Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Ruins in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Along the shoreline of Lake Superior are a tall smokestack and concrete ruins. It is near the town of Freda west of Houghton in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The maze of weathered concrete and rusty rebar is what remains of the Champion Mill that processed the copper-rich rocks. Trains would pull into the mill and dump their cars filled with copper infused rocks. The mill would pulverize the rocks and mix them with water from lake superior creating a sludge rich in copper. It was then taken by train to Houghton for further processing and then poured into ingots and shipped around the world.

Close-up view of the ruins

The mill closed in 1967 and it was stripped of any metal for scrap. I made the trip to see the ruins, but the road stops at a cliff that overlooks the remains. A barbed-wire fence restricts people from getting to close. It was interesting to see and hard to capture the immense size in a photo. Unfortunately, access to visitors is not allowed. I also stopped to see the waterfalls and old train bridge in nearby Redridge. You can find the post by clicking HERE

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The Old Farmhouse

Posted on January 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I saw this old farmhouse somewhere near Ionia. I don’t have any history or story to go with it. I saw it by the road as I was driving by so I had to stop and take a photo. If walls could talk I am sure they could tell a great story but unfortunately, they don’t. Sometimes I have to let the photo and your imagination create the story for me.

Thank you for following and I hope you are having a warm and safe winter.

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The Ghost Town of North Unity

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns .

In the 1850s, With the lack of work in Chicago, some Bohemian ( present-day Czech Republic) and German immigrants left the city and sailed Lake Michigan looking for paradise. They landed in Good Harbor in the Leelanau Peninsula. After trekking about 10 miles inland they found a beautiful piece of land to establish a new community they called North Unity. With the spread of Typhoid throughout Chicago, their family and friends left in October to start a new town in Northern Michigan. With winter coming they decided to build a large 150-foot long barrack. It was divided up inside with walls to house each family until they could build houses and establish farms in the spring.

The first winter was extremely challenging for the group. They had brought little supplies with them, and because of the winter, they were not able to grow food to feed their families. The local ponds and lakes were frozen over and they could not fish either. They purchased some corn from the local Indians and managed to keep off starving to death in time for the spring thaw.

In the spring they built permanent houses and farms and over the next few years, the little community began to prosper. Other people began moving to the little town in the Leelanau Peninsula. Eventually, a schoolhouse and a gristmill were constructed and John Shalda built a general store. Sadly in 1871 forest fires swept through Michigan and with it destroyed most of the buildings and houses of North Unity.

The people of the devastated community moved further inland to the area near the corner of M-22 and Bohemian Road. (County Road 669) They started a new community and built new houses and other buildings including a church. John Shalda built a new general store and a log cabin. Not far away a new school was constructed. Most of the buildings are gone and nothing remains of the original site of North Unity. The log cabin John Shalda constructed and the old log schoolhouse can still be seen today along M-22.

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Presentation at Shiawassee Historical Society

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in presentations .

I will be giving a presentation at the Shiawassee Historical Society on Sunday, January 26th at 2:00 PM. It will be at the Museum at 1997 North M-52 on the corner of M-52 and Wilkinson Rd in Owosso. you can find it on google maps by clicking HERE

I will be showing some of my photos and telling stories about a few of my trips around Michigan. After the presentation, I will be hanging around to sign and sell books. If you have a book already bring it with you and I will be happy to autograph it. If you can’t make it and you want to purchase one. you can order them from Amazon by clicking HERE

I hope you can make it out to Owosso, It is always nice to meet people out in “real life”

Lansing’s Old Depot

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

If you travel to the Capitol Building in Lansing along East Michigan Avenue you will pass by the old Union Train Depot. It was built in 1901 to handle all the passenger trains traveling through the state capitol. By 1971 passenger service ended and in 1978 the old depot was purchased and converted into a restaurant. The restaurant closed in 2016 and now the grand old station sits empty waiting for its next purpose.

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A Michigan Ghost Town

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Ghost towns .

When most people hear the words “ghost town” they usually envision an old deserted wild west town in the American southwestern desert. While many of the towns sprang up around mines for silver and gold, Michigan had several towns that were built around a sawmill. Michiganders were not mining for gold but they were earning it by cutting timber and selling lumber. The remains of one of the few remaining sawmill towns can be found within the Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve near Johannesburg.

The remains of the Johannesburg manufacturing Co. are deep within the preserve. The buildings have collapsed under the Michigan snow but the framework of the old well pump is still standing. Rusty old trucks and equipment rest silently along the road that once leads to the town. If you are looking for something a little different to explore this summer be sure to check it out.

You can find other interesting locations to visit in the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available HERE

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The Oldest Lighthouse In Michigan

Posted on January 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

The Fort Gratiot Light standing near the Mouth of the St. Clare River in Port Huron is the oldest lighthouse still standing in Michigan. It was first constructed in 1825 and the first lighthouse on Lake Huron. It was rebuilt in 1861 and still stands as an active aid to navigation today.

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Ultimate Michigan Road Trip Off The Beaten Path

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

After years of living in Michigan and visiting the popular tourist spots, I wanted to find other places to see. If you are looking for new places to discover and explore this summer here is a list of some of my favorite places throughout Michigan. Check out the list below. Some are really off the beaten path and are challenging to get to like the Rocket Range and Crisp Point Lighthouse. Be sure you use your judgment if you can make it or not. I recommend visiting some in the summer when the logging roads are dry.

1 Rocket Range
2 Quincy Dredge
3 Lake Of The Clouds
4 Ford’s Sawmill
5 Bond Falls
6 Alder Falls
7 Sable Falls
8 Crisp Point Lighthouse
9 Seul Choix Lighthouse
10 Sacred Rock
11 Middle Village
12 Ocqueoc Falls
13 Old Presque Isle Lighthouse
14 Woolsey Memorial Airport
15 Boekelodge
16 Transportation Cairn
17 Pere Cheney
18 Harrisville Depot
19 Iargo Springs
20 Mouth Cemetery
21 Curwood Castle
22 Huron City
23 Port Hope Chimney
24 Fallasburg Bridge
25 Stepping Stone Falls
26 Felt Mansion
27 Climax Post Office
28 War Dog Memorial
29 The Witch’s Ball
30 House Of David
31 McCourtie Park

You can find out more about each destination and the exact location in the Lost In Michigan book series available on Amazon HERE

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The Last Post …. Of The Decade

Posted on December 31, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Nature .

Here it is, December 31st, 2019. It is my last post for the decade and I was not sure what to post. I went through some of my photos. I think this one on a back road in Autumn somewhere near Hell Michigan is one of my favorites. Thank you so much for going on this journey around the Mitten State with me. I have created almost one thousand posts since I started this website back in 2013 and hope to surpass the 1k mark soon. I do my best to keep my posts random and from all parts of the peninsulas.

I am not sure where the road will lead next but I have a lot of places I want to visit in the next decade. I hope you will follow me as I explore new places and as always thank you for taking the time to read my posts.

Have a happy New Year and a prosperous decade. See ya on the flip side

Mike Sonnenberg.

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The Red House

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

I was driving around the historic district in Cadillac admiring the houses when I saw this grand old red house on the corner. I could not find any history or info about it but I thought it was a beautiful looking house. I always enjoy getting off the main road away from the shops and touring some of Michigan’s city’s historic districts. They are usually private homes but there are some beautiful old houses mostly built by lumber barons.

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