Hemingway and Michigan

During his years here, Hemingway would venture from his family's Walloon Lake cottage and fish the region's lakes and streams, meet fellow summer people and those who lived here year round.  He would store up these Michigan impressions and while living in Paris in the 1920s, he began writing a series of short stories featuring a young man named Nick Adams.  Nick, like Ernest, spent considerable time in northern Michigan and the stories are filled with delightful descriptions of the places and people Hemingway knew (and created).

During World War I, Hemingway was severely injured and during the summer and fall of 1919 he healed physically and emotionally in this region.  In fact, between October and December he lived in Petoskey becoming friends with locals and attempting to write fiction for publication.  His first published novel, The Torrents of Spring, was set in Petoskey and includes a number of references inspired by his time living here.

The Little Traverse History Museum is pleased and proud to be the northern Michigan center for Hemingway tours and information.  Our permanent display tells Hemingway's Michigan story and has original artifacts including signed books and photographs.