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