Welcome Home, {{first_name|default:Michigander}}!
Final Call: Pre-orders for Debut Issue #001 close this Saturday, October 31st at 11:59 PM ET. After that, the Pere Marquette 1225 replica heads into the vault.
If you’ve been on the fence, this is your last opportunity to lock in the 26% launch discount and start your Michigan History Mail Club membership with Issue #001. Once the clock strikes midnight, memberships start at Issue #002.
MI Moments 🎬
🚂 Pere Marquette 1225 & MI History Mail Club
The iconic train in The Polar Express has a real-life Michigan connection—it was modeled after the Pere Marquette 1225.
While you’ve seen it on the big screen, hardly anyone has ever seen PM 1225’s original 1941 cost ledger until today!
I spent over 100 hours restoring this 1941 ledger line-by-line and researching its history. Together with the Steam Railroading Institute, I crafted a companion Story Card that uncovers the history you didn't see on screen—like how MSU college students saved this 400-ton beast from being turned to scrap!
This is Debut Issue #001 of the Michigan History Mail Club (photo below). Pre-orders close October 31st at the $11.10 launch rate, and then Issue #001 heads into the vault.
Reserve your issue before 10/31 at welcomehomehistory.com
Bonus History: As a young boy in the late 1950s, Grand Rapids native Chris Van Allsburg attended MSU football games and climbed on the Pere Marquette 1225 on display near Spartan Stadium.
Decades later, that memory helped inspire his 1985 book The Polar Express, leading filmmakers to use PM 1225's original 1941 blueprints, 3D laser scans, and recorded sounds for the 2004 screen adaptation, cementing the locomotive's place in holiday history.
MI Photo 📸
Debut Issue #001 of the Michigan History Mail Club
A sneak peek at the Michigan Story Card, PM 1225 Cost-Estimate Replica, Michigan History Passport, and 3 collectible 4×6 photo prints included in Month 1
MI Spotlight 🔎
Inside the Archives: Not a Newsletter, But Real History You Can Hold
A reader recently asked me what makes the physical Mail Club different from the digital stories I share here.
Here’s the honest answer: Over the past year, I’ve loved sharing free Michigan history with you both on my socials and here in the digest. But screens only let you observe the past. The Michigan History Mail Club was built to let you hold it.
The research, time, and money required to produce a single month of the Michigan History Mail Club is more than 50X that of a newsletter issue. The depth of this offering is truly unique when compared to Michigan History Digest or my videos.
It’s a Tangible, Restored Artifact: Instead of reading about an event on a screen or in a magazine, members receive a faithfully restored replica of an authentic historical primary-source document. For my debut, that’s the original 1941 manufacturing cost estimate for the Pere Marquette 1225 steam locomotive.
Custom Michigan Materials: I personally travel to French Paper Co. in Niles to source their premium paper and envelopes, selecting specific stocks that match the weight, texture, and character of each era's document. Most of the paper I select is 100% recycled and truly one-of-a-kind. I then edit out the aged background of the original document so the Michigan-milled paper itself serves as the authentic backdrop for the replica.
Deep Research & Direct Access: Every monthly issue is built around 50 to 100+ hours of dedicated archival research, image restoration, and working directly with local institutions—like my official collaboration with the Steam Railroading Institute in Owosso to access their private archives and firsthand accounts.
The Complete Experience: Alongside the restored document, members get a companion Michigan Story Card, an authentic collectible (this month it’s 3 photo prints), and a custom passport cancellation stamp to log their journey.
To put the value into perspective: If an individual wanted to track down that 1941 locomotive estimate, establish a relationship with the institute, secure permissions, spend countless hours restoring and prepping the files, research and write a compelling and accurate story, and pay the hundreds of dollars in commercial press setup fees required to print just a single copy on authentic Michigan paper, it would cost a small fortune and take 100+ hours of work.
The entire purpose of the Michigan History Mail Club is to take on all of that legwork, research, and production cost so Michigan history lovers like you can hold a tangible piece of our state's past in your hands every month for a fraction of the cost and simply enjoy it.
👉🏼 Reserve your PM 1225 Debut Issue before Oct. 31st: Michigan History Mail Club
MI Community Feedback 🤔
Which of these best describes where you're at with the Michigan History Mail Club?
Until next week, thank you for reading Michigan History Digest.
— Zac, Founder of Welcome Home History
P.S. You can leave me any feedback you may have after selecting an option or by replying to this email. Thank you for helping a solo creator and small business owner!
