This old church stands in the small town of Elm Hall. The first settlers were three brothers. Michael, Nathaniel and Jacob Strayer came to the area in 1855. The brothers along with their wives lived in a large hall they constructed of elm logs, and hence the name of the town.
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I saw this old schoolhouse in the community of Loomis east of Clare near U.S.-10. The town was originally named Buchtel with A station on the Pere Marquette railroad and post office. The name changed in 1871 when Erastus G. Loomis, George W. Wise and E. F. Gould built a sawmill and general store and platted the village. Wise Township that Loomis is located in, is named after George W. Wise.
It’s another bone-chilling cold day in Michigan and my daughter is home from school. As soon as the decision is made to cancel school I get an email and a phone call on my camera phone. When I was a kid I remember having to listen to the radio waiting for the DJ to read off a list of schools. Back then they did not have computers to alphabetize the list so they would read them in the order the cancellations came in. Since I went to a school in the city it was one of the last schools to close. Most of the rural districts closed first so everytime they read the list I would have to wait until the end to see if my school was closed. ” dang it, it’s not closed yet” I guess I will have to listen to John Cougar’s Jack and Diane and then hopefully they will read the list again. I figure back in the olden days they went to school because they had no way of telling them not to.
I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are at, and thank you for taking the time to read my posts.
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In southern Midland county near the Saginaw county border, just north of Merrill, is the Jam store in the town of Jam Michigan. It sounds like someplace you would go to get some delicious spread to put on Spatz bread, but I found out the name is actually the initials of the first postmaster of the town. J.A.M. stands for James A Murphy. The post office opened in July 1894, and because the sign on the Jam Store says “Since 1894” I am assuming that is the site of the post office. in September of 1903 the post office closed, probably because all the trees were gone, hence all the farmland.
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On US-10 between Reed City and Baldwin is the small town of Chase. In the center of town is this old concrete store. No, I don’t mean that they sell concrete, but that it is made from poured concrete. I took this photo a while ago and did not think much about it. One day while I was doing some research, I came across an old photo of a building that looked familiar.
I thought to myself ” Hey, that’s the old antique store in Chase ” If you look at the photo it looks like there are forms for concrete, and the building is built in layers, like onions and ogres. The town is not far from the historic ghost town of Marlborough which makes sense as to why the building would have been made from concrete. You can read about Marlborough HERE Chase was a booming lumber town and was almost the county seat but it lost out to Baldwin. Now it’s just a sleepy little community that people drive through on the way to where ever it is they are going. Next time you drive past this old building maybe you will remember the people who built it a century ago, and the towns that used to be.
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If you are looking for someplace different to visit that few people know about you need to stop by the old western town of Coopersville. You won’t find it on a map of Michigan since it’s not an official town. It was built by Spike Cooper who is a big fan of westerns and John Wayne. Over the years he has built an old west style town and welcomes people to come visit.
It’s full of interesting antiques and funny signs adorning its many buildings. the town has a general store, livery, jail, and a cemetery. I visited the interesting and quirky little town late last fall in the early morning and there was no one there so I did not get a chance to talk to anyone. I will have to go back later this summer and check it out more. If you are on Facebook you can follow the Coopersville Facebook page HERE
the address is:
1860 Fire Tower Road
Lewiston, MI 49756
It has a Lewiston address but its centrally located between Lewiston Grayling and Mio. you can see it on google maps HERE
It’s not far from Hartwick Pines and would be a good place to check out along with the logging museum and chapel at Hartwick Pines State Park.
P.S. Thank you to a couple of my readers for telling me about this place, I would have never known about it if they did not tell me.
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If you have lived in Michigan for a while you have probably been to some of the most popular tourist towns like Mackinaw City, Frankenmuth, and Petoskey. Traveling around the state I have found many wonderful little towns that you will enjoy visiting if you are looking for someplace different.
Nestled at the south end of the Huron Manistee National Forest Newaygo is a historic little town with quaint little shops and a variety of restaurants. Be sure to visit the Newaygo Brewing Co. in the heart of Downtown.
West of Ann Arbor next to the River Raisin sits the historic town of Manchester. The town is busy throughout the summer with its many festivals, a canoe race in May and a Chicken Broil serving over 14,000 chicken dinners in one day. You can also visit the historic Sharon Mills which is not far away.
Located near the Center of the Lower Peninsula Owosso is a perfect location for a day trip from many large cities in southern Michigan. There is a plethora of shopping and restaurants in downtown. You can also walk across a suspension bridge over the Shiawassee River and see the magnificent Curwood Castle which is now a museum open on the weekend.
North of Grand Rapids, Rockford is the perfect place to get away from the big city. You can go for a walk on the boardwalk along the Rouge River which runs next to the downtown area. Or you can stroll along the blocks of stores and restaurants in Downtown. Whenever I am near Rockford I have to stop and get a coney dog from the Corner Bar.I am looking forward to it being re-opened this summer after the devistating fire.
Lexington is located on the shoreline of Lake Huron north of Port Huron and is a little-known gem on the east side of the state. It’s an Idyllic little town and a great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. You can enjoy listening to music in the park on Friday nights in the summer or at many of the local bars and pubs. You can stay down the street at the Lexington State Park or in many of the local Bed and Breakfasts in the area.
Next to the beautiful crystal clear waters of Torch Lake is the town of Alden. It’s a wonderful place to go if you want to get away from the busy streets of Traverse City. The biggest attraction is the Alden Mill House full of specialty blends of spices and seasonings. If you are looking for a quiet little town in Northern Michigan for a place to relax and get a bite to eat you need to visit Alden.
Frankfort is one of the bigger towns on my list but I think it gets overshadowed by Traverse City and Ludington. Located on Lake Michigan, Frankfort is the perfect place to go shopping for the day and relax at one if it’s fine dining establishments and at the end of the day you can take in a sunset over the lighthouse while sitting on a beautiful sandy beach.
Mason is located south of Lansing and is your classic Midwestern town with a town square and a beautiful courthouse in the middle of it. Surrounding the courthouse is a variety of antique and gift shops and you can satisfy your hunger at one of the local restaurants.
If you have never visited one of the towns on this list I hope you will adventure out and explore someplace new. You will be surprised at what you will find and may find a new favorite place to visit.
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I traveled to the tip of Old Mission Point from Traverse City. I have not been there in a few years maybe even 10 years. I like taking the road that travels along the west shoreline and look at the houses overlooking the bay. and a usual I had to stop and get some photos of the lighthouse. It also seems like there are more wineries since I was there last time. I don’t know why but I never made it over the town, or what’s left of the town of Old Mission a few miles south of the lighthouse. With a peninsula full of fancy wineries and extravagant houses it was this old boarded up building that captured my attention. I am not sure if it was a hotel, a general store or a saloon or maybe all the above but it made me wonder what they people way back then. I can drive up the peninsula in my jeep in less than an hour but I can only imagine how long the journey was by horse and buggy or a sleigh in the winter. I wonder if many a weary travelers stopped here for some rest before heading back down to Traverse City.
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There’s not a whole lot in Rhodes, and it’s kinda in the middle of nowhere, but it must be a nice quiet place to live.Being a city kid I always wonder what it would be like to live in a small town, but then I am used to going to Meijer Thrifty Acres a couple blocks away for a gallon of milk, or anything else, when I need it. The town was named after lumberman Murry Bently Rhodes and he was the first postmaster in 1889.
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Delivering packages with drones seems really far fetched, but a century ago delivering mail to everyone in the united states seemed like an impossible task. Many small rural towns had a post office that was in a local general store, saloon, or inn. The farmers or ranchers would come into town and pick up their mail. In 1893 legislation was passed in the United State congress that required the post office to implement rural free delivery ( R.F.D). On December 3rd 1896, the post office in the town of Climax between Battle Creek and Kalamazoo was the first to start an R.F.D. route in Michigan. The letter carriers delivered the mail by bicycle and horse and buggy to the surrounding citizens. This is a pic of the old stone post office in Climax which is now a library.
The local business that contained the post offices were not too fond of the new delivery system since people did not have to pick up their mail, and possibly purchase something at their business while they are in town. It’s strangely similar to the online vs brick and mortar store competition. who knows in a hundred year there will be something new, some sort of outer space colony delivery system and they will think what we do now was old fashioned.
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The Linden Mills were a vital source of the village of Linden’s economic growth. The first mill, located on land granted to Consider Warner, was used to cut lumber. From 1845-1850 Seth Sadler and Samuel W. Warren, local residents, erected both a saw and grist mill. Operating along with the earlier facility, this complex was called the Linden Mills. The grist mill continued to function for over a century until the machinery was dismantled and sold at auction in 1956. The village then purchased the building for municipal offices and a public Library.
Linden was settled in late 1835 by two brothers, Richard and Perry Lamb who provided housing for travelers. The Village was incorporated in 1871 and was named after the Linden tree.
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