June 2023 - Lost In Michigan

A House and its Story

Posted on June 30, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this ornate brick two story house not far from the southern Michigan town of Hudson. I got to wondering about it’s history and found it has an interesting story.

Hudson businessman and banker William Treadwell began construction of this magnificent house in 1862 but he never got the chance to live in the house. William was raised in the town of Hudson and worked at the People’s State Bank. In 1859,With capitol from his father, he purchased the bank and managed it. A few years later he was accused of embezzling over 60,000 dollars from the bank and had absconded with the money in a suitcase. The weeks after he disappeared he was captured in Ohio. He was tried and convicted and on the day of his sentencing he escaped from jail with the help of an accomplice. The accomplice later murdered Treadwell for the money in his pocket and Treadwell’s body was found in the woods two weeks later. The house William had started constructing was never completed in time for him to live in it before he was was apprehended for his crimes.

The house still stands today and is privately owned. When I saw it I thought it was an interesting house but I would never imagined I would find such an interesting story about the man that constructed it. The house was designated a Michigan State Historic Site, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974

The Sacred Rock

Posted on June 28, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Benchmarks, Historic Places .

Along the shoreline of Lake Huron is the Sacred Rock and it is huge. It’s about 20 feet long and 8 feet wide and 4 feet tall out of the sand. The Native American tribes used the rock as a boundary marker to separate two tribes hunting grounds. Legend has it that the two tribes chiefs argued over the hunting ground and Kitchie Manitou, the Great Spirit, dropped the massive boulder on the two chiefs to keep the tribes from going to war. It is said that when it rains the blood from the two chiefs underneath it weeps out of the rock. The rock is about a mile north of P.H. Hoeft State Park near Rogers City in front of private cabins. You can hike along the shoreline to the rock from the state park.

besides being a historic landmark the rock has a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers mark secured to the top of it. The top of it is a little scuffed up and I can only assume the wind was pushing the ice from Lake Huron across it.

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The Kraitz Cabin

Posted on June 26, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Sleeping Bear Dunes .

This little log cabin sits in the woods off Bohemian Road near School Lake. It was constructed by Francis Kraitz around 1856. He came to the North Unity area to escape the typhoid epidemic sweeping through Chicago. The cabin was originally built further south near St. Joseph Catholic Church. In 1945 John Kraitz (3rd generation) moved the house to a site beside School Lake and just a few years later, moved it across the road to its current location. The park service took ownership of the cabin in 2013. I had a few additions added on to it over the years including green siding. Recently it has been restored to its original construction. I am not sure what the plans are for the future of the cabin but it sure looks peaceful surrounded by the northern Michigan forest.

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Parker Mill

Posted on June 23, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators, Parks .

Parker Mill sits in the appropriately named Parker Mill County Park situated between Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti. The grist mill was built by William Parker in 1873, along the Flemming Creek. After William died the mill was operated by his son and grandson until the 1960s. After the mill closed, it was purchased along with the land along the creek to create the county park. The mill still stands for visitors to see how grain was milled over a century ago. Visitors can also hike the trail along the creek to enjoy a bit of nature.

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The Big Steam Engine

Posted on June 21, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

M-28 crosses over Trout Creek in the western side of the Upper Peninsula. It is there you will find a massive old steam engine on display in Abbott Fox Community Park. The mechanical monster was made in 1912, by Allis Chalmers and was originally used in a Minneapolis Minnesota flour mill. In 19221 it was moved to Trout Creek and used in the Weidman Lumber Company’s sawmill until 1968. Now it stands as a reminder of a time in the Upper Peninsula when you could not just plug a cord into a wall outlet for power. The flywheel is sixteen feet in diameter and photos do not convey the massive size of this old steam engine. Next time you are traveling along M-28 be sure to stop and check out this historic steam engine.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula I hope you will take a look at my new book Lost In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula available on Amazon HERE

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The Cutler House

Posted on June 19, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

The community of Cutlerville is located in the southern edge of metro Grand Rapids. In 1853, John and Christina Cutler and their ten children came to this area from New York and founded the town. In 1891 Cutler’s son John Isaac built this three-story brick house. The interior was embellished with hardwood and heated by a gas furnace. In 1910 the Cutlers sold the home and farm to what became the Pine Rest Christian Hospital Association.

The former residence was its first treatment center. In 1979 it was renovated and renamed The Homestead. I am mot sure what it is used for today since it looked rather empty when I saw it.

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The Gordon Beach Inn

Posted on June 16, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Iconic Buildings .

This historic inn stands in the southwest corner of Michigan in the town of Union Pier. It is nestled among the trees and summer vacation homes not far from Lake Michigan. The historical marker standing next to it reads:

Built in 1924 by Louis and Lena Gordon, and expanded four years later, Gordon Beach Inn was the centerpiece of the Jewish resort subdivision of the same name. The Gordons operated the inn for a decade before losing it in the Great Depression. Robert Miller, an African American and a former Chicago alderman, purchased the property in the 1960s as Gordon Beach was integrating. The inn was restored in 1991 to its 1920s appearance.

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The Barnboat

Posted on June 14, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Thumb .

This odd looking structure stands a few miles south of Oak Beach between Caseville and Port Austin. Titled CELESTIAL SHIP OF THE NORTH (EMERGENCY ARK) it was created by artist Scott Hocking. Constructed on Goretski Family farmland it was created using materials from a collapsed 1890s barn. It is an odd sight to see especially if you were unaware of it.

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The Old Waterville Mill

Posted on June 12, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Grain Elevators .

Not far from the town of Saranac is an old mill with a sign on it that read Waterville Mill. It is all that remains of the old town of Waterville. In 1836 Robert Hilton from Grand Rapids purchased the large tract of land and platted a village he named Waterville. Hilton believed the town would prosper from people visiting it as they traveled along the Grand River Turnpike. To help the little town prosper he gave land to James Hoag to build a mill. In 1838 Hoag opened his mill and store and it became the post office for Waterville. Unfortunately, the turnpike never came through the little town. About a year after the post office opened it was moved to Saranac. The old mill with its whimsically painted boards covering the windows still stands as a reminder of the short lived town of Waterville. Hoag continued living in Waterville and ran his mill until a tree fell on him and killed him in 1851.

Please note: I do not give the exact location of the mill because it is privately owned. If you do know where it is please be respectful and do not trespass.

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The Doctor’s House

Posted on June 9, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, Houses, State Parks .

I love exploring the historic Fayette ghost town in the Upper Peninsula. I especially like that they buildings are open for visitors to explore. There is one that is secluded in the woods outside of town that was used as the Doctor’s House.

Curtis J. Bellows MD, was a Civil War veteran from Ohio. He came to Fayette in 1870 and practiced medicine in Upper Peninsula town until his death in 1882. He was a popular public speaker, raced horses and studied electricity. He must have been an interesting character in the remote iron smelting town. Visitors can tour the home and see the way the doctor lived back in the town’s heyday.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula I hope you will take a look at my new book Lost In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula available on Amazon HERE

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