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Hedge's Wigwam was an iconic restaurant in Pleasant Ridge, Michigan. It opened in 1927 at 24632 Woodward with Native American decor. It served the area for 40 years until it closed in 1967. In 1971 it reopened as The Trading Post but burned down in 1972.

History

According to an article in the Ferndale HIstorical newsletter by Roger Schmidt, "Roy Hedge was the original owner and operator. He started with an orange juice stand at Ten Mile and Main Street in 1920. Business was good along the Woodward corridor and he soon expanded his operation to include barbecue items. On a trip to Mackinaw City he got the idea for a restaurant with an Indian theme when he visited one there.

The restaurant had a giant concrete teepee above the door, five concrete standing indians outside, and native American decorations throughout the interior. The interior included paintings, redwood tables, cedar chairs, lamps and a waterfall. For decades Woodward was the place to cruise and Hedge's was one of the places to stop in for a good meal at a good price. According to the newsletter, "Hedge died in 1955 and left the business to his long-time employees. At the time of his death, the restaurant was serving close to 2,000 meals a day."

With the controversial building of I-696 in the 1960's, the building was likely to be torn down. Although the construction of the expressway was stalled, Hedge's Wigwam closed in 1967. The concrete indians were sold in an auction supposedly for $25 to $75 each. One currently stands at the Paint creek Cider Mill in Oakland Township. In 2015 another original indian statue is under discussion to possibly be given to the Pleasant Ridge Historical Commission.

In 1971 Jack Christenson Jr. planned to open a boutique shop. On April 15, 1971 the Trading Post was opened. There were many concerns by the city and Christenson received tickets for safety violations, noise and crowd issues. On March 22, 1972, the building burned to the ground. Arson was suspected but no one was prosecuted.

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