September 2020 - Page 2 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

Michigan’s Creepy Hill Babies

I have driven all around Michigan but this has to be the creepiest thing I have seen. I saw these old abandoned dolls with a sign that reads HILL BABIES next to M-33 between Fairview and Comins.

I don’t know how these misfit dolls ended up here or who created it but it sure is creepy looking. They remind me of Sid’s room in the movie Toy Story. I do like these interesting pieces of roadside art. It breaks up a long and monotonous drive.

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The Light Keepers House

Posted on September 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

This brick house with white siding faces the channel into the West Bay harbor at Grand Marais. It was built in 1906 for the lightkeeper that maintains the light for the channel. It replaced a shack made out of scrap lumber that was described as “a miserable shanty” by the lighthouse inspector. The Coast Guard took over the house in World War II and used it until 1982. two years later the Grand Marais Historical Society converted the home into a museum which it currently operates to the present day.

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Volume 4 Is Now Available

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

People have been asking about my next book and I am happy to announce it is finally published. You can order paperback books of Lost In Michigan Volume 4 from Amazon by clicking HERE

If you enjoyed reading my other books I am sure you will like Volume 4. Thank you all for your support. It is my book sales that help me with expenses to explore Michigan and keep looking for those interesting and often overlooked places.

If you live near Saginaw I have books at Charlin’s Book Nook in Frankenmuth and at the Antique Warehouse near Zilwaukee. I have been working on getting books into bookstores, but It has been a challenge for me as an independent publisher.

Because of Covid I don’t have any presentations or book signings planned. Hopefully, things will be back to normal sometime next year and we will be able to get together then.

Seven Bridges Recreation Area

Posted on September 17, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

I made a whirlwind trip around the northern Lower Peninsula over the past few days. I stopped at the Seven Bridges Recreation Area north of Kalkaska and took this pic of the water flowing through the green trees and grass. The trees are still green other than a few random trees that started changing their leaves early. I went through Roscommon, Mio to Onaway over to Indian River, and then down to Gaylord to Kalkaska and over to Grayling. I am thinking the end of September is gonna be peak for Nothern Lower but that is dependant on the weather.

If you are looking forward to Autumn’s color show like I am you still have a few weeks unless you head up into the Upper Peninsula.

P.S. I took a lot of pics and I am looking forward to sharing them with you over the next few weeks.

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The Retired Lighthouse

Posted on September 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

If you have ever driven through Marine City you have probably noticed the lighthouse that stands in a downtown park along the St. Clair River. It seems a little out of place and that is because it was moved to its current location after the old tower was no longer needed. The tower was built on Peche Island, A Canadian island at the mouth of the Detroit River near Belle Isle. Constructed in 1908 it stood for years guiding ships in the river. It was decommissioned in 1983 and after learning of its demolition funds were raised by Marine City to move the tower to the city’s Waterworks Park. It proudly stands, not guiding ships, but looking over the city that gave it a new home after it was retired.

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The Stone Building

Posted on September 14, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Uncategorized .

I saw this old stone building or house or whatever it was in a field not far from Otsego Lake near Gaylord. On the side, there is a short wide door. I am not sure if that leads to a cellar or maybe a troll lived here. I figure that is a clue as to what this old building was used for but I do not know what that was.

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LST 393

Posted on September 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ships and Boats .

Near downtown Muskegon is an old naval warship. Its a unique looking ship with its bow doors open. It opens because it is a tank landing ship and one of only two remaining out of a thousand that were constructed for WWII. LST 393 was laid down on 27 July 1942 at the Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company and launched on 11 November 1942. LST 393 arrived in the Omaha Beach zone on the night of June 6, 1944. She made 30 round trips to Omaha Beach, bringing varied equipment and supplies to France and returning with wounded soldiers as well as thousands of German prisoners. Following the War, LST 393 returned to the United States, was decommissioned on 1 March 1946. The ship was sold to the Sand Products Corporation of Detroit, for conversion to merchant service and renamed Highway 16. She would be a waterborne extension of the former U.S. Highway 16 and sail as a car ferry from Muskegon to Milwaukee. Highway 16 was replaced by Interstate 96 and the old veteran of D-day was never put into service as a ferry. In the mid-2000s she was restored and now serves as a museum ship for visitors to explore. If you are visiting Muskegon stop by and tour LST 393 I thought it was fascinating and they have some excellent displays honoring military veterans.

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The Abandoned Fiborn Quarry in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on September 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Hidden in the woods in the central-eastern Upper Peninsula not far from Trout Lake are the remnants of the old Fiborn Quarry. The Fiborn Limestone Co. at its peak had two locomotives and a small town of 75 people that worked for the quarry. It operated until the 1930s when the depression crippled the company’s ability to operate. The ruins of some of the buildings are now part of the Karst Preserve which lies between St. Ignace and Newberry. It is about a mile hike to the ruins, but worth the walk to see some old historic building. The full story of the old quarry and how to find it is in Lost In Michigan Volume 3

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VFW National Home For Children

Posted on September 11, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places .

This sculpture stands near the entrance to the VFW National Home For Children near Eaton Rapids. The VFW wanted to support families of deceased and disabled American veterans. They sought to keep families intact, furnish a homelife similar to that enjoyed by other American families, and teach self-sufficiency and independence. Corey Spencer gave the VFW his cattle ranch for property to construct a home. Since the facility provided homes for families outside of Michigan, it received support from veterans groups across the country. The VFW National Home for Children has grown from an old frame farmhouse to a sprawling campus with playgrounds, park areas, and multiple buildings, including single-family homes, a community center, gymnasium, child care facility, guest lodge, and chapel. This remains the only privately funded home for veterans’ children and grandchildren in the United States that is national in scope.

One of the first residents of the home was Mrs. Pollett and her 6 children ages 2-15. Her husband, Sgt. Edward Pollett after picking up his retirement check at Fort Wayne was struck by a streetcar in Detroit and died. His retirement benefits ceased upon his death and his widow and children were left without an income to support them. They were welcomed into the VFW Home for Children. The home continues to this day supporting veterans’ families.

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The Three Oaks House

Posted on September 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this old house not far from the town of Three Oaks. I don’t know any history about, it but I love the ornate tower protruding from the roof. While trying to find some info I see that the old house was used as the set for an independent short film called The House On Oak Street. You can see it on Youtube Here.

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