Author Distills Upper Peninsula History, Prohibition Era

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DETROIT (AP) - A retired Northern Michigan University professor has compressed nearly a half-century of research into a book about Upper Peninsula history - and another distills tales of prohibition along the state's northern border with Canada.

Russell Magnaghi says his "Upper Peninsula of Michigan: A History" explores Native American experiences, colonial-era fur trading and U.S. wars.

The other new book is "Prohibition in the Upper Peninsula: Booze and Bootleggers on the Border." The book examines bootlegging and rum-running on the Great Lakes during prohibition imposed from 1918 to 1933 and the tensions that led up to it.

Magnaghi came to the Marquette school in 1969 and taught history until retiring in 2014. He says "every aspect of American history is highlighted in the Upper Peninsula."