December 2021 - Lost In Michigan

Year’s End

Posted on December 31, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

The earth has made another trip around the sun and another year has come to an end. It seems as if there is never enough time to travel to all the places I want to visit but I did take a Sheplers lighthouse tour and see some of the offshore lighthouses to check off my lighthouse list. I also made it to Mt. Arvon, the highest point in Michigan. I am thankful that you could follow my journey around the Great Lakes State and hope that you had a great year. The past few years have been challenging but I am going to stay hopeful and optimistic that things will get better.

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The Leelanau Barns

A group of red barns stand in the Leelanau Peninsula north of Northport near the tip of the peninsula. I am not sure if is or was part of a cherry orchard but the bright red stands out the white snow of winter.

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Alden’s Depot

Posted on December 29, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

Alden is a beautiful little tourist town on the east side of Torch Lake. It’s probably most known for the Alden Mill House but I also like this old train depot south of town. A historical marker next to it reads:

In 1891-92 the Chicago and West Michigan Railway, precursor to the Pere Marquette Railroad, extended the line between Traverse City and Petoskey through Spencer Creek. William Alden Smith, the railway’s general counsel, advocated the line through Spencer Creek, and in 1891 the town renamed Alden in his honor. Its location aided travel and shipping between Chicago and Petosky, supporting agriculture, lumbering and eventually tourism. The Pere Marquette built this depot in 1907 to replace one that burned in 1906. Northern Michigan newspapers called it the railroad’s finest depot north of Grand Rapids. In 1981 the last train left Alden. Helena Township acquired the depot in 1986.

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St. Joseph Lighthouse

Posted on December 28, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

The range lights of the St Joseph pier lights illuminating the darkness. They were constructed in 1907 and by 2008 they were deemed excess by the Coast Guard and given to the city of St. Joseph. Nearly 2 million dollars was raised to restore the front and rear towers.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my new Lighthouse book HERE

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The Old Hamburg Fire Station

Posted on December 27, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses .

Traveling around the backroads north of Ann Arbor I went through the town of Hamburg and I could not miss the bright red fire station in the center of town.

In 1837 The Town of Hamburg Michigan southwest of Brighton was named after Hamburg Germany and a Township hall was constructed. The building stood for over 100 years and on a cold December day in 1954 John Moore who took care of the hall lit the oil burning stove to warm it up and it exploded. John Moore was fatally burned and died from the explosion. A fire truck was sent from Brighton and broke down on the way to Hamburg. The townspeople were able to get the fire under control but decided they needed their own fire department instead of relying on surrounding cities for help.

P.S. Thank you to all the firefighters, policemen and first responders who work over the holiday season.

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Clam Lake Schoolhouse

Posted on December 26, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

This old schoolhouse sits south of Cadillac near M-115. The stone over the door reads: Dist No. 5 Clam Lake 1908. It was one of the earliest places I photographed for Lost In Michigan about 8 years ago while on a trip with my family. Since then I think it has been used as a daycare, realtor office and an antique shop. Since it is close to M-115 I see it frequently.

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Silent Night Chapel

Posted on December 24, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

The Silent Night Chapel stands on Bronner’s property at the south end of Frankenmuth. It is a replica of the original chapel in Oberndorf/Salzburg, Austria, which marks the site where “Silent Night” was first sung on Christmas Eve in 1818. Wally Bronner visited the original chapel in 1976 and after receiving permission he constructed this replica in 1992.

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Michigan’s Oldest Church

Posted on December 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

I like posting photos of churches around Michigan since in many places churches are central to the community, it’s where people are married, baptized, and remembered at the end of their life. When I posted a photo of St. Stephens church in Hamburg the historical Marker said it was the oldest church building still operating in Michigan. But it got me to do some research to find out what the oldest church in Michigan is. When I found Ste Anne de D’etroit and read it’s history it struck me how important this church is, not only to the local community, but to the state of Michigan.

founded July 26, 1701, Ste. Anne’s original church was the first building constructed in Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit, which later grew into the city of Detroit. Ste Anne’s is the second oldest continuously operating Roman Catholic parish in the United States with parish records dating back to 1704. From 1833 to 1844, Ste. Anne’s was the Cathedral Church for the diocese of Michigan and the Northwest. The church also has the oldest stained glass in Detroit.

In the Early 1800s Father Gabriel Richards, started a school that evolved into the University of Michigan. Started the First newspaper The Michigan Essay or Impartial Observer. From 1823 to 1825 Richard was Michigan Territory’s delegate to the United States Congress. As a delegate, he was instrumental in gaining support for the Territorial Road, which linked Detroit and Chicago

The One Dollar Railroad Depot

Posted on December 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

I took this photo from the other side of the tracks on a freezing cold Michigan evening, but I love the way the Durand Union station looks all decorated for the Holidays.

Built in 1903 by the Detroit firm of Spier and Rohns it had a high volume of rail traffic as the Grand Trunk Western and Ann Arbor railroads crossed in Durand. It was almost destroyed by fire in 1905, but quickly rebuilt. At its peak, 42 passenger, 22 mail, and 78 freight trains passed through Durand on a daily basis and it serviced almost 3,000 passengers a day.

In 1974, Grand Trunk Western decided to close the station due to declining traffic. The historic building was going to be torn down, however, the city of Durand filed for an injunction to stop the demolition and eventually purchased the station in 1979 for $1.00 and I think it was the best one dollar investment in the state of Michigan.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

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Santa’s House

Posted on December 21, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

When Santa is not at his workshop in the North Pole he can sometimes be found at his house in downtown Midland. Santa greets visitors through the holiday season listening to wishes from children.

The house is also home to the Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School. In 1937, Charles W. Howard a farmer in Albion, New York established a Santa school in direct response to his displeasure with seeing other Santas in frayed suits and cheap beards, and an inadequate knowledge of reindeer. In 1968 the school was moved to Bay City and then eventually to the Santa House in Midland. About 300 students visit the school every year.

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