Even if you’ve always lived in Michigan, you may not realize that Grand River Avenue is the Route 66 of Michigan. It starts at the Detroit Athletic Club and winds westward through Lansing and Grand Rapids, ending up in Muskegon and taking on several other names along the way.

Originally a Native American trail, Grand River Avenue has been a westbound route from the Straits of Detroit to the eastern shores of Lake Michigan for more than a thousand years. Over time, it has served as a stagecoach route, a plank road, and ultimately, one of America’s first two-lane highways. Let co-authors Jon Milan and Gail Offen, “Grand River Avenue: From Detroit to Lake Michigan” (Arcadia Press, 2014), take you on a visual tour along one of Michigan’s true “Blue Highways,” sharing an hour of important stops, interesting people, architectural finds and the lively history of this amazing treasure. They’ll even solve a few mysteries, like how Redford got its name, whether one of its most famous cross streets is pronounced “Lasher’ or “Lahser” and how the town of Novi got its name (careful - it’s not what you think!)

Gail Offen is an adjunct professor of advertising at Lawrence Technological University, and an award-winning creative director, writer and branding specialist. She’s a frequent lecturer on Michigan-related subjects and co-author of several books: Grand River Avenue: From Detroit to Lake Michigan, Arcadia, 2014; Iconic Restaurants of Ann Arbor, Arcadia, 2016 and Michigan Haunts: Public Places and Eerie Spaces, Arcadia, 2019.

Jon Milan is a Detroit-based freelance author, pianist and music historian. He frequently lectures and performs on Michigan-related subjects and has written five books, three co-authored with Gail Offen, as well as “Detroit: Ragtime and the Jazz Age,” Arcadia, 2009; and“Old Chicago Road.” Arcadia, 2011. He has written for many Michigan-based periodicals and spent his professional career as a corporate communications manager.