Vintage Upper Peninsula Postcards

A couple weekends ago, my friend Sara and I, fellow nostalgia addicts and antique aficionados, spent hours at Lambs’ Gate, an antique store in Old Town, Lansing. We spent more than an hour hunched over a large crate propped up to waist-level that was full of old postcards. We marveled over the dates and handwriting and content on them and read the most interesting/funny/illegible ones out loud to each other. The postcards were conveniently sorted by region, with Michigan having its own section. Naturally, that was where I concentrated my search efforts.

Prayer of the Woods

Prayer of the woods

Along the trail towards the Upper Falls at Tahquamenon Falls State Park is the above sign, the “Prayer Of The Woods.” The prayer has been used in Portuguese forest reservations for more than 1,000 years and can be found at state parks, national forests, and national parks across Michigan, the United States, and the world. Another sign when you enter the park reads, “Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints.” It’s something valuable to remember the next time you find yourself sauntering through the woods.