October 2018 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The House At The Asylum

Posted on October 20, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

The old state hospital in Traverse City was built in 1881 and was called the Northern Michigan Asylum. The hospital was established for the care of the mentally ill, its use expanded during outbreaks of tuberculosis, typhoid, diphtheria, influenza, and polio. It also cared for the elderly, served as a rehab for drug addicts, and was used to train nurses. The hospital closed in the 1990s and in 2000 was purchased by an investment group that has been renovating and repurposing the old buildings. The main building is now used for office space and the lower floor has some of Traverse Cities finest gift shops and restaurants.

Towards the back of the property sit some of the old dilapidated buildings still waiting to be renovated. Among the buildings, I saw this old abandoned house. I am not sure who lived there. Maybe one of the supervisors or doctors. It looked rather spooky sitting up on a hill. Some say the old asylum is one of the most haunted places in Michigan. I am sure Eugenics was practiced at the hospital, and over the years many patients have died in the buildings. One legend says that a priest had hung himself in the old chapel. Workers have said to see strange spirits and ghosts roaming the buildings. Hiking Trails meander through the woods next to the facility and some say the area surrounding the Hippie Tree is connected to the underworld.

I have visited the old asylum many times to get something to eat and browse its many gift shops. I don’t know if it’s haunted, but it sure is amazing the transformation of the buildings over the past 15 years.

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The Old Depot in New Haven

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

In 1865 the Grand Trunk Railroad built a station to service the town of New Haven in southeast Michigan. It was along this route that a young Thomas Edison worked as a “News Butch” selling newspapers and snacks to passengers riding on the train. In 1940, on a publicity tour for the movie Young Tom Edison, Mickey Rooney, who played Tom Edison in the movie, took an 8 car train from Port Huron to Detroit. The train made various stops along the way, including the New Haven Depot, where he was greeted by over half the village. While the train was moving, Mickey Rooney, dressed as Tom Edison, walked through the train hawking newspapers, candy, etc. just as Tom had originally done.

Passenger trains no longer stopped at the little depot after 1954, and by the 1990s the railroad no longer used the station. It was sold to a nonprofit group who renovated it and is now used as a museum.

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Secret At The Cliff Cemetery

Posted on October 18, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, upper peninsula .

North of the little town of Mohawk in the Keweenaw on US-41 is a sign for the Cliff Cemetery. Driving past the sign you don’t see a cemetery, but it is there hidden in the woods. After hiking about 50 yards into the forest you see tombstones among the trees. The ground is covered by green leafy plants which I think is wintergreen. Paths through the thick growth wind through the old cemetery to the various graves sites.

In the back of the cemetery is an old stone foundation left over from the chapel that once stood in the old cemetery. The cemetery is from the town of Cliff which sprang up when copper was mined from the nearby cliff. After the mine closed the town’s population dwindled away to nothing but the deceased citizens. I am not sure if it’s accurate, but I was told the church that stood in the cemetery was moved to the town of Pheonix and is the church HERE. How the wintergreen took over the old cemetery remains a secret that it’s residents are not willing to tell.

P.S. The Cemetery off US-41 is the Catholic cemetery. There is another cemetery on Cliff Drive. I was not able to explore that one since water covered the entrance and it was too deep for my jeep to cross it.

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The Old Log Cabin

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I have driven past this old log cabin near Prudenville many times. I finally stopped and took a pic of it since it sits next to M-18. I don’t know how old the cabin is, but it looks like it has been there long before the fancy houses and cabins were built along the shoreline of Houghton Lake. As usual, I just took a pic from the road and don’t trespass.

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Getting Lost In Lakeview

Posted on October 16, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

Last week I got to Lakeview a little early for my presentation and I had some time to kill. I went for a drive to see what I could find on a dreary autumn day. Southwest of Lakeview I saw this old schoolhouse hidden in the trees. I am not sure how I manage to come across these places unexpectedly, but I figure I should photograph them before they are lost to history. I looked on an old plat map and it shows a South Baker School. I am not certain it is this school, but maybe.

P.S. I have had a few people ask me about doing a presentation near their hometown. I don’t actively contact places about doing presentations. Most places reach out to me to come and visit. Check with your local historical society or library and see if they have a meeting room or someplace for me to do a slideshow, and I would be happy to come out and give a presentation. If it’s within an hour drive from Saginaw I don’t charge anything. If it’s farther away I would just need a little help for gas money if it’s in the budget.

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Fun On The Road

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

I went for a road trip today. I needed to get pics at some state parks for my Camp Michigan project, You can see more HERE. I went up through Tawas, Oscoda, Alpena and then over to Gaylord and then back home down 75 to Saginaw. The color around Atalanta and Gaylord was about peak but south of Grayling and Oscoda the color was just starting. I think this weekend October 20th it should be close to peak. It would be a good time to go to the Lumberman’s Monument area.

It was a fun trip with sunshine, to pouring rain, and then snowing so hard it was almost a whiteout. you gotta love Michigan, you can experience all four seasons in one day.

P.S. I wanted to post more, but I am kinda tired from my trip. On the way home down I-75, I heard something hit the floorboard then about a minute later I had a flat tire. so if you saw a guy changing a tire on the side of the highway south of Grayling it was me. I ain’t gonna get a job doing pit stops in NASCAR, but I did manage to change a tire in about 15 minutes.

P.P.S I almost forgot, the pic is of a side road off M-32 near Atlanta.

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The Mysterious House In The Woods

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Houses .

I was headed down county road 426 in the Upper Peninsula to the ghost town of Watson, you can read about it HERE. The road runs along the Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad tracks. Weeds and small trees are growing up between the rusty rails, so I assume they have not been used in years. Somewhere between Cornell and Watson, I saw an old house in the woods on the other side of the tracks. Most of the old abandoned houses I see in the Upper Peninsula are smaller shacks and cabins. I couldn’t help but wonder what the story was with this old building. I found on an old county map and it shows the name of the town of Woodlawn. A reference stated that the town was originally called White, but the name was changed to Woodlawn when it got a post office in 1905. I am wondering if this is the remains of the old town, and maybe it was a boarding house or something. I took a pic from the road and you can see the old railroad tracks at the bottom of the photo. I often wonder about these old places, and I also wonder if I am the only person who drives past them and is curious about their history.

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Lost In Michigan Wall Calendars ON SALE

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in calendars .

Lost In Michigan wall calendars are ON SALE with FREE shipping this weekend. They are going fast. last year I sold out of them in December, if you want one before they are gone you can order them HERE

Thank you so much to everyone who got a calendar or a book, they help me with expenses to do this website. I don’t get any outside funding from any other source and I don’t want to keep my website ad-free. especially free of political ads. Your generosity makes it possible for me to post the stories I do. Thank you all so much for your support, and for taking the time to read my posts. I do my best to post stuff you find interesting and informative.

Michigan’s Lost Colony of Ora Labora

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

This old cemetery is the final resting place for some of the people of the Ora Labora colony. It is located northeast of Bayport at the end of Sand Road is known as the Old Bayport Cemetery, It sits on a hill with large trees standing between the tombstones and monuments. I imagine when the cemetery was created over 150 years ago the trees were just little saplings.

The colony was formed in 1862 when Rev, Emil Baur purchased 740 acres on Wild Fowl Bay. For $25 members could join the colony named Ora Labora after the Latin phrase “ora et labora” which means pray and work. The colony started out with about 140 members and grew to about 280. Although the members were honest hard working people most were unskilled at farming, lumbering and construction. For instance, after purchasing cows and cattle they roamed away since they did not know they needed fences. After building a 300-foot long dock into Saginaw Bay one summer the ice in the winter destroyed the dock.

Some of the members became ill and a little girl was the first one to die in 1862 which incidentally was when the cemetery was established. During the Civil War, many of the male members joined the Michigan Militia to fight in the war. After the war, most of them did not return to the colony. After incurring massive debt for supplies they purchased and they were down to about 12 members left the colony disbanded in 1867 and the remaining property was divided up amongst remaining people.

The great fire of 1871 obliterated what was left of the colony and all the remains are the stone markers on the hill and the end of Sand Road.

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Clyde’s Drive In My Favorite Burger in Da U.P.

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Restaurants, Uncategorized .

Every time my family and I cross the big green bridge we have to stop at Clyde’s Drive In and get a hamburger and a shake. My friend Mandy told me about Clyde’s, and after we tried it we stop there as much as we can even though we live about 250 miles away. The St Ignace location is about a half mile west of I-75 on US-2. You can’t miss it with its blue covered parking for visitors to pull in and order food.

The other and first location is in Manistique at 201 Chippewa Ave. about a mile north of US-2.

I have eaten at both locations, and if you want a good homemade hamburger neither one will disappoint. cooked fresh and served hot an topped the way you like it, makes it way better than any fast food chain. And you can’t go wrong with a shake and fries to go with it. They also have a full menu of other items but I have gotten the hamburger every time. They are known for the ” Big Clyde ” which is a one pound hamburger but that’s too much for me.

They have a few seats inside at a counter to eat inside but most people eat in thier car since there is not a lot of space. Just pull in an open spot and someone will come out and take your order and bring your food to your. Just be aware that when they are busy it might take them a litte time to get your food to you, but it’s well worth the wait.

If you have a travel trailer they have a large parking lot and you can pull in a park and then go inside and place your order.

Since I have eaten at Clyde’s a few years ago I have to stop there in St Ignace anytime I enter or leave the Upper Peninsula. I think they close the St Ignace Location for the winter so if you want to get a burger you need to do it soon before they close for the season.

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