upper peninsula Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Smoke Stack in Big Bay

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Mills, upper peninsula .

This smoke stack rises into the sky next to Lake Independence near the town of Big Bay in the Upper Peninsula. It was part of the Big Bay Ford Sawmill and holds a unique place in the history of Ford Motor Company’s operations. Henry Ford, aiming for complete vertical integration and self-sufficiency in automobile manufacturing, acquired over 313,000 acres of timberland in the UP. In 1943, he purchased the existing sawmill in Big Bay, which had previously belonged to the Brunswick-Balke-Collender Company and was once famous for producing most of the country’s bowling pins. Ford refurbished and reopened the factory to manufacture wood panels for his popular “Woody Wagons.” However, Ford’s involvement in Big Bay went far beyond just the mill; in 1943, he purchased not only the sawmill and power plant but nearly every other building in the town, effectively turning Big Bay into a Ford company town.

Big Bay became a personal retreat for Henry and Clara Ford, as well as a popular vacation spot for company executives. Ford personally oversaw changes to the town’s layout, even having certain houses and the local Catholic church relocated to improve his view of the sawmill from the remodeled company store (which he converted into the Big Bay Hotel, now the Thunder Bay Inn). Ford’s vision for Big Bay, however, was short-lived. The lumbering venture proved unprofitable, and the Ford Motor Company abandoned the operations and sold its assets shortly after Henry Ford’s death in 1947, closing the mill around 1951. Despite its brief run as a Ford company town, the legacy of the Big Bay Ford Sawmill and the town’s connection to the industrialist remain a significant part of the community’s history.

I tried to dive to the sawmill but the road leading to it was private. You can see the smoke stack from Perkins Park and Campground just outside of Big Bay.

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A Girl’s Headstone and the Aging Photo

Posted on October 13, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, Haunted Places, upper peninsula .

West of Newberry, the Forrest Home Cemetery holds a peculiar and poignant memorial. It is an old headstone featuring a purple glass bubble.

This unique stone marks the grave of a young girl who passed away many years ago, just six years and six months old. Her grieving parents embedded a photograph of her within the purple bubble.

Local legend claims that the photograph inside the glass has aged over time. While it’s more likely that the image has decayed with the passage of years, the headstone remains a compelling and interesting sight. It serves as a quiet place to pause and pay your respects to the young life lost too soon. The tombstone can be found near the road by the western entrance of the cemetery.

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The Rusting Paddle Wheel

Posted on September 30, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ships and Boats, upper peninsula .

In DeTour Village, a fascinating piece of maritime history sits just off the shoreline of the St. Mary’s River. Between two private houses, a large, rusting paddle wheel rises out of the water, an intriguing relic whose origins are a mystery.

Next to the paddle wheel are the remains of the Sainte Marie, a wooden barge with a rich history. Originally built in 1893, the vessel was used as a ferry to carry people and railroad cars across the Straits of Mackinac before the Mackinac Bridge was constructed.

In 1913, the Sainte Marie was sold to T.L. Durocher of DeTour, who repurposed it for his salvage and dredge business. After its useful life as a barge ended around1927, Mr. Durocher abandoned the vessel alongside his property in DeTour Village, where it remains to this day. I could not find out where the paddle wheel came from, maybe a remnant of the salvage business. Whatever it’s history is, it is an interesting sight to see when driving through DeTour.

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Nels Anderson’s Barn

Posted on September 27, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Not far off the Triple A road past the Eagle Mine out in the middle of the woods are the ruins of a log structure. It about a 20 mile drive from Big Bay and is in the middle of nowhere. It shows up on Google maps as Nels Anderson’s Barn. I tried to find out more but was not too successful. A few different Nels Andersons from Wisconsin and Minnesota came up so I am not sure if any of them built what is remaining of this old barn. I drove my truck out to it and the roads got a little tight. I imagine it is known by people who have ATVs and side by sides.

P.S. I have been exploring the UP for years and I am still finding interesting places and things, and the more remote they are the more I like them.

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The Old Yukon Inn

Posted on September 23, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The old Yukon Inn sits quietly in the Upper Peninsula town of Paradise. Travelers pass by it on their way to the falls or the lighthouse at the tip of Whitefish Point. I’m not sure when it closed, but it has been a long time. The log cabin exterior makes it look like it was built a long time ago. I hope someday someone will fix it up and get back to selling beer and burgers to snowmobilers and travelers.

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Pelkie’s School Bus

Posted on September 16, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

Just outside of Baraga, at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula, is the small town of Pelkie. Here you’ll find a one-room schoolhouse, originally built in 1909, that has since been converted into a museum. It’s a classic example of a rural schoolhouse and is open to visitors on Sundays during the summer.

On the museum grounds, under a protective cover, sits a peculiar-looking wagon. A brass plaque identifies it as a horse-drawn school bus, a homemade contraption built in 1933 and donated to the museum in 1982. It’s so odd-looking that you can’t help but wonder what the inside is like. Unfortunately, the museum was closed during my visit, so I’ll have to make a return trip to get a peek inside.

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The Building in Brampton

Posted on August 15, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

I saw this old building north of Escanaba in the Upper Peninsula. According to Google Maps, it is located in the town of Brampton, which was named after Brampton, England. A post office was established there in 1874 and remained in operation until it was discontinued in 1984. I wonder if this is the building where the post office was located.

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Patriotic Rockman

Posted on June 18, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

I saw this patriotic red white and blue rockman on Sugar Island. Strangly, it is not the first rockman I have seen on my travels. There is an orange on in the woods northwest of Grayling near the remains of the old sawmill town of Deward. I like seeing these unique roadside artworks. They break up a long drive and make me smile.

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Sugar Island’s Concrete Building

Posted on June 4, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, people, upper peninsula .

This old, abandoned concrete building stands near the shoreline on Sugar Island, east of Sault Ste. Marie. It held items of immense value—not gold or jewels, but books and manuscripts. It was the library for Chase Osborn. He was Michigan’s 27th Governor and the only one from the Upper Peninsula. He built an estate on Sugar Island and held his vast collection of books in his library. It was made of concrete and steel so that it would not be flammable. His home was a modest log cabin, but his library was what was important to him. The estate is mostly in ruins now, but you can hike to it in the Chase Osborn Preserve, managed by the University of Michigan.HERE

P.S. Osborn’s books were donated to the University of Michigan and Lake Superior State University.

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Kitch-iti-kipi

Posted on April 3, 2025 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Artesian Springs, upper peninsula .

Nestled within Palms Book State Park, Kitch-iti-kipi, an Ojibwe term translating to “big cold spring,” is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring. This spring, also referred to as the “Mirror of Heaven,” features a 40-foot-deep basin with an emerald green bottom. It consistently releases 10,000 gallons of 45 °F water per minute from underground limestone fissures. The ducks were enjoying it when I visted on a cold winter day.

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