The Man in Bearskin

A fascinating story about Dutch Settlers in Western Michigan of the Van Raalte colony of 1847 In the middle of the 19th century a band of Dutch immigrants, under the leadership of the Reverend A. C. Van Raalte, came to Michigan to establish their homes in a place now called Holland. Among these early pioneers were Gerrit Kolf, his wife, and four children. Food was scarce those first few months, but the Kolf family were often supplied meat or corn meal by a mysterious, solitary individual who wore a bearskin cloak and who refused conversation with anyone.

To read this book is to gain an appreciation of the unconsciously heroic attitude of these people in their new and difficult life. The wildness of the country, the meagreness of their resources, and the lack of medical care make it at first a sheer struggle for survival.