This old building that looks like a stone motel was the old Echo Valley Resort. It overlooks Johannesburg Lake and is now part of the Louis M. Groen Nature Preserve. I am not sure when it closed, but it must have been really special to stay in it back in the day.
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The remnants of the old Halliwell mine can be found in the Porcupine Mountains. South of the visitor’s center on S. Boundry Road is where the mine once stood after it was constructed in 1895. The mine sunk two vertical shafts but it never made a profit and closed in 1908.
After the mine closed is when it gets a little interesting. Two brothers, George and Gus Biggie live at the mine. They were born in the Porkies in the 1890s. They attended school at the nearby ghost town of Nonesuch where their father ran a general store. They lived in the old office of the mine and raised chickens, grew a garden and guided hunters and tourists to make a living. When the Michigan took over the land to create the state park they were given special permission to live at the old mine. After they had both passed away in the 1970s the mine structures were removed. Only a few remnants of the mine remain along with a fenced off hole where the shaft was sunk into the earth.
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I saw these old stone ruins along US-12 in the Irish Hills area. They look like something from the Flintstones, but I think they were part of an old miniature golf course. It’s always an interesting drive down US-12. I have never driven route 66 in the American Southwest to see the abandoned places but that is what I think of when I drive down US-12. Back in it’s heyday it was a popular route for travelers. Some of the old “tourist traps” remain but many or sitting abandoned.
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A few miles east of Ontonagon is a massive old building covered up by trees and bushes. The dilapidated structure was part of the Ontonagon County Poor Farm. The county’s first poor farm was constructed in 1855 to help take care of lumberjacks and people in need of assistance. The building that stands today was built in 1900 on a 200 acre farm. The people who lived there and were able to work grew crops and raised livestock until the facility closed in the 1945. The old building now sits on a privately owned cattle farm.
I found an old photo of it. Sad that the trees are now covering it up. It was a beautiful building back in the day.
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In the old town section of Negaunee is a large hole covered with old iron fencing. This opening in the side of a cliff was part of the Jackson Mine. The mine was the first iron ore mine in the Lake Superior region. In 1844 surveyor William Burt noticed some strange fluctuations on his compass and upon further investigations he noticed iron ore deposits. Soon afterwards the first mine was dug.
The mine was closed in the 1950s and is now a historic site. In 2003 the area was converted into a park by the city of Negaunee and has mining artifacts on display. The area of the mine is known as Old Town Negaunee and has foundations and stairs from the houses and buildings that once stood on the land. You can read more about it on my post HERE.
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A few yards off the road north of Reed City is a rusting old railroad bridge. It looks different than your ordinary bridge since it is a lot smaller with narrow tracks. On the side in faded white paint lettering are the words, Leprechaun Line. This was part of a miniature railroad that local businessman Jim Miller built. He owned a successful manufacturing company in Reed City that built storefronts. In the 1960s he built a small railroad on his property surrounding his home and gave rides to local children. The little railroad ran for a few decades but all that remains now is the old bridge and memories.
Miller also built the abandoned airport that stands nearby, you can see my post about it HERE
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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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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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I saw this old service station in Watertown in the middle of the Thumb. I am not sure if it is an old Sinclair station or made to look like one but either way I like it.
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This abandoned shell of a building sits along the Huron River in Peninsular Park in Ypsilanti. It is not hard to figure out what it was used for since there is an enormous sign on top of the roof that reads: PENINSULAR PAPER CO. This was the old powerhouse at the end of the dam. The paper mill closed a long time ago but the dam still remains.
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