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Monthly Archives: September 2023

The Thing in Trufant

Posted on September 29, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I drove through the small town of Trufant located in the farmland between Greenville and Howard City. I saw this massive thing standing in a park in the center of town and wondered what it was. The massive tripod made of logs the size of telephone poles was used for pulling stumps. Using ropes and chains a crew of men used the framework to pull massive stumps left over from the lumberjacks that harvesting the timber. The stumps were lined up along property lines to create “stump fences”.

According to the sign in front of it the stump puller was made in the 1900s and was used to clear farmland in the region. After it was no longer used Donald and Irene Gustavsen came to be the owners of this unique piece of history. They displayed it on their property in Six Lakes. After Donald’s death in 2000 Irene donated the stump puller to the town of Trufant because it has a Stump Fence Festival every Labor Day weekend.

P.S. I have removed a small stump from my yard and know how difficult it can be. I cannot image how much work it must have been to clear all of the stumps to create the farmland in Michigan.

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Other SkyBridges in Michigan

Posted on September 27, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges .

The SkyBridge at Boyne Mountain ski resort is the largest timbered suspension bridge. Maybe you have already experienced it, or it is out of your budget for your family, but you want to walk across some amazing foot bridges. There are a few other bridges in Michigan that are free to explore. They may not be as impressive as the SkyBridge but they are still fun to walk across.

The Little Mac Footbridge

The Little Mac Foot Bridge crosses the Manistee River near the Hodenpyl Dam a few miles from Mesick. The wooden suspension bridge is 245 feet long. It is on the Manistee River Trail which is also part of the 4600 mile North Country Trail from Vermont to North Dakota. You don’t have to hike halfway across the country to visit this bridge, a parking area is on the west side of the river near the bridge. You can access it with your vehicle from Hodenpyl Dam road. You can see it on Google Maps HERE

Pigeon River Footbridge

This foot bridge crosses over the Pigeon River in the Agnes S. Andreae Nature Preserve near Indian River. The preserve has five miles of hiking trails that wind their way along the river. It is also home to the Nature Megaphone that you can read about in my post HERE  You can find it on Google Maps HERE 

Two Hearted River Bridge

Way up north of Newberry the Two Hearted River flows into Lake Superior. A one of a kind suspension bridge with wood planking spans the river for hikers to cross over it. The bridge located in the state forest campground and leads over to a sandy beach with rocks along the shoreline.  It is a strange feeling walking over the bridge as it bounces and sways, or maybe I just need to lose some weight. If you are ever up that way, It is a long trip down dirt roads but it is a unique experience to walk across the bridge. You can see it on Google Maps HERE

Black River Footbridge 

The Black River  in the western side of the Upper Peninsula empties into Lake Superior not far from the Wisconsin Border. At the mouth of the river is the Black River Harbor managed by the National Forest Service. The 210 foot suspension bridge was built in 1938 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It was reconstructed in 1967 and refurbished in 2009. The bridge is part of the North Country Scenic Trail and allows hikers to cross the Black River wit a spectacular view as it bounces and sways as you cross it.  You can find it on Google Maps HERE 

Presque Isle Suspension Bridge

The Presque Isle River flows through the western side of the Porcupine Mountains State Park. Manabezho Falls, Manido Falls, and Nawadaha Falls are falls along the river that can be viewed in the park. Near the mouth of the river is a campground and a wooden suspension bridge for hikers to cross over the river and into ninety miles of trails through the vast park’s wilderness. The location can be seen on Google Maps HERE

Croswell Swinging Bridge

Croswell swinging bridge

The small town of Croswell is located in the Thumb along the Black River. ( a different Black River than the one in the U.P. ) The historic bridge was built in 1905 by the Michigan Sugar Company for their workers to cross the river to get to work. The original bridge had just two cables which were used to support the planks, I can’t imagine walking across it without anything to hold onto, my clumsy self would fall in for sure. I am thinking the origins of the signs ” Be good to your Mother In Law” and “love Ye One Another” that was at the other end is an attempt to keep mischievous people from swinging the bridge. Eventually, Two more cables were added to provide a handhold. You can see the location on Google Maps HERE

If you love exploring Michigan, I hope you will take a look at my Lost In Michigan books ON SALE at Amazon HERE

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The Haunted Cemetery On Dice Road

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places .

Haunted Dice Road Cemetery

In the northwest corner of Saginaw county, north of Hemlock, there is an urban legend of a girl that haunts Dice Road Cemetery, like many urban legends, I think there is some truth that started the story.

As the story goes, 5 year old Anna Rhodes Fazio was living in Italy in 1816 with her family, when her father went insane, and set their house on fire, killing himself and her mother. Young Anna survived the fire, and sailed to America, and lived with her aunt in the area north of Hemlock. They became friends with the local Indians. Anna and a young Indian boy named Dark Hawk grew up together.

As Anna grew older she fell in love with Jonathan Millerton, and they were married, by the time Anna was 17. shortly after they two wed, Anna’s aunt died, and Jonathan had to sail the Great Lakes for his lumbering pursuits, leaving Anna alone. Dark Hawk became jealous of Jonathan, and began to sexually assault Anna, driving her into insanity. That summer a large storm swept across the state, and when Jonathan’s ship did not return she, feared him dead and committed suicide. Even more tragic, Jonathan returned home after she died, his ship sailed to a few other ports and delayed his return.

If you visit this cemetery please be respectful and follow posted rules.

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Michigan’s First Pro Football Game

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan Historical Markers .

A few miles west of Ovid along M-21 is a brick marker that stands next to a party store. I am sure many motorists have zoomed on past this brick monument  a sculpture of a football and shoe on top of it. to . It marks a significant event in the state’s history  and the location of the first professional football game in Michigan

The marker reads, “In the field south of this site on July 4th, 1895 the Michigan Rushers, a local team, played the first professional football game in Michigan, and possibly in the U.S.” The marker was erected after a 100th anniversary game was played in 1995.

It was not the first pro game. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first professional game was played by  the Allegheny Athletic Association football team defeated the Pittsburgh Athletic Club on November 12, 1892.

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The Home with the Double Doors

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

This massive white brick house with tan trim stands in Saginaw on Washington Avenue in The Grove neighborhood near city hall. A small red sign with the words “The Home” stands in front of it, and It is curious that it has two entryways.  The house was built by Timothy B. Corning in 1872 at a cost of $25,000. Born in Wilmington Vt. he moved to Detroit when he was 19 years old. When salt operations started in the Saginaw Valley he and his wife Ann moved to East Saginaw, which is now part of the City of Saginaw.  T.B. Corning was one of the founders of the First National Bank of Saginaw and owned steamers and barges transporting goods out of Saginaw.

The house was built as two separate residences for himself and his wife on one side, and his son Gurdon and his wife Ida on the other.  T.B died in 1874 leaving his estate to his Wife and son, eventually they passed, and Ida inherited the house and lived in it until her death in 1917,  In her will it was to be used as a home for elderly women, and it became ”The Home for the Aged”. Recently it was sold and is now a privately owned residence. I am not sure when the first duplex house was constructed in the United States but this one is historic and spectacular looking.

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The Cheboygan Crib Light

Posted on September 18, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

cheboygan crib light

The Cheboygan Crib Light stands proudly at the mouth of the Cheboygan River, looking over the Straights of Mackinac, remembering the time it once stood out there in the open waters, guiding ships and sailors safely thru the straights.

The Light was originally built in Lake Huron in 1884 on a “crib”, (an artificial-island landfill) more than 2,000 feet from the Cheboygan shore. The Crib Light is called a “light” rather than a “lighthouse” because it did not contain a structure in which a keeper lived. The keeper lived in Cheboygan and he would take a boat daily to the crib, in all weather conditions, to maintain the kerosene-fired light. This was hazardous duty especially docking to the crib in heavy waves during a storm.

In 1903, the existing wooden structure was torn down to a depth of 12 inches (300 mm) into the water and a new sturdier concrete steel structure was erected. In 1906, the rebuilt light was severely damaged when a schooner hit it. In 1911 an automated fog bell was installed, sounding a characteristic single stroke every ten seconds.

cheboygan crib light

The Cheboygan Crib Light before it was moved to it current location at the mouth of the Cheboygan River

In 1920, the Lighthouse Service oversaw the automation of the Crib Light. In the Crib Light’s new incarnation, kerosene was no longer necessary; instead, a traveling crew periodically delivered tanks of the flammable gas acetylene. A reliable pilot light burned day and night. When the sunset, the resulting drop in temperature would open a precision valve and release a flow of acetylene against the pilot light, causing the light to shine. When last Lighthouse keeper left in 1929, the old light quickly degraded.

In the second half of the 20th century, the invention of radar and other electronic aids to navigation began to render many Great Lakes navigational light towers redundant. The Crib Light was considered by the Coast Guard to be “surplus” property. In 1984, the Crib Light tower was removed from its crib and placed on its current base located on the Gordon Turner Park pier head.

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2024 Lost In Michigan Wall Calendars Now Avialable

Posted on September 15, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in calendars .

It’s that time of year again. Time to start thinking about next year and publish my Lost In Michigan wall calendar. The are available on Zazzle HERE.

Thank you all so much to all of you that have purchased a calendar throughout the years. Your kindness and support really means a lot to me. I know Zazzle is not ideal but it was the best option that I could. They handle all the printing and shipping and it allows me to continue working on new posts.

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Hanging out in Sparr

Posted on September 13, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

When I was a teenager, the place to hang out was the Mall. Now that I am older I don’t go to the mall that often since the type of stores in the mall “ain’t my cup of tea” as they say, and the arcade is gone also. I did find the Sparr Mall northeast of Gaylord, in the town of Sparr, and that’s more my style of where I like to shop.

The town of Sparr was named after Philip Sparr who settled in the area in 1873. The town eventually got a station on the Gaylord & Alpena Railroad, but it’s gone now, although the mall is still in business.

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The Twin Towers

Posted on September 11, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

On this date a few years ago, I was heading home from a long trip around the U.P. As I was crossing the big green bridge, the Stars And Strips were proudly flying on one of the twin towers of the bridge. At the moment I saw the flag I remembered that it was 9-11. I was not alive for the infamous attack on Pearl Harbor, or when President Kennedy was assassinated, but I remember the morning of September 11th vividly. I will never forget that day, and I am thankful for the women and men who diligently protect the United States Of America.

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The Courthouse in Paw Paw

Posted on September 6, 2023 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses .

The magnificent looking Van Buren County Courthouse stands in the city of Paw Paw. Construction began in 1901 and took a year and a half to complete. It replaced an earlier courthouse that is now the Paw Paw City Hall.  The town of Paw Paw got its name from the Paw Paw river that flows nearby. It was named by the Native Americans for the paw paw fruit that grew along the banks of the river.

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