August 2022 - Lost In Michigan

The Nancy Jean

This old wooden fishing boat named the Nancy Jean sits on display at Black River Harbor on the southwestern end of the Upper Peninsula. The 32 foot wooden boat powered by a gasoline engine was built in 1913. A fishing village once stood at the mouth of the Black River and in the 1930s the Nancy Jean was used as a commercial fishing boat. In the 1950s it was used as a charter fishing boat and then it was pulled up onto land an sat near the location of the long gone fishing village. In 1991 the Ottawa National Forest (they manages the Black River Harbor) purchased the old boat for one dollar. They did some restoration and put it on display as a reminder of days gone by at the harbor.

The harbor sits at the end of the Black River National Forest Scenic Byway. If you are in the area I highly recommend taking the drive down the byway and checking out the waterfalls and the harbor.

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Onekama Spring

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Artesian Springs .

This fountain stands next to Portage Point Drive about a half mile from M-22 near Onekama. It flows all year long fed by an artesian spring. I stopped and filled up my water bottle. There were a few other people that stopped so there must be a few people that know about it, probably the people that live in the cabins in the area. If you are ever traveling along M-22 near Onekama I highly recommend stopping and getting some water if you have some bottles or a jug. You can see it on Google Maps HERE

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A Sunny Day at the Lighthouse

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

This is the Port Sanilac Lighthouse that stands along Lake Huron in the thumb. I travel a lot in the summer and visit a lot of lighthouses on sunny summer days. I wonder what the Keeper did on calm sunny days at the lighthouse. I am sure they had chores that needed to be completed, but I figure they took a nap on a nice day Since they had to check on the light at night and and maintain the light and fog signal during storms I am sure they looked forward to a nice peaceful day. The lighthouse may not have been as needed on a nice day but it is reassuring to know that it is always there on good days and bad.

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The Old School

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I saw this old school somewhere between Kingsley and Buckley south of Traverse City. I don’t know anything about it but it looks like it was a nice school at one time.

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The Old Engine 4 Firehouse

Posted on August 23, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Fire Houses .

I had already taken pics of the oldest church in Michigan (Ste Anne De Detroit, you can see my pic HERE) on a previous trip to Detroit and did not plan on taking more but when I was in the neighborhood I saw the twin steeples of the church looking out over the trees and the houses and decided since I was near there why not get a few more pics. I headed over there from a different direction than last time, and that is when I saw the old firehouse sitting near the church, as if the the tall steeples were watching over it, and protecting it all these years. The numbers 1897 displayed between the doors gave away the year it was built but I found out the DFD stopped using the old firehouse in 1976. It’s still standing with it’s magnificent brickwork like you will never see on a new building. Looking at it, I can only imagine the firefighters going from a horse drawn apparatus, to an early primitive motorized fire truck, and then on to a post WWII truck with the fireman riding on the back, but the station was passed by in the 70’s before it could get a new modern fire truck.

P.S. thank you to all the firefighters who answer the call for help, It takes a special kind of person to run into a burning building.

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Lost In Michigan 2023 Wall Calendars

Posted on August 21, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in calendars .

Lost In Michigan Wall Calendars for 2023 are now available on Zazzle. Thank you so much to all of you that purchased a calendar last year.

You can find the Lost In Michigan wall calendar HERE

Last year I did a lighthouse calendar and this year I did a Michigan Barn Calendar. you can find it HERE

Thank you all for your kindness and support especially since I had to replace my broken camera. Zazzle is not Ideal but it works for me and they do a really nice job of printing them.

The Ruins Behind The Church

Posted on August 20, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The small town of Mansfield sits near the center of the Upper Peninsula. Not much remains of the town today after a devastating mine collapse killed several miners. An old log cabin style church still stands and has been restored by local historians. Behind the church are the ruins of some old cabins. I can only assume they were abandoned shortly after the mine collapse. You can see my post about the church HERE

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The Last Photo

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Photography Tips .

Here is the last photo my old camera will ever take. I was at the Grand Travers Lighthouse at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula and I saw the sunlight reflecting off of the glass. I took a couple pics then readjusted my lens hit the shutter and “tink” then it made some strange shutter sounds and the photos were black. I think the shutter or mirror broke.

I had my camera ( canon 5d mark II if you are wondering ) since 2009. I am sure that I have taken more than half a million photos with it and possibly over a million. I took all my photos with it for Lost In Michigan, Lost In The States, Pure Saginaw along with, weddings, senior portraits, tons of sports photos and family memories. It’s kinda like loosing a friend. I think of all the photos that I took and it has gone with me on many adventures. Time for a new camera I guess. I can’t complain the old one lasted a long time and I probably take more photos than most photographers. It may have been my camera’s last photo but I have many more I want to take and hope I am around for a long time to take them.

P.S. I could get my old camera repaired but I will probably cost more to repair it than its worth. I already had it fixed about 5 years ago.

The Red Striped Lighthouse

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

This lighthouse with the odd looking red stripes stands in Cheboygan. a few hundred yards behind it is a tower with a light and some red stripes. They are used by sailors when entering the Cheboygan River channel. The range lights and stripes are aligned so the captains know they are in the channel. The lighthouse was constructed in 1880 and and decommissioned in the 2000s.

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The Big Old Marine City House

Posted on August 14, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

There are several beautiful old houses along the St. Clair River. I saw this one in Marine City along with several others but those posts will have to wait until another day.

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