December 2019 - Lost In Michigan

Ultimate Michigan Road Trip Off The Beaten Path

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

After years of living in Michigan and visiting the popular tourist spots, I wanted to find other places to see. If you are looking for new places to discover and explore this summer here is a list of some of my favorite places throughout Michigan. Check out the list below. Some are really off the beaten path and are challenging to get to like the Rocket Range and Crisp Point Lighthouse. Be sure you use your judgment if you can make it or not. I recommend visiting some in the summer when the logging roads are dry.

1 Rocket Range
2 Quincy Dredge
3 Lake Of The Clouds
4 Ford’s Sawmill
5 Bond Falls
6 Alder Falls
7 Sable Falls
8 Crisp Point Lighthouse
9 Seul Choix Lighthouse
10 Sacred Rock
11 Middle Village
12 Ocqueoc Falls
13 Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
14 Woolsey Memorial Airport
15 Boekelodge
16 Transportation Cairn
17 Pere Cheney
18 Harrisville Depot
19 Iargo Springs
20 Mouth Cemetery
21 Curwood Castle
22 Huron City
23 Port Hope Chimney
24 Fallasburg Bridge
25 Stepping Stone Falls
26 Felt Mansion
27 Climax Post Office
28 War Dog Memorial
29 The Witch’s Ball
30 House Of David
31 McCourtie Park

You can find out more about each destination and the exact location in the Lost In Michigan books Available HERE or on Amazon HERE

If you want a printable version of the map you can download a PDF file HERE

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The Last Post …. Of The Decade

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature .

Here it is, December 31st, 2019. It is my last post for the decade and I was not sure what to post. I went through some of my photos. I think this one on a back road in Autumn somewhere near Hell Michigan is one of my favorites. Thank you so much for going on this journey around the Mitten State with me. I have created almost one thousand posts since I started this website back in 2013 and hope to surpass the 1k mark soon. I do my best to keep my posts random and from all parts of the peninsulas.

I am not sure where the road will lead next but I have a lot of places I want to visit in the next decade. I hope you will follow me as I explore new places and as always thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Have a happy New Year and a prosperous decade. See ya on the flip side

Mike Sonnenberg.

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The Red House

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was driving around the historic district in Cadillac admiring the houses when I saw this grand old red house on the corner. I could not find any history or info about it but I thought it was a beautiful looking house. I always enjoy getting off the main road away from the shops and touring some of Michigan’s city’s historic districts. They are usually private homes but there are some beautiful old houses mostly built by lumber barons.

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The Good Shepherd in Southwest Michigan

Posted on December 29, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

I saw this old church in Allegan with a historical mark proudly displayed in front of it. I always stop and take pics of the Green and yellow historical markers and read them. This one reads:

On June 15,1858, The Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd was organized; its parish was admitted into the Diocese of Michigan two years later. Built in 1866-1869, this Gothic structure was designed by Gordon W. Lloyd and first used for Divine Service on Palm Sunday, March 21, 1669. Bishop McCoskry performed the rite of consecration on April 8 of that same year. In 1886 the parishioners purchased the present tracker organ, which is still in use, and one of the few such organs left in this state today.

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Beautiful Downtown Vernon

Posted on December 28, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Vernon was first settled in 1883 by Henry Leach of Detroit and soon followed by Squatter Jacob Wilkinson. The first permanent settler was James Ratan and he became the first postmaster in 1842. The Detroit and Milwaukee railroad came thru in 1856 and a station was built on the rail line. The town was named after George Washington’s home of Mt Vernon.

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The Forgotten Town Near The Falls

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

I saw this old shack or house or whatever it was not far from the waterfalls I stopped to visit. Looking on the map I show both the town of Dixon and Forest Lake on the map and it is not far from Au Train Falls. I am not sure if this is the last remaining structure from the town. It was first named Dixon when it was founded in 1890 by the Clevland Cliffs Company which did a lot of mining of iron ore throughout the Upper Peninsula. It got a post office in 1915 but then it changed names to Forest Lake in 1921. The days of mining and lumbering are long gone and the area is mostly outdoor recreation used by hunters and fishermen and fisherwomen.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

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The Albion Station

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

The brick train depot in Albion has been welcoming visitors since 1882. It served the town for decades greeting passenger trains until 1972. It was eventually restored and is still used today by Amtrack and as a bus depot.

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Applegate

Posted on December 24, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Traveling the back roads I go through many small towns like Applegate which is located in the Thumb between Sandusky and Lexington.ne year before Michigan officially became a state George Pack built a sawmill in 1856 where Applegate stands today. The town was named after Jesse Applegate who lead the party which opened up the southern route to Oregon.

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Michigan’s Historic Brick Factory Ruins

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Iconic Buildings .

The factory ruins were constructed with brick, but it was a factory that made bricks. The lincoln Brick Factory made 40,000 bricks per day at its peak and many buildings around Michigan were constructed using the bricks it produced. The factory located near Grand Ledge closed in 1947 and in 1975 the property was acquired by Eaton county. The land is now a county park aptly named Lincoln Brick Park. The remnants of the old factory still stand in the park where you can wander around and explore the ruins.

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Michigan’s Nativity Barn

Posted on December 22, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

A few months ago I saw this old barn near Lakeview with a nativity scene depicted in the upper window. I stopped immediately and took a pic of it. I figured now that we are close to Christmas today is a great day to share my pic of the nativity barn.

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