Tahquamenon Falls & River

The Tahquamenon River, featuring the colorful and famous Upper Tahquamenon Falls, is one of the most important geographical and geological features of the area. It has long been a favorite subject of postcards. Before the highway was built, the only way to get to the Falls was by a day-long trip by boat.

This postcard was mailed in 1913.

This postcard is unmailed and undated, but it is likely from the early 1920s.

This colored postcard was mailed in 1908. These days, the spelling of the river has pretty much been settled as being Tahquamenon. In the early days, other variants existed, including Taquamenon, and Tahquamenaw. The producer of this postcard evidently liked Tahquiamenon, but the sender disagreed, striking out the offending “i.”

Here is another view of the same bridge, plus four men in the Ruth, a boat owned by William G. Fretz. A favorite pastime of early residents was taking a boat upriver to the Falls for overnight camping trips.

In the late 1920s, Captain Joe Beach opened a excursion business which took tourists up to see the Falls on day trips, moving them first by narrow-gauge railroad, then by boat upriver. Later dubbed “The Toonerville Trolley,” it is still in business today. This postcard probably dates from the 1930s, and shows Captain Joe’s first boat, the Betty B, named for his daughter.