franz

“A timely book that addresses serious questions facing those of us who love ‘The Big Wild.’”

—Kenneth Glasser, Chairman, Otsego County Board of Commissioners



“I seldom have been so moved by any writing as I have by Pigeon River Country. [It] has a power, a clarity, a message that springs from a vision, but also from a deep, inner soul.”

—John F. Barton, retired journalist, United Press International and U.S. Information Agency



The eagerly awaited new edition of a classic offers memories, myths, and meanings of the largest contiguous piece of wild area in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.



The Pigeon River Country is a remote and beautiful forest in northern Michigan. Ecologically distinct from most other areas of the United States, this mysterious country, shrouded in forest and laced with waterways, has a unique and storied past. Dale Clarke Franz has collected personal accounts from various people who have called the Pigeon River Country their home—including loggers; conservationists; mill workers; campers; even Ernest Hemingway, who said he loved the forest “better than anything in the world.” There are also comprehensive discussions of the area’s flora and fauna, guides to the trails and camping sites, and a photo section showcasing the changing face of this hidden national treasure.



This updated edition explores why and how the outdoors moves and compels us. While it considers life beyond the boundaries of Pigeon River Country, it is steeped in the specifics of a place that lives mostly on its own, instead of human, terms.







Dale Clarke Franz lived in northern Michigan for 22 years. He has been a newspaper editor, bookstore manager, U.S. Navy officer, college instructor, and portrait photographer. He administered the Otsego County Planning and Zoning Department, which encompassed more than 500 square miles. More recently, he has been a writer for the Ann Arbor Observer. Visit his Web site at dalefranz.org.

295 pages, Hardcover

First published November 30, 2007

Reviews

[Drew]

An essential read for anyone interested in the realities of cooperative conservation, let alone anyone who's ever stepped foot into "the Pigeon." While informative as a reference on the ecology, history and management of the Pigeon River Country, what sets it apart is the quality of the writing in the chapters where narrative is appropriate (some chapters are interview transcripts, guest contributors, etc.). The chapter on the dam at Song of the Morning Ranch is especially luminous as the dam failed again in 2008 (the year after the revised edition was published) and released sediment into the Pigeon River, prompting a lawsuit to initiate its removal. I'm going backpacking in the Pigeon next week and will take this book with me to read fireside about those who came before me. Anyone who assumes that all it takes for a natural area is to simply leave it alone will be inspired by the dedication of people like P.S. Lovejoy to take a cut-over patchwork of private and public land and preserve it as "The Last Good Country."