March 2020 - Page 3 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The Hoatson House

Posted on March 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Thomas H. Hoatson was the vice president of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company that had successful mining operations in Arizona. He grew up the son of a miner in the Keweenaw and chose to live there with his family. In 1907, he built this magnificent house in Laurium as a surprise for his wife and children. It is one of the largest houses built in the Upper Peninsula with 45 rooms. His family lived in the house until his death in 1927 and then it changed owners a few times until it was turned into a funeral home in the 1940s. In 1979 the owner of the funeral home Maynerd Hurlbut Killed his wife and grandson before killing himself. The home sat vacant for several years but was restored in the 1990s and converted into a bed and breakfast called the Laurium Manor.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Red Barns of Carson City

Posted on March 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

I saw these red barns soaking up the spring sunshine not far from Carson City. I don’t know any history about them but I thought they looked nice so stopped and took a pic. I hope this warm weather stays around but I have lived in Michigan long enough to not trust Mother Nature. You never know when she is gonna get angry and give one more snowstorm to remind us who is in charge.

If you ever wondered why barns are usually red, according to the internets years ago farmers would use linseed oil to protect the wood and the easiest pigment is rust which would turn the oil red. I am not sure if it is 100 percent accurate but I can’t imagine the internets would give out false information. ( that’s sarcasm just in case you are unsure, there should be a sarcastic font)

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Herron Explosion

Posted on March 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

It’s amazing the stories I find just by wondering about a couple of old buildings. I saw these two derelict structures that look like old general stores southwest of Alpena. Along with a few houses and a church they are what remains of the town of Herron. It was founded by Fred Herron in 1920 and given a post office named after him. Like most little towns I figured that was all I would find abut its history until I saw a snippet about a mine explosion.

On October 30th, 1952 five men were killed when a mine near Herron exploded. Six men were searching the long-abandoned gold mine for uranium. According to the only survivor John Pastuszka, two of the men went down the 180-foot deep shaft to check on water pumps being used to drain the shaft. The other three men were standing around the opening to the shaft when it suddenly exploded. Pastuszka was spared because he was standing next to a tool shed when the explosion occurred. It is believed methane gas and a spark from the pumps was the cause of the violent blast.

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

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Old Brick Schoolhouse

Posted on March 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

I saw this old brick building on the backroads somewhere near Remus. It looks like it was an old schoolhouse at one time but I am not sure.

Without any history, I don’t have much of a story to tell so I am just gonna say thank you for taking the time to read my daily posts. I am looking forward to the warmer weather and the time change is nice. I think we should just leave it this way.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Kalamazoo Presentation

Posted on March 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in presentations .

This Presentation has been Canceled. I hope to post a new date for it soon. sorry for the inconvenience

Wednesday, March 18th I will be giving a presentation for the Kalamazoo Public Library. It is open to the public and admission is free. If you are in the area I hope you will be able to join me as I share some of the stories of my trips around the Mitten State and a little bit about me.

~~Wednesday, March 18th at 7:00 PM~~

~~Downtown Kalamazoo~~

~~Van Deusen Room~~
~~Central Library~~
~~315 S. Rose St.~~
~~Kalamazoo, MI 49007~~

I will have books for sale, but if you already have a book, bring it with you and I will be happy to autograph it for you.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Sawyer House

Posted on March 5, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This grand old house is a few blocks from downtown Monroe. It was built in 1873 by Dr. Sawyer. His daughter Jenny Toll Sawyer lived in the house and then donated it to the city of Monroe in 1938 which it still owns today.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Sinclair

Posted on March 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

I thought maybe I traveled back in time when I saw this old Sinclair Service station in Cassopolis. I am not sure what the story is on this place but it looks as if it was used as an office or something.

It reminds me of being a kid and pulling into the gas station with my dad in his big blue Oldsmobile Delta 88 and the bell inside going DING DING. Getting gas is so much different with the fancy card swiping digital pumps. If I ran a gas station especially near the expressway I would convert it into a retro-looking service station. I would have neon lights and illuminated globes on top of the pumps. I would even put in a hose that goes DING DING. ( until it drove me insane)

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

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Shoe Tree

Posted on March 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Landscapes .

I came across this tree filled with hundreds of pairs of shoes hanging by their laces. It was a strange-looking sight and to make it even weirder it had an enormous leopard-skin high heel stiletto tied up to one of the branches.

I wondered who would make a giant shoe and where did it come from, then I found a shoe chair on Amazon HERE

I saw the shoe tree south of Belding on Zahm Road. It is rather odd to see the tree filled with shoes instead of leaves but this is not the first time a came across a tree filled with old footwear.

About 20 years ago my friend and I were exploring the ORV trails around St. Helen when a two-track lead us out of the woods to a paved road. Across from us was this giant old tree filled with shoes. It was a rather spooky and unexpected sight. It is one of those things where you see something strange and it just sticks in your memory. This was before digital cameras and smartphones and I always wanted to go back and get a pic of it. Shortly after I saw it, I found out someone had cut down the infamous tree and it is gone now.

Anyways, I found this one and I know there are a few more around Michigan, Maybe I will see them someday on my travels. If you know of any leave a comment below.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

« Previous Page