Plank Roads in 1850 Talk

Prepare yourself for a bone-shaking stagecoach ride down the “old plank road” in West Michigan in 1855. Marty Arnold, your guide, will show both historic and present-day photos and explain what led to a “plank road craze” in Michigan and why the Kalamazoo road was such a boon to the little villages along its 48 mile route. Travelers will learn the evolution of Michigan road building, plank road “etiquette,” how a brisk gypsum trade contributed to its demise and why elephants used the road.