Michigan established St. Joseph County in 1829. It was a fertile land with an abundance of fresh water supplied by the St. Joseph River. The county's colorful past is the result of forgotten locals and visitors. Hezekiah Thomas fished for diamonds in Corey Lake. Saloon smasher Carrie Nation sold miniature hatchets at the county fairgrounds. The United States Congress recognizes the village of Colon as the Magic Capital of the World, and Lakeside Cemetery is the final resting place of more magicians than any other cemetery on the globe. Author and historian Kelly Pucci digs into the entertaining and often overlooked history of St. Joseph County.
Kelly Pucci is a board member of the St. Joseph County Historical Society and a contributor to the Sturgis Journal. She specializes in subjects such as beekeeping, true crime and coming of age ceremonies in the South Pacific. This is Kelly's second book; Camp Douglas: Chicago's Civil War Prison (Arcadia Publishing), published in 2007, is her first publication. She currently lives in Colon, Michigan, the Magic Capital of the World.