Date of Award
8-1999
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Anthropology
First Advisor
Dr. Allen Zagarell
Second Advisor
Dr. Arthur Helweg
Third Advisor
Dr. Charles Cleland
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Open Access
Abstract
During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries many communities adapted themselves to the leisure industry with the growth of a middle class that had time for leisure activities within the United States. One impetus for this change suggested for the period is a lack of manufacturing and extractive activities (Brown 1995).
This thesis tests this scenario on one community of the period, Saugatuck, Michigan, by examining the employment and business structures of the town while also examining land use. This was accomplished through the use of both primary and secondary documents.
Data gathered and placed within its historical context does not support in this case a lack of manufacturing and extractive activities as a driving force in the adoption of the resort industry. Information gathered in this study suggests that transportation features and the general aesthetics of the local physical landscape were a more important role in the development of Saugatuck into a resort community.
Recommended Citation
Kelley, Kyran V., "Saugatuck's Shining Shore: The Transition of a Michigan Community into a Resort Town, 1870-1930" (1999). Masters Theses. 3941.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3941