September 2025 - Lost In Michigan

The Rusting Paddle Wheel

In DeTour Village, a fascinating piece of maritime history sits just off the shoreline of the St. Mary’s River. Between two private houses, a large, rusting paddle wheel rises out of the water, an intriguing relic whose origins are a mystery.

Next to the paddle wheel are the remains of the Sainte Marie, a wooden barge with a rich history. Originally built in 1893, the vessel was used as a ferry to carry people and railroad cars across the Straits of Mackinac before the Mackinac Bridge was constructed.

In 1913, the Sainte Marie was sold to T.L. Durocher of DeTour, who repurposed it for his salvage and dredge business. After its useful life as a barge ended around1927, Mr. Durocher abandoned the vessel alongside his property in DeTour Village, where it remains to this day. I could not find out where the paddle wheel came from, maybe a remnant of the salvage business. Whatever it’s history is, it is an interesting sight to see when driving through DeTour.

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Nels Anderson’s Barn

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Not far off the Triple A road past the Eagle Mine out in the middle of the woods are the ruins of a log structure. It about a 20 mile drive from Big Bay and is in the middle of nowhere. It shows up on Google maps as Nels Anderson’s Barn. I tried to find out more but was not too successful. A few different Nels Andersons from Wisconsin and Minnesota came up so I am not sure if any of them built what is remaining of this old barn. I drove my truck out to it and the roads got a little tight. I imagine it is known by people who have ATVs and side by sides.

P.S. I have been exploring the UP for years and I am still finding interesting places and things, and the more remote they are the more I like them.

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The Old Building in Jerome

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

This old building, or at least what remains of it stands in the small southern Michigan town of Jerome. It looks as if nature is trying to pull it down with vines and shrubs growing all around it. It looks so much different in the winter time. You can see my photo of it without the leaves HERE

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The Old Yukon Inn

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The old Yukon Inn sits quietly in the Upper Peninsula town of Paradise. Travelers pass by it on their way to the falls or the lighthouse at the tip of Whitefish Point. I’m not sure when it closed, but it has been a long time. The log cabin exterior makes it look like it was built a long time ago. I hope someday someone will fix it up and get back to selling beer and burgers to snowmobilers and travelers.

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The Big Wooden Barrel

Posted on September 19, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Iconic Buildings .

Located just west of downtown Douglas, at the corner of Ferry and Center Street, stands an enormous wooden barrel. This local icon, a favorite spot for summer treats, was almost lost to history.

Built in 1952, the barrel was originally a root beer stand designed to attract beachgoers. Over the years, it changed hands and eventually fell into disrepair, sitting abandoned and deteriorating in the Michigan weather for decades. The barrel was even slated for demolition until the Saugatuck-Douglas Historical Society intervened with a plan to save it.

The community rallied, raising funds and providing over 600 hours of volunteer labor. In 2011, the barrel’s lead paint was removed, and it was dismantled and moved to a garage. Volunteers repaired and sealed the 120 wooden staves, while students from the Saugatuck High School Industrial Arts Program fabricated a new steel base ring and support structure.

In June 2015, ownership officially transferred to the City of the Village of Douglas. By 2016, the beloved barrel was back in business, once again welcoming tourists and selling them treats.

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Pelkie’s School Bus

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

Just outside of Baraga, at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula, is the small town of Pelkie. Here you’ll find a one-room schoolhouse, originally built in 1909, that has since been converted into a museum. It’s a classic example of a rural schoolhouse and is open to visitors on Sundays during the summer.

On the museum grounds, under a protective cover, sits a peculiar-looking wagon. A brass plaque identifies it as a horse-drawn school bus, a homemade contraption built in 1933 and donated to the museum in 1982. It’s so odd-looking that you can’t help but wonder what the inside is like. Unfortunately, the museum was closed during my visit, so I’ll have to make a return trip to get a peek inside.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula I hope you will take a look at my Upper Peninsula book on sale at Amazon HERE https://amzn.to/3Bn9lKc

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The Climax RFD Monument

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

On December 3, 1896, Climax, Michigan was chosen as the location for one of the first experimental rural mail delivery routes in the United States. This service allowed rural residents, who previously had to travel long distances to a post office, to receive mail directly at their homes. The monument stands as a testament to this significant advancement in postal service and its impact on connecting rural communities to the wider world.

Dedicated on July 26, 1917, the ten-foot-tall monument was a community effort, with nearly 300 farmers from the original rural routes each contributing a stone from their farm to its construction. The monument features four bronze tablets, with each side commemorating a group that was critical in bringing the service to the town. The monument’s unique construction with stones from local farms symbolizes the shared community appreciation for this vital service.

Not far from the Mounument is the towns unique stone post office. It is now a musuem after a new post office was built across the street. Climax got its name in 1834, when the family of Judge Caleb Eldred found a prairie after months of searching for good farmland. His son, Daniel B. Eldred, climbed a tree to look around and said, “This caps the climax of everything we saw.”

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The Orpan Train and Dowagiac

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

The Dowagiac train depot, which was built in 1903, stands as a notable landmark in downtown Dowagiac. The original depot on this site holds historical significance as it welcomed the very first Orphan Train to arrive in Michigan. This was part of a larger, controversial social experiment that lasted from the 1850s to 1929. The trains transported thousands of homeless and orphaned children from the crowded cities of the East Coast to the rural farmlands of the Midwest and West, with the goal of finding them new homes and a better life.

The reality for these children was a mix of hope and hardship. When the Orphan Trains pulled into a new town, the children were often put on public display in places like hotels or town halls. Prospective families would inspect them, sometimes treating the children more like objects or laborers than future family members. While some children were fortunate enough to find loving homes, many were exploited as cheap labor or indentured servants. Siblings were frequently separated, and children were often encouraged to sever all ties with their past, sometimes even adopting new names. This led to a wide range of outcomes, from successful adoptions to cases of abuse and neglect. The Orphan Train movement eventually came to an end in 1929 as a result of changing social attitudes and the development of more formal child welfare laws.

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