May 2024 - Lost In Michigan

Ogemaw Springs

Posted on May 30, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Artesian Springs, Nature .

Ogemaw Springs sits next to the railroad tracks northwest of West Branch. It was the main source of water for the town that is named after it. The spring was also used as a source of water for the steam trains that were used during the lumbering era of the late 1800s. In 1875 Ogemaw Springs nearly became the county seat, losing to West Branch by only one vote. In the 1890s the depletion of timber in the area led to the town’s decline. Only a few houses and a cemetery remain in the once booming town. It is a neat place to stop and look into the clear waters of the spring. Its not as big as Kitch iti kipi in the Upper Peninsula but it is still neat.

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Oak Grove General Store

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in General Store, small towns .

I saw this old general store in the small town of Oak Grove. It’s located north of Howell on an old mill pond. The town was originally called Chemungville. When the post office was established in 1859 the name was changed to Oak Grove. A few houses and buildings still stand in the small town. It looks as if the old general store closed a while back. The faded sign above the windows reads: Pearce’s General Store 1876.

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Vietnam Vets Memorial

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Island Park is located near downtown Mt. Pleasant where the Chippewa River flows around it. At the north end of the park is the Michigan Vietnam Vets Memorial and it honors those who served from Michigan. There is 16 plaques featuring 2705 of Michigan’s casualties, MIA’s, and POW’s.

The memorial was officially dedicated as a State Memorial on July 15, 1990. After the addition of the bronze “War Cry” statue in 1994 it was rededicated. The statue is a reminder of not only of physical wounds of the troops but the mental challenges that they endure. It is a beautiful and moving statue and memorial and if you are traveling trough central Michigan it is a nice place to visit and remember the cost of freedom.

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The Heroic Flight Nurse

Posted on May 22, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in people .

The VA hospital in Saginaw is the only one in the Unites States of America named in honor of a woman, and that would be the Aleda E. Lutz V.A. Medical Center. Born in 1915 in Freeland. a graduate of the Saginaw General Nursing School, she enlisted in the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) in November 1941, and was one of the most celebrated flight nurses of World War II, 1st Lt. Aleda E. Lutz flew 196 missions and evacuated over 3,500 men. In November 1944. She came into many combat zones while evacuating wounded troops. While overseas, she was active in European, African, and Italian battlefields. Several times she helped to evacuate wounded soldiers from the Anzio Beachhead, which was under fire from the German Army.

During an evacuation flight from the front lines near Lyons, Italy, her C-47 crashed killing all aboard, and she was buried with full military honors in an American Cemetery in France. Lt Lutz was the first American woman who died in action during World War II. Lieutenant Lutz had five battle stars: Tunisia, Sicily, South Italy, Central Italy, and South France. She was Awarded the Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, she posthumously received the Distinguished Flying Cross the second woman to receive the decoration after Amelia Earhart.

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The Lone Civil War Soldier

Posted on May 20, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

In the woods northwest of Oscoda is the Indian Mission Cemetery south of Mikado. Rows of white wooden crosses stand in the cemetery and most have the word “unknown” carved into them. I large black stone monument list the names of the known veterans and the war that they served in. At the top is the name John Michigan who served in the Civil War. It also states his grave is across from the church.

About a mile away is the Oscoda Indian Mission and across from it is a cemetery with a log fence and a solitary American flag standing next to a crudely carved headstone.

I can make out the date “died 1874” but the name is difficult to read. According to Find-A-Grave it is John “Keshechp” Michigan. Other than that I could not find out any more of his story. I am thinking he was Native American and his name was difficult to pronounce so he was just known as John from Michigan and it was shortened to John Michigan. But it is just a theory of mine with no real proof. One thing I know is that his grave stands silently across from the church and he deserves to be remembered for his service to the country.
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The Locomotive Boneyard

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

The North Shore Boat Launch is located north of downtown Escanaba. Next to it is an old Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad facility. A line of old locomotives sit on tracks next to the boat launch parking lot.

The facility is not accessible to the public but you can see all of the old locomotives behind the fence. If you love trains it a nifty place to check out and look at the old trains that are past their prime.

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The House On The Hill

Posted on May 13, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house standing on a hill in farm country near Cadillac. I don’t know what its story is, but it looks as if it has seen better days.

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Idlewild House

Posted on May 9, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house in Idlewild. It looks to have seen better days. Idlewild is a strange place to drive through. It was once a vibrant and bustling resort community for African Americans in the days of segregation. Today a few people still live there but there are several empty and abandoned homes.

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The Hull and the Lighthouse

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, Ships and Boats .

The decaying wooden hull of the Bernice D sits on the grounds of the Sturgeon Point Lighthouse. The 30 foot long wooden boat was built in 1915. It was a fishing boat powered by a gasoline engine. It was abandoned in 1981 and sits on display near the lighthouse. I wonder how many times the fisherman used the lighthouse as a guide while they were out on Lake Huron. Now the hull of the Bernice D sits in retirement under the watchful tower of the lighthouse.

If you love lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my lighthouse book HERE

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The Old Rugged Cross

Posted on May 5, 2024 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

About five miles north of Reed City next to S210th Ave is an old wooden cross with the words THE OLD RUGGED CROSS attached to it. The cross was erected in 1954 and stands on the property that was once home to Reverend George Bennard. He was a composer and preacher and is best known for composing the famous hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross”. He wrote it in while living in Albion Michigan in 1912. Rev. Bennard retired to Reed City where he died in 1958 at the age of 85.

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