Monthly Archives: June 2021

The Rock Cut in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

Deep in the forests of the Huron Mountains in the northwest Upper Peninsula is a huge gash in the solid rock terrain. It was created in the 1890s to run the Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad from Champion to an ore dock near Skanee. A group of investors in the Detroit area thought they could make a fortune on hauling iron ore by train from a mine near champion. They spent about two million dollars and employed 1500 men building a railroad and ore dock. By the time it was completed the mine had stopped producing iron ore and the railroad was no longer needed. Shortly after the railroad was sold for about $100,000 and the tracks were removed and used downstate.

The Huron Bay Peshekee Grade Road from US-41 will take you near the famed rock cut. The road follows along the Peshekee River and constructed using part of the old railroad grade. It is not a trip for the faint of heart. It is about 20 miles of rough road back into the wilderness. When I got the rock cut it was pouring rain and the mosquitoes were eating me alive. I think I know how Percy Fawcett felt looking for the lost city in the jungle in one of my favorite books The Lost City Of Z. Although it was a long and rough trip back to the rock cut, it was one of the most impressive things I have seen in Michigan. I can only imagine what kind of hell the men endured to create it only to never be used.

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The Painted Lady of Port Huron

Posted on by Posted in Houses, Thumb .

Ornate victorian era homes painted in spectacular fashion are known as “Painted Ladies.” A spectacular example of such a house can be seen on Military Street in Port Huron. This stately residence was built in 1888 for lumber dealer John Jenkinson.  It is one of only three “Hyde Park Villa” homes built in the U.S. designed by Chicago architect George O. Garnsey. The house is still a private residence today.

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Superior Falls

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

Superior Falls is on the Montreal River that makes up the boundary between Michigan and Wisconsin. The falls are in the southwest end of the Upper Peninsula and are located in a gorge near a power plant. It is hard to tell from the photo but the walls of the gorge are about 100 feet tall. This is one of those places you have to visit to appreciate the beauty of these waterfalls.

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The Stone Building

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

I saw this old stone building decaying away next to U.S.-31 near Petoskey. I am not sure if it was a house, service station, or what it was. On the map, it shows the town of Bay Shore.  Eugene R. Sly and Nancy Stauffer owned the land and became known as Bay Shore for its proximity to the bay. by 1892 it had a station on the Chicago and West Michigan Railway (later part of the Pere Marquette Railway). A post office was established on July 15, 1892, which operated until September 30, 1964. Maybe this building was the old post office. I don’t know but I always wonder about it when I pass by.

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Plainfield

Posted on by Posted in small towns .

Not to be confused with Plainfield Township near Grand Rapids, the small town of Plainfield sits near Stockbridge. The first settler came to Plainfield in 1835 and the town was originally called Dyersburg for the second settler Phillip Dyer. When it was given a post office it was named Plainfield after Plainfield NJ. There are a few houses in the little town of Plainfield and this old store with an Alis Chalmers sign.

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Hackley’s Library

Posted on by Posted in Library .

Muskegon has many beautiful old historic buildings and one of my favorites is the Hackley Public Library. The Historical marker in fron of the magnificent stone building reads:

On May 25, 1888, Muskegon lumber baron Charles H. Hackley announced that he would donate a library to the city. Hackley stipulated that the facility be “forever maintained as a library.” Patton and Fisher of Chicago, one of the six firms invited to submit a plan for the library designed a Richardsonian Romanesque – style building. The library was constructed of Maine granite and trimmed with Marquette sandstone. The reading room windows depict Shakespeare, Goethe, Longfellow and Prescott.

Muskegon citizens celebrated the laying of the Hackley Public Library cornerstone on May 25, 1889, the anniversary of Charles Hackley’s donation of the library. It was the first annual celebration held in recognition of Hackley. The previous year the board of education had resolved that classes would be suspended annually on May 25 on Hackley’s honor. On October 15, 1890, the completed library was dedicated. The lot, building and furnishings amounted to a $175,000 gift.

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Michigan’s 26 Star Flag

Posted on by Posted in Michigan State Parks, upper peninsula .

I visit a lot of locations around the state and it’s always nice to see the red white and blue flag of the USA proudly flying on a flag pole. I took this photo at Fort Wilkins State Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula.  I have visited it a few times and never noticed it, but I got to looking closely at the photo. The U.S. flag seemed a little different. I counted up the stars and it only has 26 of them. Fort Wilkins was built in 1844 and back then, the official American flag only had 26 stars. The historic design from when the fort was constructed proudly flies over the fort today.

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Chapel Of The Two Heart

Posted on by Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

Near the mouth of the Two Hearted River in the Upper Peninsula is this log cabin chapel.  the first chapel was built in the summer of 2006, by Richard and Kathy Robinson and family, along with the help of volunteers. Unfortunately, the Chapel burned down in the Duck Lake Fire and a new one was constructed in 2013.

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The Highest Point In Michigan

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula .

The highest point in Michigan is at the summit of Mount Arvon in the Huron Mountain Range in Baraga and Marquette counties. Mt. Arvon is about a 30-mile trek from L’Anse. The last 15 miles it up winding gravel forest roads but it as much about the journey as the destination. At the top is a sign marking the highest point along with a benchmark and a mailbox with a logbook.  There is a two-mile hiking trail that leads to the 1,979 feet above sea level summit, or you can drive right up to it if the thought of hiking two miles uphill sounds like torture. You could probably drive up to it in a passager car, but I would recommend an SUV or truck. It would be best to do it in the summer months and avoid early spring when there is still snow on the roads in the Huron Mountains. If you do take the trip be sure to stop at the Baraga Convention and Vistors Bureau Center in L’Anse for directions and info on road conditions.

If you are looking for a place in Michigan to check off your list of places to say you have been to this is a good one. Just be sure to plan on a couple of hours of driving there and back from L’Anse. One last thing, do not rely on your GPS to take you there. You want to get to Mt. Arvon driving south on Roland Lake Road from Skanee Road.

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The Pigeon House

Posted on by Posted in Houses, Thumb .

When I say “the pigeon house”, I don’t mean a house full of pigeons. I saw this old farmhouse near the town of Pigeon in the Thumb. It probably has pigeons living in it but I don’t know. It looks to be in really bad shape. I am not sure if the guys from Bargain Block could even restore it. I had to mention the HGTV show because I am addicted to it right now. Two guys by abandoned Detroit houses and fix them up and flip them. I don’t normally watch those types of shows but it is Detroit and amazing what they do with some of the old houses they buy for a thousand bucks.  Sorry, I lost my train of thought. Anyways, I stopped and got a pic from the road and moved on. If only walls could talk, they could tell a story of the life this house once had.

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