Chamber’s Whistlestop Gifts carrying Sister Lakes postcard book

Published 1:49 am Tuesday, July 3, 2007

By Staff
The newly-released Arcadia book on Sister Lakes by R.L. Rasmussen, featuring postcards from the personal collection of Floyd Jerdon, of Jerdon Real Estate, is now available for sale to the public at Whistlestop Gifts, which is operated by the Greater Dowagiac Chamber of Commerce.
Vickie Phillipson, program director for the Chamber of Commerce and the Dowagiac Downtown Development Authority, said the Chamber on Monday received its first shipment of the new title, produced by Arcadia Publishing, which is the leading local history publisher in the United States, with a catalog of more than 4,000 titles in print and hundreds of new titles released every year.
She said the same company published the popular Dowagiac book, written by Steven Arseneau, director of the Museum at Southwestern Michigan College, and his former colleague, Ann Thompson.
Phillipson said the Dowagiac book, which has been a top seller for the Chamber of Commerce, is currently out of stock both at her office and at Arcadia.
Established in 1993, Arcadia Publishing has blended a visionary management approach with the innovative application of state-of-the-art technology to create high-quality historical publications in small local niches.
Arcadia is best known for its popular Images of America series, which chronicles the history of communities from Dowagiac, Mich., to Manhattan Beach, Calif. With more than 200 vintage black-and-white photographs, each title celebrates a town or region, bringing to life the people, places and events that define the community.
The newly-written postcard history series describes the popularity of Dowagiac's neighboring Sister Lakes, as generations of vacationers have made their annual journey to this region of southwestern Michigan for more than 125 years.
Their experiences and photographs represent a cultural snapshot of a summer spent at a group of Midwest lakes.
The postcards, selected from a collection of more than 1,000, capture the life and times of 80 years of this favorite Michigan destination.
Rasmussen has written three books about Paw Paw Lake, Little Paw Paw Lake and Deer Forest.
This has grown into a business of selling historical books about southwest Michigan.
Rasmussen operates the Southwest Michigan Store at the Great Lakes Antique Mall in Coloma, which is located off I-94.
He said the postcards in this book are primarily from the personal collection of Floyd Jerdon.
He and his son, Tom, own Jerdon Real Estate in Dowagiac.
Whistlestop Gifts, which is operated by the Chamber of Commerce, specializes in novelty Dowagiac apparel, mementoes and modern-day postcards that capture the beauty of The Grand Old City and commemorate its rich history.
Merchandise featured for sale by the tiny boutique serve as an on-going fundraiser for the non-profit organization.
Phillipson said the Sister Lakes book retails for $19.99.
The Chamber of Commerce is located within the historic Dowagiac train depot at 200 Depot Drive.