March 2021 - Page 3 of 3 - Lost In Michigan

The Abandoned Quincy Smelter

Posted on March 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

This complex of buildings on the shore of Portage Lake north of Hancock in the Keweenaw Peninsula is the Quincy Smelter. You can also see the ruins of the old smelter across the lake from Houghton. Built by the Quincy Mining Company, the smelter used to heat and chemical processes to turn copper ore into ingots. The ingots were then sold and shipped to factories where they were turned into products such as copper wire or tubing. The Quincy Smelter is the only copper smelter remaining in the Lake Superior Region.

Part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park, the site is not open to the public at this time. The Quincy Smelter site is owned by Franklin Township and is undergoing treatment to remove hazardous materials. Future considerations for the site include stabilizing the structures and possibly adapting some parts into a visitor center. I hope I get the chance to tour the site someday, it looks like an interesting place to explore.

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Shepherd’s Train Depot

Posted on March 10, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

The Ann Arbor Rail Depot, located in the town of Shepherd near Mt Pleasant, was originally built in the early 1890’s and served the Shepherd area until the early 1960’s when the cost of rail shipping just could not compete with the trucking industry and passenger travel by rail had been long gone and given way to the automobile. The Chamber of Commerce purchased the building from the Ann Arbor railroad with the goal of restoring the building to its original condition. Over the past ten years the committee has been able to obtain several pieces of railroad history for display at the depot. Including and Ann Arbor Railroad caboose and Engine.

I also found this old photo of the train depot, I wonder where the people were going to?

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Boon School

Posted on March 9, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I saw this old building near the small town of Boon. I am not sure but it looks like an old schoolhouse. The little town of Boon is kind of in the middle of nowhere west of Cadillac. Whenever I drive down M-115 I always see the sign for it and wonder how the town of Boon got its name. I have never been able to find an official record but I always assumed it was named after Daniel Boone but it does not have the letter e on the end so maybe not.

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Michigan’s Buried Treasure at Lake Benton

Posted on March 8, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Landscapes, Nature .

Northeast of Hesperia, deep within the Manistee National Forest, is Benton Lake. It is a small lake completely surrounded by wilderness other than a little rustic campground. As legend has it, back in 1874, a stagecoach was transporting gold coins to a nearby logging camp. The coins were to be used for payroll for the lumberjacks, but along the way, the stage was robbed.

The story that has been told for generations is the bandits feared they might be caught and be beaten or killed by the lumberjacks. They hid the gold in an old cast iron stove and then buried it between two stumps along the shoreline of Benton Lake. They supposedly never came back to retrieve the stolen loot. It is claimed that the gold coins would be worth about a half-million dollars. I am not sure if the legend is true, but if you want to look for the buried treasure, you can check out Benton Lake which is part of the National Forrest. I am not sure what the regulations are for digging on national land but in my opinion, the real treasure is the peace and solitude you will find there.

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A Miracle at Peterboro and Park

Posted on March 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This is the James Scott residence on the corner of Peterboro and Park in the Midtown District in Detroit. James Scott’s father also named James Scott was a prominent businessman in Detroit and when he died in the 1870’s he gave a large fortune to his son. He built this house in 1887, but from what I read Mr. Scott was not the most well-respected person in Detroit. When he built his house he wanted to purchase the property south of his, when the owner would not sell it to him he built a giant wall to block the sun from reaching his neighbor’s house, that is supposedly why the south wall has no windows.

when he died in 1910 he left the city $200,000. to build a fountain and stipulated that there needs to be a statue of him. Many of the citizens did not want to build the fountain because of the stipulation and felt he was not worthy of a statue. Some pointed out that he apparently never worked a day in his life and was best known for the time he spent in downtown bars. eventually, it was decided to spend his money and expand Belle Isle and build a fountain.

The home eventually was converted into apartments then suffered from a fire in the ’70s and was left abandoned, A developer completely restored the old building. It is unbelievable to see the transformation.

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Holland’s Grand Old City Hall and Fire House

Posted on March 6, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses .

Standing at the east end of downtown Holland’s shopping district, is the old city hall and Firehouse. I wonder how many people notice this stately old building while they are out shopping or enjoying a meal at one of the pubs. I know it’s not forgotten for there’s a historical marker out front recalling its history. The sign says

The city of Holland bought this lot in 1882, and contractor James Huntley began construction of a fire hall the next year. Completed in 1884, the building housed Holland’s city offices and library until 1912 and served as a fire hall until 1978. During World War II the west annex was built. In 1983 the firehouse was rehabilitated for use as office space. Grooves in the engine house floor that provided traction for the horses have been filled, and the doors, once replaced to accommodate trucks have been restored.

On March 8, 1884, some 150 people attended the Columbia Fire Engine Company’s oyster supper celebration honoring Holland’s new city hall and firehouse. The solid brick building reflects the desire for “fire proof” construction following the 1871 fire that devastated the city. The city clerk and a special committee consulted with the Grand Rapids firm of Robinson and Barnaby, and designed the structure with a tower to accommodate drying fifty-foot unfolded fire hoses. Originally a cupola topped the tower.

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The Michigan House where you could “Shoot Your Eye Out”

Posted on March 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This brick house with the gingerbread style roof and beautiful stained glass windows was constructed in downtown Plymouth in 1875. It was built for Henry William Baker who was the president of the Plymouth Iron Windmill Company. With windmill sales struggling the company decided to giveaway an air rifle with the purchase of every windmill. The air rifles were more popular than the and the company became the Daisy Manufacturing Company producing BB guns in Plymouth until 1956 when new owners moved the company to Arkansas. It was the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun that Ralphie in the movie A Christmas Story asked Santa for Christmas to which he got the response “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid”

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The Ghost Town of Podunk

Posted on March 3, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

Yes, there is a town in Michigan called Podunk. Actually, there are a couple of towns, in a few different counties called Podunk. This old schoolhouse in the forgotten town of Podunk is a few miles northwest of Gladwin. I could not find any info about the town other than the name and location, I am guessing it was an old logging camp, but it’s only a guess.

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The Iron Bars

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Parks .

I see a lot of interesting things at local parks around Michigan. From historic monuments to old locomotives but the park in Boyne Falls has some old jail cells on dislplay. They go back to the lumbering days when they needed to incarcerate rowdy lumberjacks. It is rather strange to see them in a park but they are an interesting piece of history. I know I would not want to be inside when those iron bars slam shut and the lock is put on them.

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St Joseph Lighthouse

Posted on March 1, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

The first lighthouse in St. Joesph was erected in 1832 on the shoreline and was the second lighthouse constructed on Lake Michigan. Two piers were extended out into the lake in 1870 to protect the ships entering the St. Joseph River, and a beacon was placed at the pier-head. In the early 1900s, the war department expanded the piers, and in 1907, the current lighthouse was built. It consisted of two lights known as “Range Lights” that sailors would align to ensure that they were entering straight into the channel. A catwalk was also constructed, allowing the lighthouse keepers to access the light during severe storms. In 2008, the United States Coast Guard decided the lighthouse was no longer necessary for navigation and gave it to the city of St. Joseph. The Lighthouse Forever Fund raised money to restore the landmark structure making it one of the most popular destinations for lighthouse lovers.

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