April 2022 - Lost In Michigan

Big Red

Posted on April 30, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

On the south side of the Holland Chanel is one of the most photographed lighthouses in Michigan. The 1907 building was built as a fog signal building only. The light stood adjacent to it as a separate structure until 1936 when the Coast Guard consolidated the two by putting a light tower on top of the fog signal. In 1956 the tan colored building was sandblasted and painted red and was affectionately given the nickname of “Big Red”

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The Old Building in Pequaming

Posted on April 29, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

This old building stands in the trees in the Upper Peninsula town of Pequaming. There is not much remaining in the town today but back in its heyday it the entire town was owned by the Ford Motor Company. It was a sawmill town making lumber for Model-T bodies. I am not sure what this old building was, maybe a general store or an old boarding house. It seemed kind of lonely and forgotten surrounded by trees.

You can read more about Pequaming in my other post HERE

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Henika Ladies Library

Posted on April 28, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Library .

I love this little library in Wayland. Here is what the Historical Marker next to it reads:

Upon her death in April 1899, Julia Robinson Henika bequeathed two thousand dollars to the Wayland Ladies Library Association for construction of a library building. Her husband George H. Henika, and mother, Mary Forbes, later donated additional funds toward its construction. Grand Rapids architect Fred H. Eely designed the building, which the Wayland Globe newspaper predicted would be “A Very Pretty and Modern Affair.” The picturesque library opened in the spring of 1900. Although domestic in scale, the building gleans an impressive Richardsonian quality from the random ashlar fieldstone and Eely’s design. The stone used in construction was gathered from a local farm.

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What In The Sam Hill

Posted on April 27, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in people .

You have probably heard the phrase ” What in the Sam Hill ” It is a euphemism for what in the hell or other possible curse words. Interestingly, Sam Hill was a real person who lived in Michigan. The origin of the saying is unknown but a possible theory is for Samuel W. Hill who was a surveyor in the Upper Peninsula. Hill was a geologist, surveyor, and mining engineer in the Keweenaw Peninsula area. He was well respected in copper country for his skills and kindness in helping the community. Hill was also know to use foul language and when stories were told about him his name was used in place of curse words and that his how his name supposedly became a euphemism for swear words.

Hill was twice elected to the state legislature, and retired to this house in Marshall in 1875 where he died in 1889. The home is now used as a doctors office. A historical marker for Sam Hill stands next to it and gives a little info about the man, but does not mention his propensity for swearing.

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Curwood Castle

Posted on April 26, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in castles .

James Oliver Curwood was born in Owosso on June 12, 1878, and lived there most of his life. Writing and love of nature were his boyhood interests, and by 1908 Curwood was earning his living as a novelist. Most of his stories were adventure tales set in the Canadian north, where the author spent much of his time. During the 1920s his books were among the most popular in North America, and many were made into movies. The castle, built in 1922, was his writing studio, and a number of his later works were composed in the tower, overlooking the Shiawassee River. Curwood became a zealous conservationist, and in 1926 he was appointed to the Michigan Conservation Commission. He died at his nearby home on Williams Street on August 13, 1927.

The castle was given to the City of Owosso after Curwood died. It has served in various capacities over the years and is now a museum operated by the city, and is open to the public.

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Lost In Pinnebog

Posted on April 25, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Thumb .

I saw this old building, or at least what is left of it in the town of Pinnebog. It’s located near the tip of the thumb on the Pinnebog River. It was started back in the 1840s as a lumbering town. Another sawmill town had the same name, but when they established a post office the town changed its name to Port Crescent. That is where the state park is now and is named after the former town.

Some of the buildings from Port Crescent were moved to Pinnebog. I am not sure if this one was one of them but maybe it could have been. There is only a few houses left in the small town and I am sure it has been a long time since it heard the whirring of saw blades at the sawmill.

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Our Lady Of The Snows

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

I saw the Our Lady Of The Snows Catholic Church in Hessel in the southeastern Upper Peninsula. It caught my eye since it is a rather unique looking church. I was not able to find out when it was build or who the architect was that designed it. I see a lot of old and new churches while I am traveling around Michigan and this one is distinctive. I thought it was also interesting that it is Our Lady Of The Snows and I saw it on one of the hottest days of the year last summer. Hopefully I will get a chance to see it in winter sometime and get a pic of it with some freshly fallen snow. The Old Mission Indian Cemetery is next to the church but that is a post for a different day.

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Downtown Wolverine

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I like taking a break from the expressway in northern Michigan and take Old 27 to see the sights on the back roads. The small town of Wolverine was originally plated by the name of Torrey in 1881. After the post office was built that same year, the town was named Wolverine after the state animal. Old 27 or South Straights Highway passes through the town but most people just see the sign for it as they zoom past on I-75.

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Chief Noonday

Posted on April 22, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, people .

In a rural area between Plainwell and Battle Creek is the grave site for Chief Noonday. Marked by a simple wooden sign a a stone marker next to a farm field the great Indian Chief Noahquageshik ( known as Chief Noonday by europeans ) is laid to rest.

During the War of 1812, Noahquageshik was allied with the Shawnee chief and warrior Tecumseh during the Battle of the Thames. Tecumseh was killed in this battle, and Noahquageshik inherited his tomahawk and hat.

In 1836, after an especially harsh winter and a year-long outbreak of smallpox, Cheif Noonday signed the treaty, in which the Ottawa agreed to sell the Grand River lands to the United States in exchange for five-year reservations in west and northwest Michigan.

Noahquageshik died in 1855, and he was laid to rest in this spot in southwestern Michigan.

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Meinhardi Museum

Posted on April 21, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

I saw this old historic building next to the White Lake Area Chamber of Commerce in Whitehall which was an old train depot. It building was built by Dr Meinhardi where he practiced medicine and operated an apothecary (pharmacy), It was originally located in front of his house on 811 South Mears Avenue in 1903. In 2011, the building was moved to its present location and became a museum, depicting what Dr Meinhardi’s office may looked like in the 1900s. Artifacts are from same time period.

The building is open to visitors from Memorial Day to Labor Day and follows the same hours of operation as the Chamber of Commerce.

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