The book, Michigan Ghost Towns Of The Lower Peninsula (formerly Michigan Ghost Towns I & II, identifies many of the cross-roads and small towns that became "ghost towns" in the wake of the decline in the timber industry in the late 19th century.  Many of these settlements and villages sprang up in a matter of days between the 1860s and 1900 and then disappeared as suddenly as they appeared once the local timber had been harvested.  The author points out that since most of the lower pininsula's road system was built after the early 1920s, few "ghost towns" are any where close to the beaten path of today.  Since the major form of transportation in the late 19th century was via ship or train, most of these long lost settlements are difficult to locate taday.  As a side note, this book has a companion publication that takes a look at the "ghost towns" of Michigan's Upper Pininsula.  Included in this book are 39 chapters split between Volume 1 (19 chapters) and Volume 2 (20 chapters)  that give the reader first a background on the early settlements, the growth and decline of populations and then a county by county review of the location of many of these "ghost towns" in Michigan. This well documented and written book is highly recommended to both the historian and to anyone trying to identify interesting areas to look for buried treasure using their metal detectors.  This book is 192 pages and is in like new condition.  The author is R. L. Dodge.  Edition published in 1970 and 1971.