September 2022 - Lost In Michigan

The Hippie Trees at the Haunted Asylum

Posted on September 30, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places .

Hidden deep in the woods is a magical place with colorfully painted trees. I am not sure where the line between art and graffiti is but I know when I visited the Hippie Trees it sure felt like art with its spellbinding array of colors and I was expecting to see H R Pufnstuf jump out of the woods.

The Hippie Trees can be found in the woods behind the old state hospital in Traverse City that has been renovated into shops, offices, and apartments. It is now known as The Village At Grand Travers Commons. The commons own the property behind the old hospital, but there is a sign stating that its labyrinth of hiking trails is open to the public if they are respectful of the property. The Hippie Trees are near the middle of the property. There is parking behind the water tower with a map posted. Or you could hike from the historic Barns Park south of the commons near Silver Lake Road.

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The Winn Shopping Center

Posted on September 28, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

The sign on the side of this building reads THE WINN SHOPPING CENTER. It looks as if it has been a while since anyone has done any shopping at the shopping center. The small town of Winn west of Shepherd was started in 1867 and either named for Mr. Winn or for Wynn England. I have seen a reference to both. The Town was platted by Wiley Dush and he changed the name to Dushville. After Mr. Dush died in 1898 the name of the town was changed back to Winn.

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The Old Dock

Posted on September 26, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This strange looking dock sits along the river walk near downtown Port Huron. It was used by the railroad for a ferry that transported rail cars across the St. Clair River to Canada. It was constructed in 1903 and operated until 1933 when the need for it declined during the Great Depression.

In 1950 after Dow Chemical opened a plant in Sarnia the ferry service was put back into operation because of the rail traffic between the plants in Midland and Sarnia. In 1994 the ferry officially retired and the dock was left abandoned. In 2013 the old dock was refurbished by the Community Foundation and it makes for a nice platform to watch the many ships that travel down the St. Clair River.

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The Mini Mac

Posted on September 24, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

In the central Michigan town of St. Louis is a bridge affectionately known as the Mini Mac Bridge. It is off M-46 at the Mini Mac Mini Storage facility. I have driven through St Louis many times and I never knew this little bridge was there. You can’t see it from M-46 and I did not know about it until recently. It was built in 1992 by the storage facility’s original owner. During the summer months it is open for people to walk across it. The replica bridge is amazing in its construction with grates in the center and lights on the towers. It is located between US-127 and St. Louis and a neat little bridge to see if you are in the area.

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M-107 Memorial Highway

Posted on September 22, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

If you visit the Lake of the Clouds in Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park you need to drive down M-107 to the lake. It is about a ten mile stretch of road the travels along the shoreline of Lake Superior. You will probably notice a sign and a couple of boulders dedicating the road as the 107th Engineer Memorial Highway.

When the the roadway was built in 1935 it named to honor the 107th Engineer Combat Battalion. The 107th Engineer Battalion is a large unit of the Michigan Army National Guard stationed in Ishpeming Michigan. The Battalion traces its history to the Michigan State Troops, which was the predecessor organization to the Michigan National Guard. The 107th Engineer Battalion traces its roots to the Calumet Light Guard that was formed in 1881. During WW II the The unit built the longest tactical floating bridge in the world across the Rhine. The 1370 foot long bridge was built in 14 hours and nicknamed ‘Victor Bridge’ by the troops. The unit has also been activated for State Emergencies such as the 1967 Detroit Riots, the 1976 Great Seney Fire and several snowstorms in the Upper Peninsula. In the summer of 2016 they called into active duty and assisted in repairing roads in the Keweenaw that were washed away in a heavy rainstorm.

In 2001, the Michigan Legislature named officially named it the “107th Engineer Memorial Road ” The unit’s motto is “Good as Done!” Next time you visit the Porkies and are traveling down M-107 I hope you will remember that it is more then just a number for a road, but that it honors the men and women from the Upper Peninsula engineer combat battalion who continue to serve the state and the country for more than a century.

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The Sears House

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, State Parks .

Near the shores of Lake Huron in Hoeft State Park is a pleasant little house that is available for visitors to rent. This is no ordinary house since it is a historic Sears mail-order kit house. Built by park rangers and the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1929, it was erected on the road the leads into the campground. The model was the Sears-Roebuck Rodessa, but the floor plan was modified by the builders so the house could accommodate two ranger’s families if needed. The house has three bedrooms and sleeps up to eight people. It includes a Sunroom, game room, master bedroom with an attached bathroom. Sears Catalog Homes were catalog and kit houses sold primarily through mail order by Sears, Roebuck and Company. Sears reported that more than 70,000 of these homes were sold in North America between 1908 and 1940. More than 370 different home designs in a wide range of architectural styles and sizes were offered over the program’s 33-year history.

If you’re looking for a house to stay at in northern Michigan, check out the lodge at Hoeft state park. Or next time you are at Hoeft and drive past it going to the campground, you will know a little bit about this magnificent little lodge.

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The Old Store in the Leelanau Peninsula

Posted on September 18, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, Ghost towns .

This old building stands in the Leelanau Peninsula not far from M-22. It is located where the town of Good Harbor once stood once stood along the shores of Lake Michigan between Glen Arbor and Leland. I am not sure if this building that looks like an old general store was part of the town but it looks as if it was built a long time ago.

In the 1860s H. D. Pheatt built a dock in Good Habor Bay to supply passing steamships with firewood. Over the next few decades, a couple of sawmills were built. The town had grown in population and had a hotel, general store, school, and some saloons. The interesting thing is Centerville and Cleveland townships boundary lines ran down the middle of Main Street in Good Harbor. Centerville did not allow saloons, so Good Harbor’s saloon was built on the Cleveland township side of the street. In1905 the last remaining sawmill caught fire and burned down. Because most of the timber had been cut in the area the sawmill was not rebuilt. in the 1920a the old wood buildings still standing in the empty town were dismantled and the lumber used to build them was sold.

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Michigan’s Deadly Knights Templar Locomotive

Posted on September 14, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

This steam locomotive sits in R.A. Greene Park in Jackson. The Grand Trunk Western 5030 was built in 1912 and proudly pulled train cars along Michigan’s railroad tracks for years. On June 5th, 1923 A train was commissioned to take the Knights Templars of Michigan to a Masonic convention in Flint. The 5030 picked up passengers in Grand Rapids, Ionia, and stops along the way. As it was traveling near Durand the gravel roadbed gave way and the train derailed killing the engineer and fireman and three other passengers. 32 other Knight Templars riding the train were injured.

The locomotive was repaired and continued riding the rails of Michigan. It traveled to Jackson on a regular basis and after it was retired from service in the 1950s it was donated to the city. It is surrounded by chain-link fence, probably to keep people from climbing on it, but it feels more like a caged animal to protect people from getting hurt.

Last thing I read about it was that Jackson sold the locomotive to a historic train organization in Pennsylvania. As far as I know it is still in the park until funds are raised to move it to its new home out east.

PS. Thank you so much to all the people that came out to see me last night in Lakeview. It was nice to meet all of you, and thank you to the Tamarack District Library for Inviting me.

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Downtown Rockland

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, upper peninsula .

The town of Rockland sits along US-45 near Ontonagon. It started in 1847 when the Rockland Mine opened. It was a booming area at one time but after the mines closed the town dwindled in population. Today a few hearty Yoopers call it home. I went through town to get to the Old Victoria historic town site.

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The Old Building in Leland

Posted on September 10, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Murders .

The town of Leland in the Leelanau Peninsula is known for historic Fishtown. It draws many tourists to the seaside village but few of them know about this old brick building that stands near the center of town. The bars on the windows gives a clue about what it was used for. In the early days of the county it served as the jail. I am sure it has held many people but one person in particular made this little building world famous in the early 1900s.

Sister Janina, a nun in the small town of Isadore went missing, Years later her remains were found under the church and the local law enforcement believed the priests house keeper Stanislawa “Stella” Lipczynska committed her murder. She was held in this old brick jail while the prosecutors built their case.

Postcard of Lipczynska standing behind the bars of the door in the Leland Jail.

The trial garnered national attention as people read about the case in newspapers. Lipczynska was found guilty of murduring Sister Janina because she was jealous of the affair between the church’s priest, Father Andrew and the nun. When her body was found it was discovered that the nun was pregnant. Lipczynska denied having any involvement in the nuns death until they day she died. Exactly what happened will never be known but if you want to know more you can check out my post from a few years ago HERE

For the whole story I recommend reading Isadore’s Secret by Mardi Link. It was interesting not only for the murder, but understanding the lives and history of people living in the Leelanau Peninsula at the turn of the century.

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