Reading Port Oneida

From the Glen Arbor Sun:

Tom Van Zoeren has published a new booklet about the Port Oneida Rural Historic District in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore north of Glen Arbor, titled The Thoreson Farm and Its Neighbors, which, Tom says “is based mainly on oral history recordings with Leonard Thoreson, and on his photo collection.”

The book starts with Leonard’s ancestors and the beginnings of the farm, continues through his boyhood there, the eventual sale of the farm, and its inclusion in the National Lakeshore (which is part of the National Park Service).

Thoreson Farm includes a few pages about the neighboring Fred & Ellen Miller Farm, the Watkins Cottage, and the Brunson Farm, and includes maps of all farmsteads based on aerial photos. The book also includes an audio CD with excerpts from Leonard’s interviews, so you can hear him tell stories with your own ears.

The Thoreson Farm and Its Neighbors costs $18 and is available at the Glen Lake and Traverse City Libraries, Laker Shakes, The Cottage Bookshop, Horizon Books in Traverse City or online at VZOralHistory.com. For more information, call Tom Van Zoeren at (231) 334-4608.