Synopsis "The Lost City of Fruitvale Michigan: Volume 2"
2011 marks the 100th anniversary of "The City of Fruitvale," located in Muskegon and Oceana Counties in Michigan. Now, twenty-two years after the release of the local best seller, "The Lost City of Fruitvale Michigan," volume 2 is available. Starting out as a "Free" lot offer in Chicago, it soon grew to include a resort, chicken and cherry farm sites, a chain of grocery stores, the "Co-operative Commonwealth" monthly magazine, insurance, banking and investment offers from Iowa to New York State. With new material not found in volume 1, this book contains nearly 240 pages of history, with over 100 full color maps. In addition, this volume covers more history beyond the boarders of the "Michigan Estate" and how Harrison Parker's Co-operative Commonwealth touched the lives of thousands, including such noted men as William Jennings Bryan while bringing in millions of dollars before being caught up in lengthy court battles and finally collapsing in bankruptcy and jail time. Also included is the little known history of a young writer by the name of Ernest Hemingway and the work that he did while as associate editor for the Co-operative Commonwealth magazine.In addition and for the first time, a brief history of Bertram C. Mayo and the Lakewood plats are included, along with the maps that were widely compared to at the time of the Fruitvale plats.
