Parks Archives - Lost In Michigan

Parady Park

Posted on December 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Parks, people .

Parady Park sits in downtown Nashville Michigan located somewhat between Lansing and Kalamazoo. The park is named in honor of Emory Parady. He was born in New York in 1844 and was one of twenty-seven men from the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment who rode with the two detectives tracking John Wilkes Booth after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. On April 26, the patrol found Booth hiding at a Virginia farm. Two days later a fire was started to force Booth from the barn. Dring the fire one of the men had shot Booth in the neck. He was pulled from the barn and died a few hours later. In 1866, Parady received a $1,365.84 reward for his role in Booth’s capture. In 1880 Emory Parady and his family moved to Nashville. He eventually moved to Oregon where he died in 1924

P.S. Lost In Michigan t-shirts and hoodies are 15% OFF at T-Spring with code HOLIDAY15 You can see all of the designs by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Rawson King Mill

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators, Parks .

This historic mill was built in 1872 northwest of Leonidas. It closed in the 1960s due to changing regulations for grinding grain. Eston and Lydia Rawson purchased the mill and surrounding property and began restoring the old mill along with planting gardens and updating the landscaping. The Rawsons shared their little slice of heaven with the surrounding community often allowing for neighbors to use it for weddings and other gatherings. in 2015 the property was converted into a county park after Eston and Lydia donated it to St Joseph County.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Milford Log Cabin

Posted on November 5, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Houses, Parks .

I saw this log cabin standing in Milford’s Southside Park next to the fire station. It looks like an old log cabin but according to the plaque on the front, it was built in 1982 by volunteers to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial.

P.S. Lost In Michigan wall calendars are 50% OFF today at Zazzle. you can learn more by clicking HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Grand Ledge in Fitzgerald Park

Posted on October 27, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Parks .

The town of Grand Ledge is west of Lansing. As you can guess it is named for the ledges along the Grand River. Fitzgerald Park is named for former Michigan Governor Frank Fitzgerald. If you are looking for somewhere in lower Michigan to hike and explore the park has several trails along the river and rocky cliffs. It reminds me of hiking in the Keweenaw Peninsula without the long drive from southern Michigan.

P.S. If you go. The park is an Eaton County park and there is a $5 entrance fee but it is worth every penny, especially when the leaves are at their peak.

P.P.S. Thank you to everyone that came out to last night’s presentation at the Milford Independent Cinema. It was a lot of fun. If you missed it my next presentation is

Thursday, November 11th At 7:00PM

Rochester Hills Public Library

500 Olde Towne Rd, Rochester, MI 48307

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

Mount Pisgah

Posted on August 9, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Nature, Parks .

Mt. Pisgah located in Holland State Park is not the tallest mountain in the state but at 157 feet and over 200 hundred steps I was feeling the burn as I climbed the stairway.

I was curious about the name Mt. Pisgah and I leared that was the name of the mountain that Moses climbed to view the promise land.

At the top of Holland Michigan’s Mt Pisgah, you will be rewarded with a view of Lake Macatawa and Lake Michigan along with the Holland Harbor Lighthouse known as “Big Red”

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Ruins in Awakon Park

Posted on July 14, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Parks .

Awakon Park in Onaway Michigan was the site of the American Wood Rim Company. While most of the factory is gone a few structures and remnants remain. Started in 1901 to build wood bicycle rims the company began building wooden automobile steering wheels in 1904. With the success of their steering wheels and the booming auto industry, the company had 1200 employees.

It was in 1926 that a fire started by a spark that killed 4 workers and destroyed much of the factory. It was decided to move the factory to Alma instead of rebuilding it in Onaway. The park has a trail that is about a half-mile long the winds through the property where the old factory once stood. You can still see some of the concrete structures and signage gives a little history of the forgotten plant.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Stone Outhouse

Posted on April 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Parks .

This small stone building sits along the River Raisin in the southern Michigan town of Clinton. It looks like an old outhouse but I am not sure if that is what it was. I think it may have been part of an old water pumping station but I am not sure about that either. So for now I am just calling it a stone outhouse and thankful for modern plumbing.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Charlton’s Village

Posted on April 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, Parks .

In 1936 Irving Charlton donated property to Barry County for a park. Over the years several historic buildings around Barry County were moved to the park. Today they create a historic village including the two-story brick building that was the offices for the Hastings Mutual Insurance Co from 1908 to 1924. You can learn more about the park at their website HERE

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Log Cabin in the Park

Posted on April 5, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Parks .

Charlton Park east of Hastings has a plethora of historic buildings and houses. This log cabin sits off in the woods. I was disappointed that there was not a sign on or near it giving a little info. From what I found on the internet is that it is a replica built in the 1990s. It looked rather sad and lonely separated from the other buildings but it makes for and nice although creepy-looking pick. I have lots of pics from Charlton park during my visit this spring. Everything was still closed up for the season so I hope to get back there when the buildings are open for visitors.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

The Iron Bars of Boyne Falls

Posted on March 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, Parks .

I see a lot of interesting things at local parks around Michigan. From historic monuments to old locomotives but the park in Boyne Falls has some old jail cells on dislplay. They go back to the lumbering days when they needed to incarcerate rowdy lumberjacks. It is rather strange to see them in a park but they are an interesting piece of history. I know I would not want to be inside when those iron bars slam shut and the lock is put on them.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.