February 2019 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The Purple Gang’s Secret Inside this Building

Posted on February 16, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This ordinary building near the Kalamazoo River in Albion held a secret inside. The building is now used by the non-profit social organization The Leisure Hour Club, but back in the ’30s, it was owned by one of the members of the notorious Purple Gang. The gang was in control of most of the booze coming into Detroit from Canada during Prohibition. They sold liquor throughout the midwest and would frequently travel to Chicago, and Albion was a halfway point on the trip. Some members of the gang owned this building and a nearby auto salvage business. The gang would steal safes from across the state and would take them to Albion where they could be opened by either safecrackers, or brute force at the auto wrecking yard. After the cash and valuables were remove the safe and evidence could be disposed of with the scrap metal.

1932 Graham-Paige sedan: source Wikipedia

In 1935 the gang stole a Graham Paige sedan from Ferndale and converted it into a safe stealing getaway car. They added a pull-down metal shield over the rear window. License plates that could be rotated to different numbers. The car also had bulletproof glass and portholes to fire guns through. The rear seats and doors were removable so safes could be loaded quickly into the back and transported to Albion. The car was hidden from police during the daytime in the building now used by the Leisure Hour Club. A police officer in 1936 spotted the infamous car through a window and shortly afterward At 3:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 3, 1936 over 25 police officers raided the building and salvage yard apprehending some members of the purple gang.

I can only assume the car was scrapped for metal during WWII, but it would be interesting to find it in a barn somewhere and see what it looked like with all it’s bullet holes and super secret safe stealing gadgets.

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The House On The Hill

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

My plan was to go to the Leelanau Peninsula today and get some winter pics. I left early in the morning and the closer I got to Lake Michigan the more it was snowing. By the time I got near Cadillac, it was like a blizzard. I figure there was no point in driving all the way to Leelanau if it was going to be a whiteout with the lake effect snow. I figured I might as well drive some of the backroads and I came upon this old house up on a hill near Avondale. It looked mighty cold bracing itself from the wind and snow.

I did not get to my original destination, but I did find some interesting places and things to photograph. Thank you for subscribing to email updates and hopefully, you like what I post. I have more pics from today’s trip and I hope I can get to Leelanau soon.

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The Old Prison

Posted on February 13, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

The first state prison opened in 1838 near Jackson and started with a temporary wooden prison. In 1839 the first 35 prisoners were incarcerated. It started with three log cabins, and walls built with huge wide logs, almost like a fur traders post, and 7 of the original 35 prisoners escaped over the walls. Then two years after it opened, on a foggy night June 1, 1840, 10 inmates dug their way out of the cabins and escaped. The fugitives terrorized the community, robbing banks and becoming known as the Jackson Robber Gang. It took two years to finally capture them. The stone walls that still stand today in Jackson were constructed in the 1860s and housed Civil War prisoners. You can read more about the prison in my Lost In Michigan book which is ON SALE HERE

Now for something different

The state required me to replace my ten-year-old license plates and I got to wondering how they were made. I came across this video on Youtube and now it makes sense as to how there can be so many different designs.

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The Vernors Depot

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

The town of Byron sits between Lansing and Fenton. It was the last stop on a stagecoach run from Detroit that ran west along what is now Rose Center road and Silver Lake road. The Village of Byron was incorporated in 1873 and the Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Michigan Railway was built through Byron following the pledge of a $15,001 bonus and the right of way in 1885. I wonder what the significance of the $1 is. It seems like an odd number. Anyway, I saw the old train depot in Byron. It must be privately owned and it looks like the owners love Vernors. It is rather obvious with the yellow and green paint job and the Vernors signs.

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The Forgotten Town and the Largest Farm in Michigan

Posted on February 10, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Ghost towns .

On the corner of Alicia and Bishop roads in Saginaw County was the town of Alicia. It was the largest town in the Praire Farms which at one time was the largest farm in Michigan. The Town was named after William Lewis Claus’s oldest daughter. Mr. Claus was the chairman of the board of Pittsburgh Plate Glass who owned the Prairie Farm, and the town was where most of the hired workers and their foremen lived. A generator and water plant provided electricity and water to the town that included 80 yellow framed cottages, a general store, a boarding house, dance hall, and several large barns and other buildings for machinery and wagons. A large grain elevator and mint distillery were situated on a spur track connecting the farm with the railroad six miles away. The population would grow to about 350 workers in the summer, and then about 75 in the winter. The post office opened in 1904 and closed in 1947.

When I made a trip out to where the town was, I found some modern houses and this old barn, I am not sure if it was used during the time that Prairie Farms operated, but it was the main feature in the area and I had to get a pic of it.

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The Haunted Lighthouse in the Thumb

Posted on February 9, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

The first Lighthouse built on Point Aux Barques near the tip of the Thumb guided sailors and ships across Lake Huron after it was built in 1847. It withstood the Michigan storms and even survived the Great Fire of 1881 because the men of the life-saving station created a bucket brigade to douse the flames surrounding the lighthouse. Two years after the lighthouse was constructed first the Lighthouse keeper died. Peter Shook and three other sailors drowned when their boat capsized while sailing to Port Huron for supplies and in 1849. His wife Catherine Shook became Michigan’s first female lightkeeper. They had 8 children and she cared for them while maintaining the lighthouse. Some say that her spirit still roams the shoreline in a white dress mourning the loss of her husband.

The original lighthouse and dwelling were replaced in 1857 with the present 89-foot tower and attached house. In 1908, the brick assistant keeper’s house was built. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1934. Five years later the last keeper retired, and the lifesaving station, made up of 15 buildings was decommissioned. The light is still used as an aid to navigation today but the house is used as a museum.

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A Break From Winter

Posted on February 7, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses .

After the Polar Vortex last week and freezing rain this week, I figured I would post an older photo for a Throwback Thursday pic. I saw this Autumn photo of a house in the Bay View Association in Petoskey and figured it was a nice break from Winter. A warm sunny Autumn day in northern Michigan is a perfect day for me. Unfortunately, we don’t get many of them, especially during peak color. I hope you enjoy today’s pic and here is to better days ahead.

I have been trying to get out to get some winter pics, but I did not want to go out with the wind whipping the snow around This week has it has been raining and most of the snow is gone. I hope I can get out next week, and hopefully there is some snow otherwise it looks rather gloomy.

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Backroad Barn

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

The suburbs where I live are steadily expanding outward slowly taking over the farmland, and the old barns that once stood on them. When I am out roaming the backroads, and I see an old barn I love, I have to stop and take a photo of it. I saw this barn somewhere near North Branch. Every barn has a story but unfortunately, I don’t have a story for every barn. If a photo is worth a thousand words, I figure I will let my photo tell the story.

“Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end, contribute most to real wealth, good morals & happiness.” – Thomas Jefferson

If you found this interesting you will probably like my Lost In Michigan Books that are on SALE this weekend HERE.

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Lost In Michigan February Book Giveaway

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Giveaways .

Here is your chance to win a Lost In Michigan paperback book. To enter the giveaway you have to be a subscriber to Lost In Michigan. If you have not subscribed to Lost In Michigan you can do it HERE . After you subscribed, or if you are already a subscriber, then comment on this post down below. (Note that I use Facebook for comments, If you are not able to comment be sure you have a facebook account and are logged in on the device you are using to post comments. )

If you want to see a preview of the inside or order a copy you can HERE or at Amazon HERE

I will choose a winner from the comments at random and they will be announced in a post on www.LostInMichigan.net on Sunday, February 17th

Congratulations to Karen Moore she was selected at random from all the comments on the previous giveaway. please email me your shipping info to mike@huronphoto.com and I will send out your book.

Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my posts and especially to those of you that got a book or two from me. Your support really means a lot to me since it’s my book sales that help me with expenses to do this website.

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The House that a Broken Heart Built

Posted on February 3, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Henry Richardi moved to Bellaire with his father in 1881 after moving the family business from Missouri. They made wooden utensils and with the hardwood forests around the Bellaire area, they thought it was the perfect location to set up shop. Partnering with Frederick Bechtold the established the company of Richardi & Bechtold. Henry Richardi purchased the business from his father in 1895. The successful company had over 100 employees making wooden utensils and bowls.

The same year Henry purchased the business, he fell in love with a young woman in Germany. In an attempt to get her to move to the United States and marry him he built this ornate house just north of downtown Bellaire. His employees skilled at woodworking, created all the ornate woodwork outside and inside the house. It featured a hand-carved staircase and different types of wood adorn each room. As beautiful and grand as the home was, for reasons lost to history, the woman Henry loved did not come to this country and marry him. She stayed in Germany marrying another man. With a broken heart, he sold the house and never lived in it. Tragedy struck in 1905 when Henry’s factory burned down. He never rebuilt it and moved to California leaving behind the mansion had built. The house has changed owners several times over the years, and now operates as a Bed and Breakfast called the Grand Victorian.

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