Category Archives: Forgotten Places

Michigan’s Buried Treasure at Lake Benton

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Landscapes, Nature .

Northeast of Hesperia, deep within the Manistee National Forest, is Benton Lake. It is a small lake completely surrounded by wilderness other than a little rustic campground. As legend has it, back in 1874, a stagecoach was transporting gold coins to a nearby logging camp. The coins were to be used for payroll for the lumberjacks, but along the way, the stage was robbed.

The story that has been told for generations is the bandits feared they might be caught and be beaten or killed by the lumberjacks. They hid the gold in an old cast iron stove and then buried it between two stumps along the shoreline of Benton Lake. They supposedly never came back to retrieve the stolen loot.  It is claimed that the gold coins would be worth about a half-million dollars. I am not sure if the legend is true, but if you want to look for the buried treasure, you can check out Benton Lake which is part of the National Forrest. I am not sure what the regulations are for digging on national land but in my opinion, the real treasure is the peace and solitude you will find there.

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Meads Mill Ruins

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Winter Wonderland .

These old stone ruins on the Middle River Rouge stand in Hines Park in Northville. The sign nearby reads Meads Mill but I have read that they were not part of the mill. According to Nailhed.com they were part of a 1937 Works Progress Administration project. It was built as a waterwheel and intake site for the Wayne County Training School powerhouse. Whatever they were for, it makes for a nice little waterfall and an interesting place to visit.

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Dead Of Winter

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house somewhere near Mancelona. I don’t know its story but it looked rather sad and lonely. It seems like we are in that part of winter where it is time for it to be over with. I have a lot of places I want to visit but the snow makes the journey difficult if not impossible. During the dead of winter, I do what I can to stay busy and see what I can find exploring the back roads if only some forgotten places with a story that has been lost to history.

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The Houses of Afton

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

Located between Indian River and Onaway people pass through the little town on M-68. There are a few modern houses and a store in the mostly forgotten town. When I drive by these old houses I wonder what their story is.  The town started as a lumber camp in 1887. In 1905 it was given a post office. The nearby Pigeon River was similar to the Afton River in Scotland and thus the town was named after it.

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The Forgotten General Store

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, General Store .

Bracing itself against the wind and snow for several years the remains of this old general store still stand in the small forgotten town of Dighton. Located a few miles south of Cadillac, the town was named after Dighton Marvin. At one point it had over 1000 residents and three sawmills. Not much remains of the old sawmill town today. A store and a few houses are all that is left of the once bustling community.

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Wolverine House

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, Houses .

I saw this old house somewhere near Wolverine. I don’t know its story or any history on it but it looked lonely sitting in the snow.

Since I don’t have a story for this house I want to take the time to thank all of you for reading my posts.  I especially want to thank those of you that have subscribed to email notifications. It is a tumultuous time but if you have been reading my posts for a while you know I have been posting my normal posts and have been avoiding discussing current events. I plan to continue down this path and hope that you enjoy seeing your daily email. It’s not that I don’t care or have an opinion about what is happening in the world right now, I just figure it’s best to do what I have always done and try to keep a sense of normalcy.

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Grayling’s Skyline

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

The old Skyline Ski Resort sits empty somewhere south of Grayling. It has been a long time since skiers rode the lift and slalomed down the hill. I am not sure when it closed but it has been at least ten years. I never skied here my wife and I usually drove a little further to Treetops. I guess that is one of the reasons it closed. It looks as if it is still being maintained. I figured someone still owns it and did not poke around on their property. I don’t know if it will ever open again and what else could be done with the property but it does have a spectacular view, I imagine it is spectacular in the fall when the colors are at their peak.

P.S. I say somewhere south of Graying because I don’t want to encourage people to trespass.

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Coming to the End

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

This year started out with great expectations. I had all sorts of plans for visiting new places but that all came to an end. I am sure I don’t have to tell you why. I have been lucky this year that my family is healthy and working. I know some have not been so fortunate. I thank you all for taking the time to read my posts, and looking forward to next year with hope that it will be better.

P.S  If you are wondering this is the old Fenton Seminary that was torn down a few years ago. You can see my post about it HERE

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Lost near Romeo

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

Roaming around the back roads near Romeo I came across this old house or building or whatever it was. I like the green roof and faded and peeling yellow paint. I am not sure what this place was but it seems a little tall for a house but I don’t know. I stopped and took a pic from the road and kept on moseying along.

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Newaygo’s Factory Ruins

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places .

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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