towns across Michigan,” 
Krasnick explains. “
A lot of them 
were taken in the 1870s to the 
1930s. I thought it would be cool 
to do the same.”
By next year, Krasnick hopes 
to complete his travels of the 
Upper Peninsula. Then, he plans 
to swim in all five Great Lakes 
in one summer. He also wants to 
visit all Michigan islands that are 
publicly owned.
In his collection of 38,000 
photos that document a vast 
array of people, places and 
things across the state, Krasnick 
has a specific process that he 
adheres to. The very first pic-
ture he takes in a new town is 
through the window of his truck. 
This is to both create a marker, 
so he knows where that batch of 
photos begin and to give a nod 
to his signature style of photog-
raphy.

DOCUMENTING 
THE JOURNEY
Krasnick shares his travels 
and photographs on his 
Facebook page, Scott’s Michigan 
Adventures on Facebook 
(facebook.com/Scotts-Michigan 
adventures-2332696790353129/). 
He believes he has one of the 
largest collections of old post 
office photographs in the state, 
if not the largest. Yet it’s not just 
architecture that Krasnick pho-
tographs. He also enjoys docu-
menting roadside attractions and 
community cultural events, like 
small car shows.
So far, Krasnick’s trusty 
21-year-old truck, which has 
taken him all across Michigan 
and back countless times, has 
clocked more than 300,000 
miles. After he finishes visit-
ing every town in the Upper 
Peninsula, he plans to retire it so 
he can say it’s been everywhere 
in the state.
“You have to remember that 
you have to drive up, then 
you’re only there for three days,” 
Krasnick laughs. “Then you have 
to drive all the way back down 

and back up again the following 
weekend.”
Krasnick’s favorite towns in 
Michigan include Three Rivers, 
Albion and Allegan. “In Three 
Rivers, I like that the original 
downtown is almost 100% 
intact,” he explains. “They 
have a beautiful movie theater 
called the Riviera.” In fact, one 
of Krasnick’s winter projects 
includes visiting old movie the-
aters across the state to catch 
movies and other showings.
In the immediate area, 
Krasnick recommends a 
visit to Cook’s Dairy Farm in 
Brandon Township, not far from 
Tamarack Camps, for farm-fresh 

ice cream. He also suggests tak-
ing a short road trip to check out 
the amusement park Dinosaur 
Gardens in Ossineke, which is in 
Alpena County. “That’s the ulti-
mate hidden gem in Michigan, 
as far as I’m concerned,” 
Krasnick says.
Once Krasnick wraps up his 
Great Lakes, islands and movie 
theater projects, he plans to 
continue traveling locally, even 
if he’s seen it all. “There’s always 
things to do in Michigan,” he 
says. “When I’m traveling, I just 
fly by the seat of my pants.” 

SEPTEMBER 23 • 2021 | 27

“THERE’S ALWAYS THINGS TO DO IN MICHIGAN. WHEN 

I’M TRAVELING, I JUST FLY BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS.”

— SCOTT KRASNICK

Dinosaur Gardens in Ossineke
A sculpture in Onaway

Inside the Octagon barn in Gagetown

Scott Krasnick on the 
roof of the old Packard 
Plant in Detroit

