Monthly Archives: July 2021

The Courthouse in Onaway

Posted on by Posted in courthouses .

This impressive-looking courthouse with its clock tower stands in the northern Lower Peninsula town of Onaway. It was constructed in 1908 by Meritt Chandler and donated to the county in the hopes to take the county seat away from Rogers City.  Merritt Chandler was born in 1843 near Adrian, Michigan. He made a fortune in lumbering and building roads.  In 1886 he platted the village of Onaway. By 1903, Onaway had a population of 3000, making it the largest settlement in Presque Isle County.  He was unable to have the county seat moved to his new courthouse so in 1911 a drive started to create a new county for Onaway, to be called “Forest County.” The proposal failed, but as a compromise, county court sessions were alternated between Rogers City and Onaway until the 1940s when it remained in Rogers City.

In the late 1990s, restoration efforts began, and over $1 million was spent to improve the heating and electrical system, replace the roof and windows, refinish the interior, and install a clock in the clocktower.  As of 2009, the building houses the Onaway Branch of the Presque Isle District Library, the Onaway Historical Museum, the Chamber of Commerce, and offices of the City of Onaway.

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The Ada Covered Bridge

Posted on by Posted in Bridges .

Near Grand Rapids is the town of Ada. Rix Robinson built a trading post near present-day Ada in 1821 and made the first land purchase in 1833. A post office was established in 1837. Both the township and village settlement were named for Ada Smith, the daughter of the first postmaster. A Michigan historical marker proudly describes the history of the one of a kind bridge wooden bridge in Ada and it reads: An act of the legislature in 1867 authorized Ada Township to borrow up to $3000 for the purpose of building or repairing bridges in the township. This bridge was built about that time, apparently by William Holmes. The design for the trusses was patented by Josiah Brown in 1857. A timber bearing his name was uncovered during repair work. The bridge has been threatened by floods a number of times. It is said that farmers used to drive wagons loaded with stone onto the bridge during high water to hold it to the foundation. The bridge was closed to automobile traffic in 1930 and restored by the Kent County Road Commission in 1941.

If you are ever in the area be sure to stop by and walk across the bridge. It is like walking back in time.

 

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Moscow Train Depot

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots .

I know I am sometimes lost in Michigan but I am not that lost to be in Moscow Russia. The town of Moscow Michigan can be found along historic US-12. The first settlers came to the area in 1831 and it was Alonzo Kies who came to the area from Moscow, New York, and gave the town its Russian name.  The old railroad depot is now used as a township hall but a historical marker gives some info and reads:

A grand celebration and a baseball game greeted the Michigan and Ohio Railroad when its track reached Moscow on September 4, 1883. This Stick Style station, completed the following month, was “quite an ornament to the place,” according to the Hillsdale Standard. The two-room depot serviced mail, freight, and passengers for the two freight and two passenger trains passing through Moscow each day on the Michigan and Ohio’s Allegan – Toledo line. In 1887 the Cincinnati, Jackson and Mackinaw Railroad purchased the Michigan and Ohio and its depots. Successive railroad companies maintained the depot until around 1930 when the New York Central closed the line. In 1933 the building became the Moscow Township Hall.

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Potawatomi Falls

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

Potawatomi Falls are located along the Black River and drop about 30 feet. There is an overlook along the Black River Scenic Byway where you can see this beautiful waterfall named for a local Native American tribe. It is hard to capture its size and beauty in a photograph but if you are in the western Upper Peninsula it is worth a trip to check out these waterfalls and the scenic byway.

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Horton Bay

Posted on by Posted in small towns .

If you make a trip around Lake Charlevoix, which I highly recommend you do, you will travel through the small town of Horton Bay, Besides a nice little historic general store it has this white town hall. In front of it stands a Michigan historical marker that reads:

Named for pioneer settler Samuel Horton, this village was founded as a lumbering community in 1876, complete with sawmill, shanty boys’ boarding house, company store, blacksmith shop and draft horses. The store and many early buildings still stand. After the timber was gone, three fine restaurants opened: Dilworth’s, The Waffle Shop and The Red Fox Inn. Young Ernest Hemingway frequently came here to fish and camp on “The Point.” This area is the setting for several of his famous “Nick Adams” short stories. Hemingway was married here in 1921. Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did. 

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Miller Dairy Farm No. 1

Posted on by Posted in Barns and Farms .

This massive white barn with a green roof sits in the town of Eaton Rapids. It is one of the largest barns in Michigan. It is hard to miss the MILLER DAIRY FARM No 1 painted on the side of it. A historical mark next to it gives a little history of this historic farm and reads:

In 1896 dairy farmers Dennis and Mary Miller produced ice cream for the first time on this site, using a hand-crank freezer. The 111-acre farm grew into a business with 14 farms, 1,300 acres, 500 Holstein cows and modern equipment. In 1936 Miller built his own power plant in Smithville, which supplied 40 neighboring farms and houses as well as the factory. During the 1960s 22 Miller stores and 200 independent dealers in Michigan and Indiana carried the brand. Miller’s offered novelty flavors, like dill pickle. Its menu reflected the times. A 1969 Man-on-the-Moon menu featured a Sea of Tranqility Float and an Apollo 11 Sundae. The Eaton Rapids Area Historical Society acquired the property in 1992.

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Sault Water Tower

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Water Tower .

West of downtown Sault Ste Marie near the Lake Superior State Campus is an old stone and brick water tower. The 45-foot diameter tower was constructed in 1894 and the steel tank inside holds 364,000 gallons of water.  It is one of the oldest water towers in Michigan and was refurbished in 2010. That is when its wooden roof was replaced with a steel one.

P.S. If you are wondering, the oldest water tower in Michigan is in Ypsilanti. you can see my post HERE

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The Ruins in Awakon Park

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Parks .

Awakon Park in Onaway Michigan was the site of the American Wood Rim Company. While most of the factory is gone a few structures and remnants remain. Started in 1901 to build wood bicycle rims the company began building wooden automobile steering wheels in 1904. With the success of their steering wheels and the booming auto industry, the company had 1200 employees.

It was in 1926 that a fire started by a spark that killed 4 workers and destroyed much of the factory. It was decided to move the factory to Alma instead of rebuilding it in Onaway. The park has a trail that is about a half-mile long the winds through the property where the old factory once stood. You can still see some of the concrete structures and signage gives a little history of the forgotten plant.

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The Chelsea House

Posted on by Posted in Houses .

This beautiful brick victorian house stands in downtown Chelsea. It was built around 1878 for Michigan State Senator James Gorman, a politician, lawyer, and cigar manufacturer.  The house is now a bed and breakfast and is known as the Chelsea House Victorian Inn.

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The Old Grain Elevator in Ypsilanti

Posted on by Posted in Grain Elevators .

ypsilanti grain elevator

Roaming around Ypsilanti, I came across this old grain elevator and had to stop and take a pic of it. I find that in many small towns, the grain elevator is the center of town, but in some of the larger cities the grain elevators are not so important, but I am sure at one time many farmers would “head into town” to the elevator. Being a city kid, I don’t know much about the elevators, but I know they are usually the tallest structures in most cities, if they still have one.

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