I turned on to Main Street in Downtown Ionia and was surprised to see an enormous Christmas tree standing in the intersection. It seemed rather strange to drive around the illuminated tree like a traffic circle, but it was a beautiful sight.
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The town of Newaygo sits on the Muskegon River at the southern end of the Manistee National Forest. Vising the riverfront park that sits between the old train bridge and the bridge for M-37, you may notice some ruins and a small waterfall that sits on the opposite side.
This is what remains of the Henry Rowe Manufacturing company. Joseph Henry Rowe and his brother were successful businessmen in Newaygo when Joesph built this factory on the banks of the Muskegon River in the early 190s. The factory produced wooden products like tools, furniture components, and architectural trim. The enormous factory shipped products worldwide and was powered by the Penoyer Creek that still flows through the ruins to this day. You can see the small waterfall where it cascades from the manmade trough into the Muskegon River.
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I was passing through the town of Lexington and I saw this majestic stone church. It is St. Denis Catholic Church and construction was started in 1880. It took two years to complete and it was dedicated in 1882. It still stands on M-25 looking toward Lake Huron and it’s hard to miss the incredible stonework as you drive past it.
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I saw this old building outside of Alma. I am not exactly sure what it was but it looks like an old schoolhouse. I love the row of windows or at least openings for them on the side. It faces east so the morning sun must have shone through on the students as they started their day.
It looks as if someone is cutting the grass so I assume it is not abandoned and I took this pic from the road since I don’t trespass.
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Nestled in the woods off M-22 in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a light yellow house. It was built by Bertie and Donna Bancroft in the late 1920s as a boarding house for travelers visiting the area. On Sundays, the inn was a popular destination for tourists to enjoy one of Donna’s chicken dinners. During the peak season in summer, she would serve over 100 tourists using the chickens she raised at the inn. Bertie lived in this house until his death in 1963. Donna died the following year.
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If you have never heard of the town of Red Jacket in Michigan you are not alone. I was doing some research and I came across the town of Red Jacket and immediately I thought of the Red Jacket fire station in Calumet. ( you can see my post about it HERE ) I just assumed it was called the Red Jacket fire station because the firefighters wore red jackets.
I later found out my assumption was completely wrong. The city of Calumet in the Keweenaw Peninsula was settled in 1864, originally under the name of “Red Jacket”, named for a Native American Chief of the Seneca tribe. The nearby town of Laurium was originally called Calumet, a Native American name for a clay bowl used on a peace pipe. Present-day Laurium was started by the Laurium Mining Company and changed its name to Laurium in 1895. The Calumet and Hecla Mine was in or next to the town of Red Jacket. I assume because of the influence and dominant presence of the mind Red Jacket became known as Calumet. Present-day Calumet was not legally named so until 1929. I hope what I wrote makes sense, but it is still a little confusing to me and it must have been really confusing for the post office. Next time you are in Calumet and you see references to the name of Red Jacket, now you know why.
P.S. I wish the Keweenaw was not so far away from my home in Saginaw. It is one of my favorite places in Michigan to visit with its incredible history and natural beauty.
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USS Detroit CL8: Navy Archives
On that tragic and infamous day when the Japanese attacked pearl harbor, destroying the battleships of the Pacific fleet, The USS Detroit was also moored next to her sister ship the Raleigh in the harbor that day.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Detroit was able to get underway safely and set up an anti-aircraft fire. Only one of Detroit’s crew members was injured during the Japanese attack, Lester Silva, who received a Purple Heart. Once clear of Pearl Harbor she was ordered to sail at once to join up with the light cruisers Phoenix and St. Louis and two destroyers to investigate the west coast of Oahu for any indications of a landing by the Japanese, then to join the search for the retiring Japanese force.
The 555 foot long and 55 foot wide Omaha Class Light Cruser was launched in June 1922 by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. in Quincy, Mass., and sponsored by Detroit Mayor James Couzens’ daughter. The ship spent her first eight years as part of the Scouting Fleet either in the Atlantic or Mediterranean. Her first duty was to assist in the USAAS’s first aerial circumnavigation of the world in 1924 and transported the United States Secretary of State Frank B. Kellogg, in 1927, from Ireland to France for the negotiations that led to the signing of the Kellogg-Briand Pact.
During WWII she was sent to Alaska to aid in fighting the Japanese that had invaded the Aleutian Islands. After retaking the island, she remained in the Alaskan waters to defend the chain of islands and the Alaskan coastline.
The USS Detroit was decommissioned in 1946 and sold for scrap.
Thank you to all the men and women who served then and continue to serve now.
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This little patriotic looking red, white, and blue church stands in the middle of Yuma Michigan. Above the door, the sign reads Evening Light Tabernacle. The town of Yuma was founded in the late 1800s as a logging town and continued to grow after the railroad built a station to serve the community. At one time the small town had many businesses but over time they closed. After the post office closed in 1960 the town mostly faded away only a few houses and this old church remain along with some railroad passengers cars that seem like they are lost. you can see my post about them HERE
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About a mile south of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse is the State Harbor, and when I pulled into the harbor parking lot some fishermen were tying up their boat and stowing away the nets for the day. I never thought much about where the fish comes from, yeah I know they come from the lake, but someone has to catch them. I think I just take it for granted that there will always be fish at the restaurant, but it was nice to actually see someone who goes out and catches the fish. I have gone fishing on the Saginaw Bay, and I know a lot of people who go fishing, but I never really think much about commercial fishing on the Great Lakes. I guess I found one place where the fish come from.
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About thirty miles north of Detroit in Washington township is this old historic brick octagon house. it was built in 1858 for Loren Andrus and after two years of construction it was completed and known as “The House of Eights.” Andrus, his wife, and their eight children lived in the house until Loren’s wife died in 1894. The house changed hands a few times and was eventually sold to Wayne State University in the 1950s. The college sold the property and after a few owners, it had been neglected and in need of renovation. In the 1980s, the historic home was purchased by a nonprofit organization that restored the house.
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