Michigan I-O

In the 19th century, while the lumber and mining trades prospered in Michigan, so did the folk tradition. That’s owed mainly to the workers themselves, who, after a hard winter spent felling trees, or a dangerous voyage in a freighter filled with far too much iron ore, turned that pain and adventure into music. These very songs — and many songs like them — were sung throughout the Great Lakes region for decades, yet, in spite of their popularity,...