Monthly Archives: March 2020

Lost in Idlewild

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

Surrounded by tall pine trees, and tucked away among the remaining houses in the resort community of Idlewild, I saw this big old two-story building. I am not sure if it was a hotel, school or some sort of community center but it was intriguing. Near the town of Baldwin in the Manistee National Forest, Idlewild was a vacation resort town for African Americans that started in the early 1900s. Because of segregation laws, black people were limited to where they could own property and Idlewild became a popular community for prominent African Americans in the midwest. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act in the 60s minorities were allowed to live and vacation wherever they please and the population of Idlewild began to decline over the decades.  It is not a ghost town since there are still several people who live in, or have vacation homes in the area, but many houses have been demolished.

Like I wrote earlier I am not sure what this old building was used for. I took a pic from the road and did not trespass. It has several signs warning against it.  I don’t do it and I would not last long in jail. If someone knows what this place used to be, please leave a comment.

I was able to find out more about this building including a photo from the 50s. you can see more on my post HERE

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The Secret Book Giveaway

Posted on by Posted in Giveaways .

It’s been a long time since I have done a book giveaway and I needed something to take my mind off of everyday life. I have come up with what I hope is a fun way to give away a book. Inspired by Byron Preiss and his book The Secret  I have devised a plan. I would have liked to hide a book somewhere for someone to find, but I figure I can do it virtually so no one has to go anywhere. If you can decipher the following sentences and tell me where in Michigan I am referring to please comment below.

Above the hand and below the brown river is a place where smoke once rose. It is where the boys worked in the land of the great Indian chief.  They guarded the enemy along the road that goes on forever. 

I am not sure how hard or easy this will be so I am gonna pick the winner at random from all the correct responses on Monday the 23rd of March. If no one guesses the correct location I will extend the contest with some clues.

For the winner, I will send a Lost In Michigan Volume 2 book. You can learn more about my books and where to purchase them HERE

P.S. I will give you one hint and tell you it is a location I have posted about on my website.

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The Sears Barn on 66

Posted on by Posted in Barns and Farms .

I saw this old barn near Sears on 66. I suppose I need to clarify that first sentence because some peoples first thoughts are of the store where you get your toughskin jeans and the road that you get your kicks on from Chicago to L.A. Sears is a small town near the center of the mitten on M-66 which runs north and south through the center of the state from the Indiana border to Charlevoix.

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Searching for the Canyon Waterfalls

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

My son and I stopped at the Canyon Falls roadside park on US-41. We hiked a ways back into the woods and came upon the river and some small waterfalls. I took some pics and we hiked back to the jeep and headed on our way. I was doing a little research for this post and looked at the pics on Go Waterfalling and apparently I missed the best part of the falls in the lower falls.  I wish I had known or saw a sign or something but oh well just one more reason to go back to the Upper Peninsula.

On a side note, I see people ask about things to see in the U.P. and others comment on all sorts of places like the T-Falls and the Big Spring and Lake of the Clouds. I think people think they can see everything in the Upper Peninsula in one trip not realizing it is about a five-hour drive and 270 miles from the T-Falls to the Porkies.  Pick a region of the U.P. to explore, the challenge for me is not stopping on the eastern side to visit places so I can make it over to the western side.

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The Curious Case of the Octagon Building

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

A few yeards off the road is an old octagon shaped block building slowly being consumed by the forest in Sauble Township, in Lake County. I saw one website that had it listed as a schoolhouse, but I am not sure it was at one time. I looked at an old plat map and it did not show a school at its location. A piece of plywood covers the brickwork above the door where a school name usually would be. From the research that I did, I found out that it was not uncommon to build an octagon school. They were especially popular in the late 1800s in the New England area, and many are found in Pennsylvania. I am not exactly sure what this old building was originally used for, but it is interesting to see it seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

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Coldwater Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

This old brick train depot in Coldwater was constructed in 1883. The last regular passenger train departed from this station in 1956. This is one of the few train stations that does have a steam train that takes passengers for rides. The Little River Railroad operates a historic steam locomotive from this station giving riders the opportunity to take a short trip on a real steam train.

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Saint Patrick’s in Palms

Posted on by Posted in Churches, Thumb .

I saw this beautiful little brick church in the small almost forgotten town of Palms in the Thumb. I figured since it is the middle of March this is the perfect time to post a pic of this old church since its name is St Patrick’s. You can read more about the town of Palms in my post HERE

A reminder that my presentation in Kalamazoo has been canceled. We plan to reschedule it but I am not sure when.

And one last thing. This will probably be the only mention of the virus that we are all affected by and talking about. I plan to keep posting like I always have and avoiding talking about current topics such as politics or current events. I figure there are plenty of places to go if you want to see that kind of stuff. It’s not that I am not aware or concerned about it I just figure there is a time and a place for it. I am thinking you signed up for emails from me about places around Michigan and that is what I am gonna keep doing.

Thank you for taking the time to read my posts and I have lots more pics and stories to post that I hope you will enjoy reading.

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The Landlocked Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses .

This old lighthouse built in 1866 stands on a small point on Copper Harbor. The light was automated in 1919 and then replaced by the steel tower next to it in 1933. The tower remains an active aid to navigation today but the old lighthouse sits empty and is part of the Fort Wilkins State Park. When you look on a map it seems like you can drive out to the lighthouse but unfortunately, the point it sits on is landlocked by private property. In years past the state park had a contract with a company to ferry tourists to the lighthouse. On my last visit, the park was still looking for someone to operate a ferry. I hope they will find a way to allow visitors to tour the old lighthouse. For now, you can see the lighthouse from Astor Shipwreck Park along the shoreline near the state park.

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Canceled Kalamazoo Presentation

Posted on by Posted in Uncategorized .

The Lost In Michigan Presentation in Kalamazoo on March 18th has been canceled. The Kalamazoo Public Library has made the decision to cancel all presentations until further notice. We plan on rescheduling it but I am not sure what the new date will be. I will post a new date when I have one but I am guessing, or at least hoping, it will be in the fall.

 

 

A Big Airport in a Small Town

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

If you have ever traveled north of Reed City you may have seen this old airport silently standing empty waiting for another airplane to land. Reed City is a rather large town for the area of Michigan that it is located in but the airport seems rather large for the size of the town it is located in. In the 50s Jim Miller started Miller Industries building glass and aluminum storefront for retail companies.

He decided to build a small airport to fly his customers to the mid-Michigan town of Reed City.  A few years after building the airport the land was used for Interstate 131. Miller built a new airport but decided he wanted a world-class airfield with a control tower and a large building for passengers. Miller even started his own airline. Miller Airlines flew passengers between Reed City, Grand Rapids, and Chicago.

In 1968 Jim Miller retired and sold the airport to Nartron and electronics and automotive parts manufacturer. They used the building for manufacturing and renamed the facility to Nartron Field. In the 80s they build new buildings north of the airfield and no longer use the old airport buildings. They are still owned by Nartron and closed to the public but an interesting part of aviation history.

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