I saw this old shack, or house, or whatever it was standing in a field somewhere Trufant. I am not sure what its story is but I like to think it stands as a reminder of the early Michiganders that came before us.
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Spruce is a small town nestled between Alma and Harrisville and it has its roots in the establishment of a sawmill by Don Hecox. He also took on the role of the first postmaster when the local post office opened its doors on May 5, 1898. I’m not quite sure about the story behind the chicken images displayed in the building’s windows, but I find them delightful.
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Located near the shores of Lake Michigan, the deteriorating brick walls of the Frankfort Iron Works stand as a testament to Michigan’s industrial past. Built in 1870, these ruins once housed a bustling iron smelter that processed ore mined from the Escanaba region of the Upper Peninsula. While often referred to as the Frankfort Ironworks, the site is actually situated in Elberta, across Betsie Lake from downtown Frankfort.
Initially, the ironworks utilized surrounding hardwood as fuel for its furnaces. However, the increasing demand for wood forced workers to venture deeper into the Michigan wilderness, ultimately leading to the cessation of production in 1883 due to fuel limitations.
The railroad subsequently acquired the property, repurposing it as a railcar loading facility for ferries. Buildings were converted into shops and a roundhouse for locomotive maintenance. The marine terminal remained operational until 1982. Today, the grounds are a part of Elberta’s Waterfront Park.
While the ruins are fenced off to prevent access due to the risk of falling bricks, visitors can still approach them for a closer view. Though I have visited Frankfort numerous times, I was unaware of this site’s existence until recently. I highly recommend a trip to the park for those traveling to the area.
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The ruins of Michigan 27th Governor’s estate can be found on an Island in the Upper Peninsula. Sugar Island is located in the St Mary’s River east of Sault St Marie. Duck Island is a small island that is separated from Sugar Island by a channel and Duck Lake. Chase Osborn lived on the island until his death in 1949. He was born in 1860 in Indiana and started his career in the newspaper business. He married his first wife Lillian G. Jones in 1881 and soon after moved to Sault Ste. Marie. In 1889, he was appointed Postmaster of Sault Ste. Marie and, in 1895, the state’s Fish and Game Warden.
Osborn built an estate on Duck Island where he built two log cabins. The larger cabin he called Big Duck and the smaller one was called Little Duck. Between them was a concrete library that held his vast collection of books.
Big Duck cabin ruins
Little Duck cabin ruins
Osborn’s library
In 1910, Osborn was elected the 27th Governor of Michigan and served from 1911 to 1913. He was the only governor from the Upper Peninsula and he proposed building a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac to President Roosevelt in 1939.
Near the riverbank is a building built with logs. I am not exactly sure what this was used for. I seen it stated that Chase had a separate bedroom made with logs. He also slept outside on a bed of pine bows. I am not sure if the log structure was his sleeping quarters or some sort of shed.
Chase Osborne became a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents and served from 1908 to 1911. In 1927 he donated his property on Duck Lake and Sugar Island to the U of M. He made arrangements to be able to live at his estate. He had thousands of books in his library and they were given to the University of Michigan and Lake Superior State University.
Chase and Stellanova’s gravesite
South of the cabin is a large rock used as a grave marker for Chase and his second wife Stellanova. Looking at the dates Chase was born in 1860 and stallanova was born in 1894. Osborn met Stellanova Brunt in 1924, and she took a job as his researcher and secretary. Chase and Lillian Osborn legally adopted 37-year-old Stellanova, and she changed her last name to Osborn. After his wife Lillian died, Stellanova’s adoption was annulled. Chase was 89 and Stellanova was 54 when they were married. Chase died two weeks later at his home in Georgia. His remains were transported to Duck Island and they were buried under a massive rock. Stellanova died in 1989 and was buried with her husband on Duck Island. (I am thinking that Chase married Stellanova so she could get his survivor death benefits as his wife that she would not have received as his daughter.)
Osborn’s property and estate is now the Chase S. Osborn Preserve and used for research and instruction in natural sciences and forestry. When I visited the main gate on S. Homestead Road was open. I parked near the closed gate for Duck Lake. The sign next to it read that no camping or dumping was allowed but I did not see anything about trespassing so I assume it is open to the public. It is about a mile hike to the estate. It was an easy hike without any steep hills to climb. If you visit please be respectful so that it remains accessible. you can see it on google maps at the coordinates here 46.35820957281242, -84.13571232907873
If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula, I hope you will take a look at my Lost In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula book HERE
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The small town of Lovells sits northeast of Grayling along the north branch of the AuSable River. Next to the township hall is a log style building with a bell next it mounted on a log framework. The building was the Lone Pine School Built in 1907 by Ed Kellogg and Gustav Ernst. It was located at Jackson Hole on the North Branch of the AuSable River about seven miles downstream of Lovells. The school was used until 1936 when the schools were consolidated and the students were bussed to Grayling. The school was Moved from Jackson Hole, seven miles down Lovells Road in July 1991, and renovated and is now used as a museum.
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Not far from US-2, near the town of Gulliver, between the “Bridge” and Escanaba, is Seul Choix Point Lighthouse. Seul Choix is a French word for “only choice” and is pronounced “sis shwa”. It is one of the few harbors along the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula. That is how the name of the lighthouse came to be. It is still used as an active aid for navigation but also serves as a museum for visitors.
Stories claim the lighthouse is haunted by keeper Joseph Willie Townsend, who served at the structure from 1902 until his death in 1910. It is said that he passed away while in the bedroom that is located upstairs. Townsend and his wife lived in the lighthouse, and he was known to enjoy smoking cigars. Unfortunately, his wife was not a huge fan of the smell and smoke associated with the cigars, and forbade him to smoke in the house. Since his death, many people have claimed to smell burning cigars in the house. It’s believed that Townsend purposely smokes in the house in the afterlife as his wife can no longer stop him from doing it. People also claim to have seen Townsend’s ghost and that furniture is rearranged. Another strange occurrence is that when the table is set for dinner with the forks facing up, if you leave to retrieve something and return to the table, sometimes the forks are facing down. Townsend was known to set his forks down in that position.
If you enjoy reading stories of lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my book Light From The Birdcage available on Amazon HERE
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Southwest of Burt Lake a few miles off M-68 is the Ohioville Cemetery. The sign shows it was established in 1882. From what I could find on the maps and my reference books there was no town in Michigan called Ohioville. Many of the veterans tombstones in the historic cemetery show that they were in the Ohio Infantry. It looks as if many Buckeyes moved from Ohio and settled in the area and I am wondering if it got the unofficial nickname of Ohioville. Whatever the story is, it is a beautiful old cemetery and I can understand moving to northern Michigan from Ohio. The area around Burt Lake is where I vacation every year for the past three decades.
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