Mike Sonnenberg, Author at Lost In Michigan

The Copper Harbor Chimney

Posted on April 18, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

This old chimney stands in the woods east of Copper Harbor and Lake Fanny Hooe. The old smokestack is all that remains of the Clark Mine. It was first dug in 1853 and operated by a few different companies until it closed in 1901. All that remains is this old chimney and an area covered in rocks and stone. It is a popular spot for rock hunters and not to difficult to find. If you take Manganese Road next to the Copper Harbor visitors center east it will curve into Clark Mine Rd. About a mile down the road you will see a wooden sign for the old mine.

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The Cross In The Woods

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches .

“The Man on the Cross” by the renowned Michigan sculptor Marshall Fredericks. It is made of bronze 3/8″ to 1/2″ thick. It weighs seven tons, is twenty-eight feet tall from head to toe, and the outstretched arms span twenty-one feet. The figure of Christ is attached by thirteen bolts 30″ long and 2″ thick that were made when the figure was cast in Norway.

Fredericks wanted to portray Christ in a peaceful way. It was his dream to “give the face an expression of great peace and strength and offer encouragement to everyone who viewed the Cross”. Christ is symbolized just at the moment when He commends Himself to His Father. The sculptor received special permission from the Vatican to omit the crown of thorns and the wound on Jesus’ side.

Fredericks was commissioned to sculpt a 6-foot-tall crucifix, but instead designed this 28-foot, full-scale model, for a bronze to be placed at the Indian River Catholic Shrine in Indian River, Michigan. The bronze Corpus is mounted on a 55-foot-tall redwood cross. When erected in 1959, it was believed to be the largest crucifix in the world. Since then, a 65-foot crucifix was erected in the cemetery of St. Thomas Catholic Church near Bardstown, Kentucky however the Corpus on this work is only 14 feet in height.

The Indian River figure required only three years to complete, however the plaster model on which it was based required seven-years of restoration before being put on permanent display at the Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University. It suffered from neglect during the two-decades it was in storage at the foundry in Scandinavia after the bronze was cast. In his depiction, Fredericks chose not to depict the pain and suffering of Jesus and omitted the crown of thorns and the wound in the figure’s side. Instead, he shows the powerful body of Jesus at peace in the moment after death.

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Lost In Columbiaville

Posted on April 16, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns .

I came across this pic of an old building in Columbiaville that I never posted. I am not sure what this place is or was but it looks like an old general store at one time.

In 1848 a sawmill was built by George and Henry Niver, on the bank of the river. The town became known as Niverville until 1857, when the first post office was established. A town named Niverville existed in Michigan, so a new name was needed. Columbiaville was suggested by the Nivers, after their native county Columbia, NY.

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The Cross on the Hill

Posted on April 15, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in people .

Across from the Rock for Fort St Joseph is a stone cross that stand up on a hill that overlooks the river. At the bottom of the cross is carved the word Allouez.

The stone cross marks the location where Father Jean Claude Allouez is buried after his death in 1689. Born in France in 1622, Father Allouez was ordained in 1655, and then sailed to Quebec. He travelled the area by land and canoe and established several missions in the western Great Lakes region. He was fluent in Native American languages and after the death of Father Jacques Marquette he was assigned to continue Fr. Marquette’s work.

Allouez came to Fort St. Joseph where he died. His final resting place was marked with a simple wooden cross. In 1918, the Women’s Progressive League marked the site with a stone cross bearing his name.

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Marion Springs

Posted on April 14, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms .

I was out roaming the back roads in the Marion Springs area west of Chesaning. I came across this old barn and it reminded me of the motel I stayed at in the Keweenaw. When I checked in I told the owner I was exploring Michigan for my website and he said to me. ” I bet you don’t know where the town where I grew up in called Marion Springs is located.” I laughed because I grew up in Saginaw and yes I know where Marion Springs is located. Doing Lost In Michigan for almost ten years I have been to a lot of small towns but I still have a lot more to visit.

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Grays Reef Lighthouse

Posted on April 13, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses .

Grays Reef is in northern Lake Michigan near the entrance to the Straits Of Mackinac. It was marked by a lightship until 1937 when this lighthouse was completed. It was manned by a crew of four men and one night in May of 1965 they were startled by a large thump when the freighter J.E. Upson had crashed into the lighthouse in dense fog. It did little damage to the lighthouse but the ships bow was split open and taking on water. Luckly the ship made it to Mackinaw City before sinking. In 1976 the crew was removed for the winter for the final time and the light was automated and has been sitting in Lake Michigan alone.

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The Store in Herman

Posted on April 12, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

This old building stands along the tracks that pass through the Upper Peninsula town of Herman. It is located a remotes section of the Huron Mountains southeast of L’Anse. The town was named for lumberjack Herman Keranen who took up farming in the area. Over the decades the population has dwindled and it is mostly a ghost town. I am not sure what this old building was but it looked like a store that was supplied by the railroad at one time.

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The School In the Forest

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Schools .

Hidden among the trees is this old forgotten school. It is in the town of Forester on the shoreline of Lake Huron in the Thumb. Forester’s most well-known resident is Minnie Quay who committed suicide after she found out her lover’s ship sank while sailing the Great Lakes. You can read more about her HERE

I have driven through the town of Forester many times since M-25 passes through it. I never noticed this school before because it is covered by the foliage during the summer months. It is a rather spooky looking school, And I am sure it was a school because of the rusty old playground equipment next to it. I am thinking Minnie never attended this school since it looks as if it was built after she died.

Note: I took this pic from the road and do not trespass. It may not be used anymore, but someone still owns it.

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Lost In Michigan Vol. 1 is ON SALE

Posted on April 10, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Uncategorized .

Lost In Michigan Volume 1 is ON SALE at Amazon for $8.94 HERE

I am not sure how long the sale will last since I have no control over what Amazon does but I thought I would let you know if you wanted to pick up a copy for yourself or a friend.

Thank you all so much for you support for my website and what I do. Your kindness means a lot to me and I am lucky to be able to do my travels around Michigan because of you.

The Chimney in the Woods

Posted on April 9, 2022 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature .

This chimney stands along the shores of Wagner Lake between Rose City and Mio. I am not sure what its story is but it sits in a group campsite. I am thinking it was built for the campsite but I am not sure. It is a beautiful looking stone chimney.

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