May 8, 2006

A drive along Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline takes you through some of the richest farmland on the planet. This narrow swath of real estate hugging the coastline, dubbed “Michigan’s Fruit Belt,” has proved capable of producing eye-popping quantities of peaches, apples, cherries, grapes, blueberries and strawberries.

In its May/June 2006 issue, Michigan History magazine explores for the first time why some of the world’s best fruit comes from southwest Michigan. In the magazine’s annual special-theme issue, you will learn about the man who “invented” the world’s most popular peach, how the communities of southwest Michigan “bless the blossoms” each spring (something they have done for 100 years) and the challenges facing the Fruit Belt. You also will be introduced to a Depression-era photographer who chronicled Michigan experiences like those portrayed in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath and a world-renowned chef who swears by Michigan fruit.

For more information or to order a subscription to Michigan History, call (800) 366-3703 or visit www.michiganhistorymagazine.com. To receive this issue as part of a paid subscription, orders must be placed by June 20, 2006. Individual copies can be purchased at Barnes & Noble, B. Dalton and Borders bookstores throughout the state.

Michigan History is published by the Michigan Historical Center, an agency of the Department of History, Arts and Libraries. Dedicated to enriching quality of life and strengthening the economy by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan heritage, and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.