During the 1930s in the United States, the Works Progress Administration developed the Federal Writers’ Project to support writers and artists while making a national effort to document the country’s shared history and culture. The American Guide series consists of individual guides to each of the states. Little-known authors—many of whom would later become celebrated literary figures—were commissioned to write these important books. John Steinbeck, Saul Bellow, Zora Neale Hurston, and Ralph Ellison are among the more than 6,000 writers, editors, historians, and researchers who documented this celebration of local histories. Photographs, drawings, driving tours, detailed descriptions of towns, and rich cultural details exhibit each state’s unique flavor.

Published in 1941, the WPA Guide to Michigan documents the rich history and economies of the Great Lake State. From the Upper Peninsula to the Lower, and the Straits of Mackinac between, the guide features many photographs of the distinctive geography as well as essays about marine lore, architecture, and—in the essay on Detroit—the nation’s burgeoning auto industry.