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LOCAL HISTORY BOOKS MAKE
GREAT GIFTS

Perfect for birthdays, graduations, Christmas, Mother's Days, Father's Days, and so much more... All books are $15.99 plus shipping.

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Ride the Jack Rabbit

I grew up here. Lived my whole life here. I've ridden my bike to every corner of this place. Shoot, I even wrote a book about it. And there were still so many fascinating things that I didn't know. So I wrote another book. In RIDE THE JACK RABBIT, you're going to come with me to explore more of the people, places, and events that have made my hometown just about the most interesting place I've ever discovered, including:

  • The spectacular history of Playland Park, the South Bend amusement park that featured a roller coaster, dance hall, baseball stadium, racetrack, and music pavilion.

  • The life of Edward Bonney, founder of Bonneyville, Indiana turned notorious counterfeiter, turned personal bodyguard to Joseph Smith, turned bounty hunter, turned true crime biographer. 

  • The early-morning bombings in downtown South Bend in 1935 that set off a soap opera of media speculation, secretive investigations, and court room drama.

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An Incomplete History of St. Joseph County, Indiana

​Did you know that the founder of New Carlisle is credited with introducing ice cream to Japan? Or that a famous slave trial in South Bend would reverberate through the country and lead to the start of the Civil War? Did you know that Mishawaka was once the Peppermint Capital of the World? Did you know that Indiana and Michigan almost went to war over the narrow strip of land that contains most of St. Joseph County?

 

AN INCOMPLETE HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY tells these stories and more. Throughout the tales of twelve epic bike rides spanning more than 500 miles, you’ll discover the history of the towns, cities, rivers, industries, and commerce that have made St. Joseph County what it is today. If you’ve ever wondered what an episode of Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown would look like if it was instead a book about the history of the place called St. Joseph County, wonder no more.

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