June 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The Houses of Wahjamega

Posted on June 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Thumb .

If you have ever driven down M-81 west of Caro you have probably seen the resort-like buildings that are part of the Wahjamega complex. I say resort-like because they have an American southwestern architecture look to them with stucco walls and reddish-brown tile roofs. It started out as the colony for epileptics with good intentions but soon took a sinister turn when eugenics was practiced and patients and residents underwent forced sterilizations. Most of the buildings are vacant now and the main building is now the Caro Center. When drove through the complex I saw these old houses and I wonder if they were used by the doctors and administration way back when the colony first opened. If you want to learn more about Wahjamega you can read my other post HERE

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Raising the Court House

Posted on June 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses .

One of the oldest courthouse buildings in Michigan is in Berrien Springs Michigan. Shortly after it was constructed in 1839, problems with the foundation were discovered. The building was raised and a lower level was added along with the square supports for the columns.

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You could own this Historic Michigan Lighthouse

Posted on June 16, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

The historic Mendota Lighthouse is for sale, and You are probably wondering where Mendota is located, I know I was. The lighthouse is named for a nearby mining company and stands near a man-made canal on Bete Grise Bay in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The canal was dug to Lac La Belle in 1865. A light was placed to guide ships into the canal but it was used infrequently a few times and then abandoned altogether. The original light was removed a few years after it was constructed.

It was about two decades later at the end of the century that the current lighthouse was built, not to guide ships into the canal, but to help them find refuge. Bete Grise Bay on the inside of the Keweenaw was a safe harbor for ships to find shelter from a storm. The current lighthouse was built to mark the bay and help sailors find it when Lake Superior turns angry.

In 1933 the lighthouse was decommissioned and sold to Heimo (Paddy) Jaaskelainen who owned it until his death in 1996. Gary Kohs from Royal Oak purchased the lighthouse after learning about it on a motorcycle trip through the Keweenaw. He purchased it for $500,000. The historic lighthouse is back up for sale as of June 2020 for the asking price of $495,000. If you ever wanted to own a historic lighthouse here is your chance. You learn more about the lighthouse at their website HERE

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Detroit’s Engine House #23

Posted on June 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses .

Over on Detroit’s North East side sits the Engine House #23. I could not find much info about it, but I like the unique looking round windows at the top. they are like a couple of eyes watching over the neighborhood.

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The Old Grain Elevator

Posted on June 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators .

I saw this old grain elevator in the southeastern Michigan town of New Haven. I don’t have a story to go with it. I just like the pic. Thank you all for taking the time to read and share my posts. I really appreciate all the love and support I get from you. I hope you have a great week.

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The Italian Revival House

Posted on June 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This grand old brick Italian Revival house stands proudly in the South Street Historic District in Kalamazoo. William A. Wood built this home for his family in 1877. Unfortunately, he died shortly after moving into the new house but his widow Sarah lived in the home until her death in the early 1900s. in 1905, William E. Upjohn Purchased the home on South Street. Upjohn was a physician who patented a new type of pill that was easier to crush into a powder and created the Upjohn Corporation. I love the tower with the round porthole style window. It must be a beautiful view out the windows of the ornate brick tower. If you are ever in Kalamazoo take a trip down South Street, there are some beautiful old homes in the neighborhood.

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The Day The World Changed at Otsego Lake State Park

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in people .

At the end of WWII and the devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki with nuclear bombs, the world was forever changed ushering in the Cold War. You probably know that the Manhatten project’s mission was to create the first nuclear weapons. But you probably did not know that it started with a clandestine meeting on the beach at Otsego Lake State Park. Dr. Arthur H. Compton a Nobel Prize-winning physicist was placed in charge of the project. He met with theoretical physicist Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer on the beach to discuss if the project was even possible. Dr. Compton had a summer home on Otsego Lake and chose the state park for the meeting because he knew it was a secluded spot and would be away from enemy spies. After the men agreed that it could be done they continued moving forward with the government’s plans to create the first atomic bomb, and the world was never the same since then.

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Summer Road Trip Memories

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places .

Growing up in the ’70s my family would pile into the big blue Oldsmobile Delta 88 and take a road trip. A few times we stopped at Deer Acres near Pinconning. It may not have been Disneyland but for a little kid, it sure felt like it. My favorite was the old-timey model T cars on the rails that I could drive. Feeding the deer was also a thrill but a little scary when they all come running at you when they see a handful of feed.

It has been closed for a while and traveling around the state I see a lot of old tourist places that have closed and sit forgotten. Maybe it’s because travel has gotten easier, or maybe it takes a lot more to impress today’s kids with their video games and modern technology, but I miss some of the old family-friendly tourist traps.

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Paradise School

Posted on June 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

I came across this old building which I thought was a farmhouse in the Keweenaw Peninsula not far from Chassell. I just assumed it was an old farmhouse but then I came across something that referred to an old school called Paradise School. When I think of Paradise I think of the small town near the T-Falls. I then realized this old building was on Paradise Road so I figured that made sense.

I always thought the shape of it seemed a little odd for a schoolhouse, since most one-room schools are simple buildings with a simple roofline. It’s hidden behind the trees but it is a “T” shaped building and roofline. I came across this photo this old photo on the internet that said it was the Paradise School near Chassell so I guess that it is the old Paradise School.

P.S. I wonder what became of the children in the photo. I look at old photos and I always wonder about the people in them.

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The Secret Manistee Waterfall in the Lower Peninsula

Posted on June 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature, Waterfalls .

Hidden deep within the Manistee National Forest is a small un-named waterfall. It is not a large waterfall, only about two feet tall, but it is a peaceful and serene little waterfall. It is on a little creek that flows into the Manistee River a couple of miles south of the Hodenpyl Dam. The creek and waterfall do not have a name and even the sign next to them just reads “waterfall”. I have decided to call it the Manistee Falls for the forest it is in, and the Manistee river is only a few yards away.

I am guessing the creek dries up by mid-summer and the waterfalls are not flowing, so if you want to see it, spring would be the best time to do it. I don’t normally post exact locations and directions to places in my posts. I prefer to leave that for my books, but I figure since this place has limited information on the internet, I would share that info here.

Here are the coordinates for the parking area 44°20’51.4″N 85°49’42.9″W ( which someone has marked Sara’s Falls Parking)

The best way to reach the parking area is to take W 26 Rd. from M-37. Head west into the woods and it will curve to the right, but you will want to take W 26 Rd. that continues heading west. It will end at No. 1 Rd. Turn right (north) travel about a half-mile, until you see a two-track heading west. turn left and then about a half-mile at the end of the two-track is a gate and parking ara. Take the trail behind the gate about a quarter-mile to the falls. It is not too bad of a hike but it does go downhill for the last 100 yards.

if you enjoy exploring the Upper Peninsula for waterfalls, I am sure you will enjoy visiting these little waterfalls. They may not be large and impressive, but it is a fun journey and somewhere you can check off your list of places you have visited.

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