This pamphlet brings together a series of letters originally published in theChicago Price Current under the pseudonym Massabesic. They chronicle the writer's travels through Michigan's towns and cities by the Michigan Central Railroad as well as by water transportation and coach. Schooley emphasizes the growth and financial development of these burgeoning communities in the late 1860s. He discusses each town's local attractions, newspapers, educational and religious facilities, fiscal health, sources of wealth, retailing and distribution of goods, and agricultural and industrial production; however, he does not always provide the same amount of information for every community. Schooley also includes "An Essay on the Credit System," which analyzes the pitfalls of extending credit and buying "on time,"and an essay on the "Commercial Independence of the Northwest," which encourages the manufacture and distribution of the Upper Midwest's finished products through Chicago