September 2018 - Lost In Michigan

A Barn Find of the Century

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Thumb, Train Depots .

An old train depot stands quietly in a park near the town of Kingston. I stopped to take a photo and that is when I read the sign telling its amazing story. The citizens were proud of their little depot, and were excited when it was completed in 1893. It put the little town on the map now that the train could stop and drop off supplies. Passengers could ride the train to the big city of Caro and beyond. Over time as cars and trucks replaced the need for trains, the little depot was dismantled and stored in a barn near Cass City. A century after it was built, it was discovered sitting in pieces in the barn in 1993. Citizens raised money and had the little depot reconstructed on this site in the park.

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The Michigan Ghost Town of Bell

Posted on September 29, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

A large stone chimney stands tall marking the spot where the little logging town of Bell once stood. The remains of the town can be found in the Besser Natural Area north of Alpena near Presque Isle. A mile-long hiking trail loops through the area. You can see the remnants of the town along the trail. Besides the chimney, there are a few walls of an old general store and a broken safe lying nearby.

The village grew around the Presque Isle Brick and Lumber Company. The post office opened in 1884 in what I assume was the general store that you find in pieces today. The post office closed in 1911. Eventually, the townspeople moved away and local concrete magnate Jesse Besser purchased the land. He donated it to the state, and it is now the Besser Natural Area open to the public. If you visit be sure to take some bug spray. when I hiked the trail in the spring the mosquitoes were so thick they could have carried me away.

A cemetery for the former village is nearby but I could not find it. if you know where it is please post in the comments, I would greatly appreciate it so I can find it on my next visit.

If you found this story interesting be sure to take a look at the Lost In Michigan books available Amazon HERE

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Horton Bay House

Posted on September 28, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse north of Horton Bay. I had to stop and take a pic of it. I wonder what its story is. Like a lot of places I see while roaming the backroads, I am left to wondering and will probably never know “the rest of the story” as Paul Harvey would say.

P.S. I take all my photos from a public road and do not trespass

Lost In Michigan calendars are on sale this weekend. you can order them HERE

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Michigan’s Mysterious Sunken Garden

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

One of my readers told me about a place hidden behind the Tyrone Memory Gardens Cemetery on White Lake Road Southwest of Fenton. Down in a small valley is the Tyrone Sunken Gardens containing rocks from all fifty states and arranged in a Stonehenge type configuration.

Some of the stones were quarried over 200 years ago and are proudly displayed protruding out of the tall grass.

The rock garden was built in 1930 by Charles Eugene Smith. On the back of the large stone that welcomes visitors he had carved:

After having traveled around the world four different times and visited parts of Europe, Asia, North America, South America, North and South Africa, Austraila and the islands of New Zealand Tasmania, St. Helena, Canary, Fiji, Ceylon, Iceland, Hawaii, Philippine, New Foundland, Faroe and many others and considering the famous rock gardens of Iceland and the sunken gardens of London, England, and Mexico City the most beautiful I contribute this memorial on my memory to this small garden.

I am sure Charles Eugene Smith wanted to inspire other explorers and wayward souls, I am not sure why he located his garden where he did but it is a joy to find. Many rocks have inspiring proverbs and sayings, some by Smith himself. You will have to visit this wonderful little spot to read them for yourself.

I have more info about the gardens in Volume3 of the Lost In Michigan books that are available on Amazon HERE

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The Lost In Michigan Calendar Winner Is….

Posted on September 26, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

Thank you to everyone who commented on my post as to what your favorite college is. I figured it would be mostly MSU and U 0f M, but you guys posted a plethora of different colleges from all around the state. A few people even posted my college, Delta where I went for 7 years. No, I am not a doctor, it took me that long to get my associate’s degree taking classes at night after work.

If you are wondering about the photo, it is of Holmdene Manor at Aquinas College. you can read about its interesting history in my Lost In Michigan book available HERE and now on Amazon HERE

Now to get to the winner, drum roll please, the winner chosen completely at random is Briana Henderson, please email me at mike@huronphoto.com with your address and I will send out your calendars.

If you missed out on this contest be sure to sign up for email updates so you won’t miss the next one.

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The Historic Ironton Ferry

Posted on September 24, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

There are a lot of ferries in Michigan, from the ones that take you to Mackinac Island to the Badger that sails across Lake Michigan to Wisconson. One of the oldest ferries in the Mitten State is in Ironton. Lake Charlevoix branches off in the small town, and that is where you can ride a small ferry to get across the lake, instead of driving all the way around the south branch of the lake.

The Ironton Ferry operates during the late spring, summer and early fall months across the South Arm of Lake Charlevoix. Generally, it is open from mid-April through mid-November. Operating hours are 6:30am to 10:30pm. It’s only $3 per car or 50 cents per pedestrian to ride one way across the Ironton Narrows on the ferry.

Ferry service has been operating at Ironton since 1883, and the current ferry has been operating since 1925, yes it’s almost a century old. It is operated and maintained by Charlevoix County. I have driven down a lot of roads in Michigan, but I have to say the ride on the historic ferry in my little yellow Jeep was a memorable experience. Next time you are in the Charlevoix area, be sure to take a ride on the ferry, and by the way, it’s a beautiful trip around the lake. With towns like Boyne City and Horton Bay where you can stop for some shopping and get a bite to eat.

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Win a set of Lost In Michigan Calendars

Posted on September 23, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

Thank you all so much for taking the time out of your busy day to read my posts. I wish I could send everyone a gift for your kindness but I will send some to a lucky winner. Here is your chance to win a set of Lost In Michigan wall calendars. I will send the winner one of each 12-month wall calendar ( a Lighthouse, Dam and Lost). All you have to do is comment on what your favorite college or university in Michigan is. Please note, I use Facebook for my commenting so you need to have a facebook account to be able to comment. I will choose a winner at random from the comments on this post on Wednesday evening the 26th, Be sure to subscribe to email updates so you will see the post declaring the winner since I will not be able to contact you directly.

P.S. I want to especially thank those of you who purchased a book or calendar, your support really means a lot to me. It helps me do this website.

CLICK HERE to find out more about the Lost In Michigan Calendars and books.

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The Hippie Trees at the Haunted Asylum

Posted on September 21, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

Hidden deep in the woods is a magical place with colorfully painted trees. I am not sure where the line between art and graffiti is but I know when I visited the Hippie Trees it sure felt like art with its spellbinding array of colors and I was expecting to see H R Pufnstuf jump out of the woods.

The Hippie Trees can be found in the woods behind the old state hospital in Traverse City that has been renovated into shops, offices, and apartments. It is now known as The Village At Grand Travers Commons. The commons own the property behind the old hospital, but there is a sign stating that its labyrinth of hiking trails is open to the public if they are respectful of the property. The Hippie Trees are near the middle of the property. There is parking behind the water tower with a map posted. Or you could hike from the historic Barns Park south of the commons near Silver Lake Road.

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The Ghost Town of Watson

Posted on September 20, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

I found very little information on the town of Watson, even though the general store, a house, and a couple of buildings still remain standing in the long forgotten community. Watson is nestled in the south-east corner of Marquette County on road 426. Walter Romig’s Michigan Place Names say that it was a “mail distributing point” in the Watson Store Company prior to 1918. I wonder if that is the store that is still standing with the iconic IGA Super Market sign. There are a handful of people still living in the area and the Watson Bible Chaple is nearby. A set of railroad tracks run next to the road, but with the grass and trees growing up between the rails the train has not traveled down them in a long time. I am assuming after the train no longer stopped in Watson the people in the little town slowly moved away. It is a reminder of days gone by, and I hope it continues to stand for many years.

Lost In Michigan Volume 2 is now available CLICK HERE to order your copy

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Michigan’s Sleeping Bear Dunes Boekelodge

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Houses, Sleeping Bear Dunes .

The Boekelodge is in the southern part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The cabin was originally built in the 1930’s and then left abandoned after a few years. In 1945, the cabin was purchased by the Boekeloo family and updated. A canal was dug from the plat river to flood the low-lying areas for a cranberry bog. The cabin overlooks a pond and is now owned by the National Park Service. A seasonal road off M-22 leads back to the cabin where you can hike the area including a trail that goes to Lake Michigan. It’s a lesser-known part of the National Lakeshore, and you have to know where to find Boekeloo Road, since there is no sign along M-22 telling visitors there is a lodge hidden in the woods. You can find more info and a detailed location of the Boekelodge and many other interesting locations in the Lost In Michigan book available on Amazon HERE

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