The town of Indianville, or at least what is left of it, is near the northwest side of Burt Lake. St Mary’s Catholic Church still stands in the town along with the cemetery behind it.

The town will forever be linked to a tragic day in Michigan history. On October 15th, 1900 the sheriff came from Cheboygan to nearby Indian Village located on Indian Point on Burt Lake. John Walter McGinn purchased the land for back taxes of which the Native Americans did not owe because the land was given to them in a treaty with the government. When the men in the village were out of town getting supplies, the women and children were forcibly removed from their homes and then their houses burned to the ground by the sheriff and his men.

The former residents of the burned town moved to other Indian villages including Cross Village and the nearby town of Indianville.

P.S. I thought about skipping the story of the burning of Indian Village and leaving it as a nice picture of a little northern Michigan church, but I thought it would be disrespectful and dishonest not to share what really happened.

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Hidden among the pine trees far away from any large city or even a paved road is a small chapel. It was built as a memorial in the 1960s by George Mason’s family. After his death in 1954, Mason willed his land to the State Of Michigan. His property consisted of Almost 1500 acres on the south branch of the Au Sable River.

George Mason was the CEO of Kelvinator and then chairman and CEO of American Motors Corporation. He was an avid outdoorsman and purchased the property somewhat located between Grayling and Mio. He enjoyed the tranquility and solitude fishing in the river. He specified after his death he wanted the property is to be used as a game preserve and camping is not allowed. The area is known as the Mason Tract and has 8 miles of hiking paths and is maintained by the DNR.

A dock along the Au Sable River allows canoers and kayakers to access the chapel from the river. I reached the building by taking an un-named two-track a couple of miles to a small parking area. It was a short hike to the somber little chapel where you could listen to the babbling waters of the Au Sauble flow past. If you decide to drive to the chapel, I recommend a truck or SUV with high ground clearance. I never had to put my Jeep in four-wheel-drive, but I did splash through a lot of water holes and soft sand.

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This old brick church stands tall towering over the homes in Niles, The historical marker tells some of its story.

The Roman Catholic Church in Niles traces its origin to the Indian Mission established at nearby Fort St. Joseph in the late 1600’s. Reestablished at Bertrand, three miles south of Niles, in the 1830s, the mission moved into town in 1849 and was renamed St. Francis’s. In 1866 the cornerstone of the present building was laid and on December 11, 1870, the church was dedicated to St. Mary. Designed by Rufus Rose of Niles with later modifications by Father John Cappon, the church was completed in 1890 with the construction of the gothic tower. Father Cappon, known as the “parish’s greatest benefactor,” was a Belgian-born priest who served as pastor for over thirty years. He gave generously of his large personal estate for many parish improvements.

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I saw this little wooden church in Palmer southeast of Ishpeming in the Upper Peninsula. The town of Palmer was established in 1872 and is named after mining executive L.C. Palmer. Which makes sense because there is an enormous mine just outside of town.

Just to let you know, I am doing a CALENDAR GIVEAWAY on my facebook page HERE You can order calendars before the sale ends HERE

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This United Central Methodist Church is in downtown Muskegon and has a historical marker in front of it that reads:

The first Protestant society in Muskegon began as a mission station served by itinerant preachers. In 1843 the Reverend M. Warring held Muskegon’s first service in Martha Ryerson’s boardinghouse. Deacon Abner Bennett, a black lay preacher, and his wife, Mary, a former servant of President James K. Polk, formed the White Lake Sunday School. Bennett frequently preached in Muskegon. This church was formally organized on November 20, 1856.

In 1859, Muskegon Methodists built their first church at Clay and Jefferson streets. Congregationalists met in the church, which also served as the county court. In 1887 a larger church was built on the same site. The present Neo-Gothic-style church, built in 1928-1930, was designed by denominational architect, Thoralf M. Sundt of Philadelphia. This Indiana limestone church seats 1,000 people and the tower rises 100 feet.

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This beautiful brick and stone church overlooks Lake St. Clair in Gross Point Shores. By the 1790s, French priests were ministering to farmers living along the lake. In 1825, Father Francis Badin dedicated a log church to St. Paul near the Lake in present-day Grosse Pointe Shores. In 1850 a frame chapel was erected on the current site. Built in the 1890s, during Father John Eisen’s pastorate, the present French Gothic-inspired church was designed by Detroit architect Harry J. Rill. The first mass held in the church was Father Eisen’s funeral in 1899.

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Standing among the historic homes in Frankfort is this beautiful old historic white church. In 1871 the members of First Congregational Church of Frankfort built this church with its eighty-seven-foot-high steeple on land donated by the Frankfort Land Company. The company’s manager, Eugene B. Frost, was a charter member of the church. Donations from Frankfort residents and a loan from the Congregational Church Building Society financed the $5,000 building cost. The church completed the rear addition, built to house offices and Sunday school classrooms, in 1960.

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