October 2021 - Page 3 of 4 - Lost In Michigan

Marine City Hall

Posted on October 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Iconic Buildings .

I saw this magnificent looking brick building. It’s hard to miss with its arched windows and tower. After taking a pic of it, I noticed the historical marker proudly mounted on the wall. Built in 1884 at a cost of $12,300, this edifice has served continuously as the seat of local government. Marine City was incorporated as the village of Marine in 1865. It became Marine City in 1867. The first village president was David Lester, a prominent shipbuilder. Shipbuilding was the principal industry for about half a century, employing several hundred men. During the era of wooden ships, this city was one of the largest ship building centers in the Great Lakes area, with an output of nearly 250 vessels by 1900. The discovery of salt on Catholic Point in 1882 proved to be another prosperous business with major salt companies springing up as a result of this important find.

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The Ghost Town of McClure

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

In the farmlands in the center of the state, northeast of Gladwin, stands an old church on a lonely dirt road. The people of the little lumber town of McClure worshiped in the wooden church. It’s about all that’s left of the town named after lumber baron William C. McClure who built a sawmill in 1883. After the trees were cut down it became a sleepy little farming community, and the church, which is now the Lighthouse Prayer Chapel, still marks the spot where the town once stood. I always think of how hard it must have been for the farmers to pull stumps from the fields. Before the giant hydraulic equipment we have today, it must have been extremely difficult backbreaking work.

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Walker Tavern Murder Room

Posted on October 9, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Murders .

The historic walker tavern was built in 1832 on what is now the corner of US-12 am M-50 in southern Michigan. It was a popular stagecoach stop and later a tourist attraction for people traveling by automobile. In 1922 the tavern was sold to Fredrick Hewitt and he was known to embellish stories to attract motorists traveling through the area. Upstairs he claimed that a wealthy cattleman was murdered in one of the rooms. During the night he disappeared and a large bloodstain remained on the floor. Hewitt decorated the room with western artifacts and allowed tourists to see the room. No paper documents confirmed the death but it is an interesting story of one of Michigan’s oldest taverns.

The tavern is now a museum and is part of Cambridge Junction State Historic Park.

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Irontone Spring

Posted on October 8, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature, Waterfalls .

North of Gaylord on old 27 is a roadside park. A small creek runs through it with a couple of bridges that cross the flowing water. The water comes from a natural spring known as the Irontone Spring. The park is Frank Wilkinson Park named in honor of Frank Wilkinson who was the first Otsego County road commissioner. He owned the property and deeded it to the county after his death. Next time you are heading up north take a break from I-75 and travel along old 27. Be sure to stop at the little roadside park at Irontone Springs.

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The Port Hope Chimney

Posted on October 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Thumb .

From a distance, this tall structure in Port Hope looks like a lighthouse since it is so close to Lake Huron near the tip of the Thumb. After you get up close to it you realize it is something different. Thankfully there is a historical marker next to it that tells you what it is and its significance. Maybe I am one of the few people that bother to read the signs but I appreciate them. In this day and age of google sometimes a plain old sign still works extremely well and reads:

This chimney was built in 1858 by John Geitz. It is all that remains of the lumber mill established that year by William R. Stafford. Port Hope grew up around the mill. For a score of years, this town was the center of lumbering in the Thumb. It also became an important producer of salt. In 1871 and again in 1881 the mill, the docks, and possessions of hundreds of people were destroyed by fire. This chimney is a monument to those pioneers who by their courage and industry developed this area.

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An Upper Peninsula Skyscraper

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

After spending a few hours driving across the Upper Peninsula I came to the small town of Chatham on M-94 south of Munising. At the sight of this three-story brick building I thought it looked like a skyscraper compared to all the buildings I saw in the small towns I had been traveling through. In the stone above the middle window is carved 1904 THE PACIFIC.

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The Phoenix Church

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

On M-41 between Calumet and Copper Harbor stands the Church of the Assumption. It was in the heart of the mining town of Phoenix. The Phoenix Copper Mining Company created one of the first copper mines here, and the town was named after the company. The Church is maintained by the Keweenaw County Historical Society and is open to the public. You can walk into the vestibule (I think that’s what it’s called) and see the inside of the church through a plexiglass wall. It’s a nice little stop while you are out exploring the Keweenaw and yes it still has an ornate altar and wooden pews.

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The Ruins of the Ford Family Lodge

Posted on October 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Deep within the Highland State Recreation Area west of Pontiac are the ruins of an elaborate lodge. It once belonged to Edsel Ford and was named Haven Hill. The massive lodge was constructed in 1923 and used as a retreat by the Ford family.

After Edsel’s death in 1943, his wife Eleanor sold the estate to the state of Michigan to be used as a state park. Tragically the massive lodge was destroyed by a fire in the 1980s

Some of the foundations, stonework, and part of a stone chimney are what remains of the once glorious lodge. Circular stone markers are placed to note where the different rooms were once located. It is a fascinating site to walk around imagine what once was.

If you visit it is about a half-mile hike uphill most of the way so if you are old and slow like me, just plan on taking some time to make the climb.

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The Old Union School in Douglas

Posted on October 3, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

This two-story wooden school stands in downtown Douglas. It was constructed in 1866 and is one of Michigan’s oldest union schools. In 1843, the state of Michigan adopted a law authorizing separate school districts, located within a township that contained a city or village, to merge into a “union” district. Districts 3 and 4 of Saugatuck Township merged into a union district and used the school building which stands to this day. It had one female and one male teacher when it opened for the first school year. The school closed in 1957 and the bell was removed and hung in the new elementary school. In the 1960s the building was converted into apartments. In 2007, the Saugatuck Douglas Historical Society acquired the building and substantially renovated it, turning it into the Old School House History Center.

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A Roadside Waterfall

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

I know there are some grand and impressive waterfalls in Michigan, like the Tahquamenon falls or Bond Falls. Warner falls is probably not the most impressive waterfall in Michigan, but it is a nice little waterfall along M-35 south of Palmer in the Upper Peninsula. If you’re like me, and have to see all the waterfalls in Michigan, then this is a nice little waterfall and a nice place to stop and stretch your legs for a few minutes too.

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