I went through the small town of Lyons near Ionia and I saw this little white building with a Christmas tree inside. I thought it looked charming and I had to stop and take a photo. I am not sure what it is or was with a hand-painted sign reading WOMEN above the door. It looked like a small depot of some kind but I am not sure.
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Just to be clear, it’s the Christmas Mall, not the mall at Christmas. The little town near Munising got its name when Julius Thorton built a factory in 1938 to make holiday gifts. I am confused as to whether he named the town Christmas or his factory. Unfortunately, in the summer of 1940, his business burned down and he never rebuilt. although the workshop is gone the area still kept the name Christmas.
The Christmas Mall was closed when I went by on my road trip. I like to stop at these eclectic shops to see what kind of stuff I can find, but I usually don’t have time since I am busy looking for places to photograph. I figure when I run out of sites to see it would be interesting to do posts highlighting some of these stores around Michigan. I see a lot of them all over the states, and mostly in small towns.
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At the time of its construction in 1929, the Hardy Dam was the largest earthen dam in North America east of the Mississippi River. It is located on the Muskegon River north of Newaygo. A road passes over the top of the dam, similar to the Hoover Dam between Nevada and Arizona. I have never driven over the Hover Dam, but the road on the Hardy Dam is an experience to traverse. It is rather narrow with a concrete wall on one side and a guardrail and dropoff on the other. If you are ever in the area you need to drive across it. A park on the east side of the river has some parts of the dam on display and gives some history of it.
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Roaming around the back roads near Romeo I came across this old house or building or whatever it was. I like the green roof and faded and peeling yellow paint. I am not sure what this place was but it seems a little tall for a house but I don’t know. I stopped and took a pic from the road and kept on moseying along.
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I turned on to Main Street in Downtown Ionia and was surprised to see an enormous Christmas tree standing in the intersection. It seemed rather strange to drive around the illuminated tree like a traffic circle, but it was a beautiful sight.
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The town of Newaygo sits on the Muskegon River at the southern end of the Manistee National Forest. Vising the riverfront park that sits between the old train bridge and the bridge for M-37, you may notice some ruins and a small waterfall that sits on the opposite side.
This is what remains of the Henry Rowe Manufacturing company. Joseph Henry Rowe and his brother were successful businessmen in Newaygo when Joesph built this factory on the banks of the Muskegon River in the early 190s. The factory produced wooden products like tools, furniture components, and architectural trim. The enormous factory shipped products worldwide and was powered by the Penoyer Creek that still flows through the ruins to this day. You can see the small waterfall where it cascades from the manmade trough into the Muskegon River.
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I was passing through the town of Lexington and I saw this majestic stone church. It is St. Denis Catholic Church and construction was started in 1880. It took two years to complete and it was dedicated in 1882. It still stands on M-25 looking toward Lake Huron and it’s hard to miss the incredible stonework as you drive past it.
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I saw this old building outside of Alma. I am not exactly sure what it was but it looks like an old schoolhouse. I love the row of windows or at least openings for them on the side. It faces east so the morning sun must have shone through on the students as they started their day.
It looks as if someone is cutting the grass so I assume it is not abandoned and I took this pic from the road since I don’t trespass.
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Nestled in the woods off M-22 in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a light yellow house. It was built by Bertie and Donna Bancroft in the late 1920s as a boarding house for travelers visiting the area. On Sundays, the inn was a popular destination for tourists to enjoy one of Donna’s chicken dinners. During the peak season in summer, she would serve over 100 tourists using the chickens she raised at the inn. Bertie lived in this house until his death in 1963. Donna died the following year.
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If you have never heard of the town of Red Jacket in Michigan you are not alone. I was doing some research and I came across the town of Red Jacket and immediately I thought of the Red Jacket fire station in Calumet. ( you can see my post about it HERE ) I just assumed it was called the Red Jacket fire station because the firefighters wore red jackets.
I later found out my assumption was completely wrong. The city of Calumet in the Keweenaw Peninsula was settled in 1864, originally under the name of “Red Jacket”, named for a Native American Chief of the Seneca tribe. The nearby town of Laurium was originally called Calumet, a Native American name for a clay bowl used on a peace pipe. Present-day Laurium was started by the Laurium Mining Company and changed its name to Laurium in 1895. The Calumet and Hecla Mine was in or next to the town of Red Jacket. I assume because of the influence and dominant presence of the mind Red Jacket became known as Calumet. Present-day Calumet was not legally named so until 1929. I hope what I wrote makes sense, but it is still a little confusing to me and it must have been really confusing for the post office. Next time you are in Calumet and you see references to the name of Red Jacket, now you know why.
P.S. I wish the Keweenaw was not so far away from my home in Saginaw. It is one of my favorite places in Michigan to visit with its incredible history and natural beauty.
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