GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Nearly 36 years ago, Dick Evans got a look inside the Gibson Guitar factory in Kalamazoo.

In this May 23, 1984, “On The Michigan Road” report,  Evans toured the factory founded in Kalamazoo by Orville Gibson in 1902. At the time of this report, the factory had 43 employees, down from more than 1,000 in 1967.

Later in 1984, the company closed that factory and shifted all its operations to Nashville, Tennessee. In 1985, former Gibson employees started Heritage Guitar, which still operates in the same building on Parsons Street.

==Watch the vintage report above.==

Between 1971 and 1991, Dick Evans filed his popular “On The Michigan Road” reports from all over the state. They featured everything from county fairs to people with offbeat hobbies and collections to some of Michigan’s most iconic locations. He died in October 1991 at the age of 66 after more than 40 years in broadcasting.

You can find more throwback reports in the “On The Michigan Road” section here on woodtv.com.