Two new Michigan Hemingway tour sites to be dedicated in June

A view of the Pigeon River is seen.
A view of the Pigeon River is seen.
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PETOSKEY — The Michigan Hemingway Society will be dedicating two new sites on its Michigan Hemingway Tour next month with the presentation of bronze plaques.

Ceremonies will take place at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8 at the Pigeon River Discovery Center in Vanderbilt and at 6 p.m. on Friday, June 16 in downtown Walloon Lake’s Circle Park, near the bronze sculpture of Hemingway that was installed in 2021.

Attendees at the 2023 Writer’s Retreat in Walloon Lake, including the the grandson of Ernest Hemingway, author John Patrick Hemingway, take a photo with the Hemingway statue in downtown Walloon Lake.
Attendees at the 2023 Writer’s Retreat in Walloon Lake, including the the grandson of Ernest Hemingway, author John Patrick Hemingway, take a photo with the Hemingway statue in downtown Walloon Lake.

Following the Pigeon River ceremony, society president Chris Struble will present “Hemingway’s Last Good Country: The Pigeon River Country” at the discovery center from 6-7:30 p.m. The program, targeted toward adult learners, is free and open to the public. Donations will be accepted.

These two commemorative signs are among 15 officially designated sites in Northern Michigan, including several in Petoskey and Horton Bay, with one also in Kalkaska.

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An image of Ernest Hemingway (left) with friends while camping at the Pine Barrens.
An image of Ernest Hemingway (left) with friends while camping at the Pine Barrens.

The new signs are inscribed with the following historical text:

  • Pigeon River Country – Eager to continue healing his physical and emotional wounds from World War I, Ernest Hemingway gathered friends to join him in several camping and fishing trips in the Pigeon River Country, which he called “the Pine Barrens.” The Black River was Ernest’s favorite, but he and his friends also roamed and fished the Pigeon River and the Sturgeon River. When Hemingway left Michigan in 1921, he carried the Pigeon River Country in his memory and its impact on his writing, especially the collection of The Nicks Adams stories.

  • Walloon Lake – Throughout Ernest Hemingway’s life, Walloon Lake remained a passionate memory. Six weeks old when first brought to the lake in 1899, Hemingway spent twenty-three summers visiting the family’s Windemere cottage. His experiences hunting, fishing, and exploring the woods inspired several of his acclaimed Nick Adams stories; these capture young Nick’s life, including contacts with local Indians. On September 3, 1921, Hemingway and his bride, Hadley Richardson, stayed at Windemere. Their arrival is depicted in the story “Wedding Day.”

A teenage Ernest Hemingway in 1914 Northern Michigan.
A teenage Ernest Hemingway in 1914 Northern Michigan.

The Michigan Hemingway Society documents the acclaimed author's history in the Northern Michigan area. Hemingway was just three months old when he made his first trip from his hometown of Oak Park, Illinois to Walloon Lake, where his parents had purchased property along the North Shore. Hemingway spent time there every summer until 1921, the year he married Hadley Richardson in nearby Horton Bay. The family’s beloved Windemere cottage is still owned by descendants today.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Two new Michigan Hemingway tour sites to be dedicated in June