Settlement of the Lowell area centered on the confluence of the Grand and Flat Rivers. Joseph and Magdaleine LaFramboise first established a fur trading post near the Ottawa village, Segwun, where the rivers meet. The community grew as settlers poured into the area attracted by the growing lumber industry and rich farmland. Diverse businesses emerged including a cutter factory, a vibrant clamming industry, and the state s oldest family-run flour mill. A unique feature of the area is Fallasburg Historic Village. Once an active mill town on the Flat River, Fallasburg slid into obscurity when the railroad passed it by. At the height of the Great Depression, businessmen of Lowell joined together to build a showboat to draw visitors to town. The Lowell Showboat is now one of the most recognizable attractions in Lowell. This book explores both well known and more obscure aspects of Lowell s history through a wealth of images, many never published before."