Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Haunting at the Grand Traverse Lighthouse

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Lighthouses .

At the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula is one of Michigan’s oldest and largest lighthouses, It was built in 1858 to guide ships into Grand Traverse Bay. It is believed that former Lightkeeper and Captain Peter Nelson still haunts the old lighthouse. Nelson settled in Northport and became the lighthouse keeper from 1874 to 1890, but some say he never left. Volunteers at the lighthouse have claimed to hear voices in the hallway and footsteps on the hardwood floors.

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The Hauntingly Beautiful Masonic Temple in Detroit

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Detroit, Haunted Places .

The Detroit Masonic Temple was designed by famed architect George Mason, who also designed the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and the Ransom Gillis House ( you can see my post about the house HERE), with his partner Zachariah Rice. The cornerstone of the temple was placed on September 19, 1922, using the same trowel that George Washington had used to set the cornerstone of the United States Capitol in Washington D.C.. The building was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, 1926.

There is a myth that architect George Mason went broke funding the construction and his wife left him so he climbed to the top of the building and jumped off, but that is not true. He lived to be 92 years old and died in 1948. The building has over 1,000 rooms, and several secret staircases, concealed passages, and hidden compartments in the floors and strange things are said to happen, but I just think the old temple has a hunting beauty to it.

The Detroit Masonic Temple has been the largest Masonic Temple in the world since 1939, when the Chicago Masonic Temple was demolished. The stage of the auditorium is the second largest in the United States. The building houses two ballrooms: the Crystal Ballroom and the Fountain Ballroom which measures 17,264 square feet and accommodates up to 1,000 people. There is also an unfinished theater located in the top floor of the tower, that would have seated about 700. Several movies have been filmed on location at the temple including Batman vs Superman ( there’s 3 hours of my life I will never get back) A 17,500-square-foot drill hall has a floating floor, where the entire floor is laid on felt cushions. This type of construction, also known as a sprung floor, provides ‘give’ to the floor which tends to relieve the marchers.

In April 2013, the building was reported to be in foreclosure over $152,000 in back taxes owed to Wayne County. The debt was paid off by singer-songwriter Jack White, a Detroit native known for his work with The White Stripes. He wanted to help the temple in its time of need as they had helped his mother in a time of need. The temple gave her a job as an usher in the theater when she was struggling to find work. In response, the Detroit Masonic Temple Association renamed its Scottish Rite cathedral the Jack White Theater.

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The Road Less Traveled

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

Yesterday I was planning on going out on a whirlwind tour of the thumb to see what I could find. The steering on my old Jeep was a little shaky, so I stopped by my friends shop, after a ride up on the hoist, I found out it needs a little work, well actually a lot of work. I guess the Michigan back roads are a little rough on the old jeep, so I have to delay my trip for a little while. Since I am stuck at home for a few days why not put calendars on sale.

Now is a great time to get a calendar and help me out with expenses, and if you own a car, you know what I mean by expenses. I hope you will take a look at my calendars HERE

I can never say it enough, but thank you for following me, and taking the time to look at my photos, and read my posts. I do my best to post stuff you will find interesting and enjoyable to read, even if I ain’t to good of a writer.

The Iron County Courthouse

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses, upper peninsula .

The Iron County courthouse is a magnificent building, almost castle like, at the top of the hill, looking over the city of Crystal Falls. The Richardsonian Romanesque Style building which was completed in 1891. Constructed of regional materials, including reddish stone columns quarried from the nearby Paint River and yellow clay bricks.

You can’t miss this old courthouse when traveling across the Upper Peninsula on U.S. 2, as it takes you thru the city of Crystal Falls. As you drive up the hill, heading west thru downtown, the building is looking down on you, almost as if it’s judging your character. I guess that’s one more reason why it is such and impressive courthouse.

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Lost in Carson City Michigan

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Forgotten Places .

Roaming around Carson City, I came across this old building, which I guess is some sort of grain elevator or something. I am a city kid, and not sure exactly how grain is processed, I just know I can buy stuff at the store. Anyways, I saw this old place, lonely and forgotten, missing the days the farmers would stop by for a visit.

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The Magnificent Michigan Central Station

Posted on September 25, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots .

Standing tall in Detroit’s Corktown district, Michigan Central Station was the main intercity passenger rail depot for Detroit.. Built for the Michigan Central Railroad, it replaced the original depot in downtown Detroit, which was shuttered after a major fire on December 26, 1913, forcing the still unfinished station into early service. Formally dedicated on January 4, 1914, At the time of its construction, it was the tallest rail station in the world.

At the beginning of World War I, the peak of rail travel in the United States, more than 200 trains left the station each day and lines would stretch from the boarding gates to the main entrance. In the 1940s, more than 4,000 passengers a day used the station and more than 3,000 people worked in its office tower. Among notable passengers arriving at MCS were Presidents Herbert Hoover, Harry S. Truman and Franklin D. Roosevelt, actor Charlie Chaplin and inventor Thomas Edison.

During the rise of the automobile and the decline of passenger rail service after WWII the train station slowly became obsolete and by 1988 the last passenger train pulled out of the station. The station has been featured in several films Including Transformers , The Island and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

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How to do Michigan in Autumn

Posted on September 22, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn .

An old barn near Lupton

Autumn in Michigan is one of the most magical places on earth, and there are lots of ways to enjoy the fall color, but this is what I have learned on my leaf peeping trips.

Seven Bridges Recreation Area near Kalkaska

The fall color map that the tourist and news website use is more of a guideline ( as captain jack sparrow would say), I find that they are a rough estimate, but never seem to be that accurate as to when the leaves peek. I think the temperature and weather controls when the leaves peak, if its a hot dry autumn, the leaves will change different, than if it’s a cold wet fall. I find that looking at current photos on Instagram is a good guide as to how the colors are coming along, you can look at hashtags ( or as us old school people call it, the pound sign) and see what photographers are posting, just makes sure they are current photos and not ones from previous years.

One thing we know is the color starts from the north, and works its way down to the southern part of the state last. So obviously head north at the beginning of the fall and then work your way down the state to maximize your leaf peeping potential. I am not fortunate enough to live in northern Michigan and my budget is a little tight, but I find that if I stay in less popular cities, I can find a good deal on a hotel room. Like Munising instead of Marquette, Cheboygan instead of Mackinac City or Acme instead of Traverse City. I find I am gonna be traveling around to find color anyways, so where I stay is not that important. Another option is camping in one of Michigan beautiful state parks, and yes I have roughed it like Matt Foley, living in a van down by the river, but it was a beautiful river in Michigan, so it was priceless.

an old church in Mt Hope

I know a lot of Michiganders like to go wine tasting, and play golf, but I that ain’t my thing, so while I am up north, I like to go exploring. You could just drive around with no particular place to go and see what you can find, but I think it’s a little more enjoyable to have a few places to visit on your trip. My favorite places to visit are Lighthouses, most are usually open to the public, and some of them for a small donation, will allow you to climb the tower. If you are in da U.P. there are plenty of waterfalls to find. Michigan historical markers can be found in every county in Michigan, and you can do a little research and find some interesting places to see, I suggest checking out www.michmarkers.com for a list and location of all of Michigan’s historical markers.

Now that you have a few places to check out on your trip the secret is how you get there, sure you could take the most direct and popular route using the interstate highway system, but I suggest taking a less direct route on back roads, and going thru some small towns along the way. One benefit of back roads is there are usually little traffic, and its not a problem if you want to stop and take a pic. Yeah I know M22 is a nice drive, but there is a lot of traffic and it’s hard to stop or ever slow down to see the sights without someone breathing down your tailgate trying to pass you.

McGulpin Point Lighthouse near Mackinaw City

Going out and finding peak fall color is kinda like going out on the lake and finding fish, I have never been fortunate enough to go up north, and had peak color in a large area like is shown on the color maps. It’s more like small patches of color and some places may still be a little green and others may be past peek, but if you keep driving around and exploring, you will find some spectacular color in places, and that is when it’s time to stop and take a photo. I have learned if the color ain’t to good then don’t try to make something that ain’t there, just keep moving on and see what is down the road.

Now lets talk about weather, my kids are still in school, and I am limited as to when I can get out and go leaf peeping. It seems like when I do get a chance to go its raining, but that’s ok, I have learned on overcast and even rainy days, that when you want to get into the woods and take photos, it the perfect time to get pics of waterfalls ( a tripod is helpful if you have one). If it’s a nice sunny day, that’s when it’s good to get some nice landscape photos with a lot of sky in the photo. It’s best if you can have the sun behind you instead of taking photos into the sun. one more tip, I find that if you bump up the saturation in your photos, it really brings out the colors in the pics.

Also remember, if you live in Michigan, you don’t have to go far from home to enjoy fall. You can always go to a nearby state park or county park or metropark. Take a nice Sunday afternoon drive to get some cider and doughnuts, and if you live in the big city like me, you can always take a drive out thru the country side, and see the barns and farm fields. I bet you will even find some nice places to get some pics not far from home.

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A Dam Photo from Escanaba

Posted on September 20, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Dam .

It’s been a while since I posted a dam photo, so here is dam number 3 on the Escanaba River. It is the 3rd, and final dam, as the river flows into Lake Michigan. I saw it while traveling down U.S. 2, on my drive into Escanaba, and I found a nice place to stop and get a pic. I can’t explain why, but I like stopping and visiting some of the old dams around Michigan. I especially like it when the spillway is open, and you can see hear and feel the power of the rushing water as it exits the spillway. I am no dam expert, but I would imagine it is still one of the best sources of generating electricity. I wonder if they knew we would have so many electronic devices to power when it was built.

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I hope you will sign up for Email Updates so You Won’t Miss Any New Posts

Posted on September 16, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Make sure you don’t miss any new posts from Lost In Michigan. I only share older posts on Facebook and social media. Many people tell me they enjoy seeing my daily emails and look forward to receiving them.

If you’re coming over from Facebook, I hope you will sign up for email updates. I won’t send you a bunch of junk emails, it just an automated email that lets you know I just posted something new. and I don’t like to post more than once a day.

If you have already subscribed to updates thank you very much, you have no idea how much it means to me.

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The Old Hector School House

Posted on September 15, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools .

I found this little red school house while traveling along M55 south of Lake Cadillac. The sign out front said Hector School 1908, and it was the Clam Lake District No.5 School. Other than that, I could not find anything else about it, but I had to stop and get a pic of the little red school house.

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