Lunchtime Learners, A Conversation with Nels Michelson, Friday, June 27th, 11:45am – 1:00pm, Senior Services Building, 4700 Dublin Ave, Midland.
Nels Michelson was a remarkable man who rose to prominence from humble beginnings. He came to the United States as a penniless immigrant from Denmark int he 1860s, settling in Manistee, Michigan, where with fellow Danes Rasmus Hanson and Ernest Salling, he became one of the leading lumberman in Michigan by the start of the 20th Century. From their headquarters in Grayling, businesses such as Salling, Hanson and Company and the Michelson, Hanson Lumber Company, these men cut the last of the great pine forests in the Lower Peninsula. Michelson’s post lumber ventures included the development of the city of Ferndale, just north of Detroit. The legacy of Nels Michelson includes the donation of one of Michigan’s premier state parks by his daughter Karen Michelson Hartwick as a memorial to her husband Edward Hartwick. Rob Burg portrays Nels Michelson in this program and will appear in period costume and use props to discuss the life and career of one of Michigan’s great lumber barons.
For Lunchtime Learners programs, aim to arrive by 11:30am in Trailside and after your table is called, take your lunch into room 160. The talk will begin close to 11:45am as possible and end by 1:00pm. Space is limited in the room, so please call ahead to reserve your spot and register for lunch at 633-3700. Lunches are by donation to those over 60 or $5 for those under 60.
