Summering at Idlewild, Michigan — the Black vacation circuit

CTL-E-1305 · Practice · other · 1912–1965

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

Black Chicago families driving to Idlewild, Michigan ("the Black Eden"), founded 1912, where Black families could own property and vacation free from humiliation; peak 1950s, up to 25,000 visitors per summer season, with nightclub performances by major Black entertainers.

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from LIFE-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-LIFE-001:CTL-LIFE-E-041; source research type(s): practice.

Sources

mynorth.com, "Northern Michigan History: Recalling the Dazzle of Idlewild"; fromcommonground.com
wrkr.com, "A Return to the Deserted Neighborhoods of Idlewild, Michigan"; fromcommonground.com
fromcommonground.com, "Michigan's 'Black Eden': A short history of Idlewild"
Atlas Obscura, "Idlewild"

Record CTL-E-1305 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 4 sources · CTL research: LIFE-001.
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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Summering at Idlewild, Michigan — the Black vacation circuit (CTL-E-1305),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1305/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Summering at Idlewild, Michigan — the Black vacation circuit (CTL-E-1305).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1305/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Summering at Idlewild, Michigan — the Black vacation circuit (CTL-E-1305) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1305/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Summering at Idlewild, Michigan — the Black vacation circuit (CTL-E-1305).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1305/

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Crowd outside of fashionable Negro church after Easter Sunday service, Black Belt, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Rosskam, Edwin, 1903-1985, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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