'Mile by Mile on I-75' offers up fascinating facts about Michigan

Former Houghton Lake resident Leslie Mertz has written a book about driving along the I-75 corridor, "Driving Michigan: Mile by Mile on I-75."

Published May 28, 2008, by Arbutus Press, Traverse City, the 320-plus page book challenges travelers on the I-75 freeway to engage their curiosity as the scenery goes by.

Mertz presents thousands of interesting facts about the various exits and mile markers along the entire length of the interstate highway from Monroe and the Ohio border to Sault Ste. Marie at the Canadian border. The guide includes "brain busters" to quiz passengers about topics related to Michigan and can transform a mind-numbing trip into an engaging journey, making the miles fly by.

Mertz is a lifelong Michigan resident who has lived in seven different counties in the state (including the Upper Peninsula), and currently resides in Northwestern Michigan. She is a freelance writer who has written seven books, co-authored an eighth, and written widely for magazines and other publications. In addition, she holds a Ph.D. in biology, and teaches field biology classes at Wayne State University and Eastern Michigan University.

The idea for the book came to Mertz about 10 years ago when she lived in southeastern Michigan, and her husband, Steve Zaglaniczny, and she were heading along I-75 on one of their many trips up north.

As they passed Sashabaw Road in Clarkston, in Northern Oakland County, she recalled how her dad would always point out the name and pronounce it with a little lilt so it sounded lyrical. She began to wonder where the name Sashabaw came from. Then they started passing other roads or towns with names that she assumed had some significance, so she started jotting them down.

"When I got home, I looked up Sashabaw and some of the other towns and roads," she said, "and they had such wonderful stories, that I was hooked."

Turns out, Sashabaw Road is named for an American Indian chief who lived in that area of Oakland County in the early 1800s, and formed a friendship with the first white settlers to the area, one of which was a major from Detroit named Oliver Williams. The chief was buried on the edge of Silver Lake not far from the home of his friends.

"Driving Michigan: Mile by Mile on I-75" is filled with such facts and tidbits, including some information about Houghton Lake and Roscommon. It is a guide to the state that uses a drive on I-75 as the thread that ties it all together.

It covers hundreds of different points along I-75, town by town, and even mile marker by mile marker in many cases. It's loaded with interesting and sometimes bizarre facts about the state of Michigan and the people who live here now or have lived here in the past. It describes the landscape, the buildings, the plants and animals you see along the way and helps drivers imagine life in Michigan at different points in history.

Mertz said she learned a lot about the state while writing the book.

"Which is what made it so much fun to write," she said.

The Driving Michigan book also mentions modern-day legends like the reported sightings of Bigfoot near Mio, or weird phenomena, like the mystery hill near Rose City where cars seem to roll uphill. Both of those are mentioned at Exit 202.

The book is arranged just like I- 75 with the same exit and mile marker numbers you see as you drive along the expressway, with the smallest number at the Ohio border and the highest number at the Canadian border. Just look up the exit or mile marker number your nearest to and start reading! If you're heading north, you can read the entries from front to back, or if you're heading south, you can read the entries from back to front.

From native animals to lumberjacks to politicians, "Driving Michigan: Mile by Mile on I-75" is chock full of information. Mertz also included a complete index and a comprehensive bibliography, which may be especially helpful for teachers or students who are doing reports for school.

"I really did have a wonderful time writing it," Mertz said, "so I just hope everyone has as much fun reading it."

The book may be found at online bookseller sites, as well as many Michigan bookstores for $17.95.