Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

Copemish School

Posted on July 27, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

One of my readers told me there was an old school in Copemish I need to check out. I have traveled M-115 many times and noticed the “giant arrow” (you know what I mean if you have seen it.) but I have never gone thru downtown Copemish. I guess I a have always thought I have been to Copemish but actually M-115 passes next to it. I made sure to take a drive-thru town and I saw the light green school on the outskirts of town. It’s a rather large two-story building and much large than a little one-room schoolhouse. Standing beside the school is another building that I am assuming was the gymnasium since a small portion of the sign is left with a G and a Y and half of an M. I can only imagine the basketball games that were played there on a cold Michigan winters day. I wish I knew more about the school’s history, but I can only wonder as I look at it sitting abandoned.

If you like what I post it would really mean a lot to me if you will subscribe to email updates so you won’t miss any new posts,

The Chief’s Dock

Posted on July 26, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

If you have ever been to St. Ignace you have probably seen the lighthouse at the end of the pier at Chief Wawatam Park. The park was named after the SS Chief Wawatam which was named after an Ojibwa chief of the 1700s; he was said to have rescued trader Alexander Henry during the Ojibwa uprising at Michilimackinac in 1763.

The massive concrete blocks are what is left of the dock where the ferry would tie up and offload rail cars. Built in 1911, the ship was a special combination icebreaker and ferry designed specifically for the Straits. It’s entire life it traveled back and forth from St Ignace to Mackinaw City. It continued to operate after the Mackinac Bridge was built because it carried train cars. By 1984 the railroad ceased operating the ferry and sold it to a Canadian company that converted it into a barge.

I don’t remember the days of ferries transporting cars and trains across the straits but I do remember the tracks and railyard that used to be in Mackinaw City. They were removed to build the Mackinaw Crossings Mall. The old depot still remains and is now a restaurant. I wish I had taken a photo of the old rail yard to remember what was. I guess that is why I take so many photos of random forgotten places. I figure it is nice to remember what used to be, not that I want to go back but I think remembering the past is a good way to help guide decisions for the future.

P.S. The story of the lighthouse at the end of the dock can be found HERE

You can learn more about the Chief Wawatam ferry at their website HERE

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Zeba Mystery Church

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Not far from the town of L’anse is the small town of Zeba and close by is this little church. It stands along the shoreline of Lake Superior’s L’anse Bay Lake Superior. I am sure it was a church with the cross proudly mounted to the top of the steeple. Other than that I don’t know anything about it. I can only imagine it has seen some beautiful sunsets over the bay and some ferocious winter snowstorms all while holding services inside for funerals, weddings, and baptisms.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Camp Sidnaw

Posted on July 18, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The small town of Sidnaw in the central-western Upper Peninsula was home to one of several POW camps throughout Michigan. The camp was originally built as a CCC camp and after the capture of thousands of German soldiers in Africa, they were sent to the United States to be held as POWs.

Because of the large number of American men serving in the war the lumber industry requested POW’s be used to help with the labor shortage. 251 Germans were held in Sidnaw from February of 1944 until April of 1946. The camp did not have a fence around it just a couple of guard towers to watch the prisoners. It was not much of an issue. Most prisoners were young men who were drafted into the Nazi Army and would rather work in the sawmills than be shot at by the allied troops. One issue that did have was with the conservation officers who complained about the guards using machine guns and hand grenades to hunt deer while they POWs were out logging. The U.S. government sent limited supplies to the camp and some fresh venison was a welcomed meal.

Nothing from the camp remains. The guard towers stood for a long time, but they are gone now. I saw this old shack next to the tracks in town, and I can only imagine this little building saw many trains pulling in and out of town with POWs and supplies.

Find Interesting locations throughout the Mitten State with a Lost In Michigan book Available on Amazon by clicking HERE

Near Brimley is the remains of another former POW facility called Camp Raco, you can read my post about it HERE

If you want to know more about the POW camps in Michigan I highly recommend reading the book by Gregory D. Sumner titled Michigan POW Camps in World War II. It was compelling to read, I did not know so many POWs were sent to Michigan to work in the fields and forests. You can check out his book on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Downtown Montague

Posted on July 17, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

Noah Ferry founded the city at the northwest end of White Lake across from the town of Whitehall. He named it in honor of his father, William Montague Ferry, who founded the cities of Grand Haven and Ferrysburg in neighboring Ottawa County. The town is also home to the worlds largest weathervane but that is a post for a different day.

P.S. I am still working on getting comments to work since I switched over to a new server. Thank you for your patience.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

How To Track The Tall Ships

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ships and Boats .

Want to keep track of the tall ships locations while they sail around the Great Lakes? With the Tall Ships Celebration that is happening in Bay City this weekend July 18th to the 21st, they will be traveling from Lake Erie up the Detroit River, the St Clair River and around the Thumb. You can find their location on the lakes at this website HERE

After the port of Bay City, they travel to Green Bay so if you are anywhere along Lake Huron you may see them sailing to Wisconson, The ultimate thing would be seeing them sail under the Mackinac Bridge. If you are in the straits next week be sure to track their location and maybe you will get that chance.

P.S. if you want to keep track of freighters and other ships you can do that HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Painted Lady in Ludington

Posted on July 15, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses .

Driving into Ludington I passed several beautiful old houses. This Victorian painted lady really caught my eye. Built in 1889, by Dr. Frank and Fanny Allen Latimer the house is now a bed and breakfast known as The Inn at Luddington.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Middle Village Church

Posted on July 14, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

By the 1740s, French Catholic missionaries had come to the area near Good Heart, known to the Odawa as Waganakising which means Middle Village, to minister to local tribes. Later, missionary work was taken up by others, including Bishop Frederic Baraga, who dedicated a church at this site on August 1, 1833. The present St. Ignatius Church was constructed in 1889 to replace one destroyed by a fire that same year on Easter Day.

If you take the scenic drive down M119 through the tunnel of trees be sure to take the road next to the Good Hart General Store to go to Middle Village. Next to the church is a paved footpath that leads to a platform which overlooks Lake Michigan.

I received my first shipment of Lost In Michigan Volume 3. Many of you have asked about them and I happy to finally have some in stock. They may be gone soon until the next shipment so if you want to order one you can get them HERE or from Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Munising Falls

Posted on July 12, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

A few miles northeast of Munising Is the Munising Falls. It is a beautiful waterfall that is fed by a spring a couple of miles upstream. The water cascades over the stone cliff as it flows into Lake Superior. A parking lot and visitor’s center is located on Sand Point Road and it is a beautiful walk to see the waterfall. If you are in the area be sure to check them out. One of my favorite things to do in the Upper Peninsula is looking for waterfalls. Some are easily accessible and some are hidden deep in the woods. If you like waterfalls be sure to check out www.gowaterfalling.com they have a lot of great info about the many waterfalls in Michigan. you can find their website HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Starkweather Hall

Posted on July 11, 2019 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

Starkweather Hall is a religious and educational building located on the campus of Eastern Michigan University. It was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1972 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It is the oldest building on EMU’s campus. Philanthropist Mary Ann Starkweather bequeathed $10,000 to construct the building for a religious center. When it was constructed, it was the only religious center at any teacher’s college in the United States. After construction, it was leased to the University’s Students’ Christian Association.

P.S. hopefully you saw this post O.K. I think my problem was with the facebook comments. It was causing problems with the new server. I will have to see what I can do about having comments on my posts.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

« Previous Page