upper peninsula Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Christmas Mall

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

Just to be clear, it’s the Christmas Mall, not the mall at Christmas. The little town near Munising got its name when Julius Thorton built a factory in 1938 to make holiday gifts. I am confused as to whether he named the town Christmas or his factory. Unfortunately, in the summer of 1940, his business burned down and he never rebuilt. although the workshop is gone the area still kept the name Christmas.

The Christmas Mall was closed when I went by on my road trip. I like to stop at these eclectic shops to see what kind of stuff I can find, but I usually don’t have time since I am busy looking for places to photograph. I figure when I run out of sites to see it would be interesting to do posts highlighting some of these stores around Michigan. I see a lot of them all over the states, and mostly in small towns.

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A Christmas Light

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

This iron conical tower light stands in the trees along M-28 not far from the town of Christmas. It replaced the wooden lighthouse that was moved to Munising in 1914. I have driven the stretch on M-28 along the Lake Superior shoreline a few times. I knew this tower was located somewhere east of Christmas but I missed it because you can’t see it from the road hidden in the trees. There is an overgrown two-track that leads to it but you have to know where to find it. It is not an overly impressive lighthouse but it is one of the tallest iron tower navigational lights on the Great Lakes.

It has been decommissioned for a while and I am not sure who owns it, But it would be a nice location for a park. Being so close to the town of Christmas I think it should be painted Red White and Green and decorated in a Christmas theme. It would make for a nice place to stop along Lake Superior but unless you know about it many people just zoom on by without stopping.

P.S. I am not sure if the tower has a working light anymore but I ” turned it on ” in photoshop since I don’t like seeing a lighthouse without a hopeful beacon shining.

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Red Jacket: the Biggest Town in the U.P. You Never Knew About

Posted on December 8, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

If you have never heard of the town of Red Jacket in Michigan you are not alone. I was doing some research and I came across the town of Red Jacket and immediately I thought of the Red Jacket fire station in Calumet. ( you can see my post about it HERE ) I just assumed it was called the Red Jacket fire station because the firefighters wore red jackets.

I later found out my assumption was completely wrong. The city of Calumet in the Keweenaw Peninsula was settled in 1864, originally under the name of “Red Jacket”, named for a Native American Chief of the Seneca tribe. The nearby town of Laurium was originally called Calumet, a Native American name for a clay bowl used on a peace pipe. Present-day Laurium was started by the Laurium Mining Company and changed its name to Laurium in 1895. The Calumet and Hecla Mine was in or next to the town of Red Jacket. I assume because of the influence and dominant presence of the mind Red Jacket became known as Calumet. Present-day Calumet was not legally named so until 1929. I hope what I wrote makes sense, but it is still a little confusing to me and it must have been really confusing for the post office. Next time you are in Calumet and you see references to the name of Red Jacket, now you know why.

P.S. I wish the Keweenaw was not so far away from my home in Saginaw. It is one of my favorite places in Michigan to visit with its incredible history and natural beauty.

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Where The Fish Come From

Posted on December 4, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ships and Boats, upper peninsula .

About a mile south of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse is the State Harbor, and when I pulled into the harbor parking lot some fishermen were tying up their boat and stowing away the nets for the day. I never thought much about where the fish comes from, yeah I know they come from the lake, but someone has to catch them. I think I just take it for granted that there will always be fish at the restaurant, but it was nice to actually see someone who goes out and catches the fish. I have gone fishing on the Saginaw Bay, and I know a lot of people who go fishing, but I never really think much about commercial fishing on the Great Lakes. I guess I found one place where the fish come from.

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Crisp’s Point Lighthouse

Posted on November 28, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

Crisp Point Lighthouse stands along the Lake Superior shoreline in Whitefish Point. It is a rather arduous journey to the lighthouse down eleven miles of winding narrow seasonal forest roads. Although it is a long way from the main road it is worth the trip to this secluded beacon. Crisp Point is named for Life Saving Station keeper, and iron-willed boatman, Christopher Crisp. The remote area does not have a landmark, city, or distinctive feature to name the lighthouse and light saving station after. Christopher Crisp must have been known by many and being stationed there most just referred to it as Crisp’s Point and the name stuck. The lighthouse was built in 1904 and by 1941 a signal buoy with a light on it eliminated the need for the lighthouse. The erosion from the waves on Lake Superior destroyed most of the lighthouse. Only the tower was left standing. It has been restored and the shoreline protected with large rocks and boulders.

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The Calumet Red Jacket Fire House

Posted on November 16, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Fire Houses, upper peninsula .

The Calumet Fire Station (also known as the Red Jacket Fire Station) is located on 6th Street in Calumet, Michigan, and was designed by Charles K. Strand, a local Architect in the Richardson Romanesque design. In the rear of the Fire Hall, was the stable for the six horses used to pull the fire wagons. The horses were used into the 1930’s even though the first mechanized fire truck arrived for the Village of Calumet in 1919, a La France pumper made in France and shipped to Calumet over the ocean and then by rail. That fire truck is on display in the museum as is its twin that came at the same time for the Calumet and Hecla Mining Company. Snow removal equipment was not used on the Village streets until the 1930s therefore in the winter with the 200+ inches of snow the snow was “panked” using large rollers pulled by horses and the fire trucks would have their wheels removed and sleigh runners attached and the fire trucks would be pulled to the fire location by horses.

In 1964, the fire department moved to the town hall building. The building was used in various ways, including rooms for summer repertory performers at the nearby Calumet Theatre. The building was designated a Michigan State Historic Site in 1971 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974, and is part of the Calumet Historic District and the Keweenaw National Historical Park. The building now houses the Copper Country Firefighters History Museum.

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Wilson’s Store

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

West of Escanaba I came across this old store, or at least what is left of it. The empty store looks like it closed several years ago and is surrounded by a few houses. It’s about all that remains of the old town of Wilson in the Upper Peninsula.

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The Tower on Tower Road

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

When I was in the Keweenaw Peninsula leaving the Henka homestead historical site I saw this tower. It was on a road called Tower Road so I can only assume the tower has been there a while and they named the road after it. I figure it is or was a fire tower. I am not sure about the enclosed tower next to it. I assume it is an elevator but I am not sure. I thought it was interesting so I stopped and took a pic of it. I am sure the view from the tower must be spectacular. especially in Autumn. I would love to see the view if I can take an elevator ride but there is no way I am climbing the ladder on the outside of the skeletal tower.

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Michigan’s Remote and Secluded Cemetery

Posted on October 2, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Cemetery, upper peninsula .

I have visited a lot of cemeteries in Michigan doing research and the Holy Angels Cemetery on Sugar Island has to be one of the most secluded cemeteries in Michigan. The cemetery is also known as Payment Cemetery because many of the people buried in the old graveyard were from the nearby town of Payment. Michael G. Payment started a settlement on the shores of Sugar Island in 1845 and traded with the local Indians. In 1853 Bishop Baraga started a church that still stands today. You can see my post about it HERE

Behind the church, about 200 yards uphill, is the old cemetery. It was a somewhat difficult hike up a rocky path and I imagine it would be challenging to get landscaping equipment back there. The cemetery has a lot of tall grass and ferns growing among the tombstones and wooden crosses marking the graves of people laid to rest decades ago.

If you want to visit this burial ground you have to take a ferry to the island then head over to the church then hike up the hill to reach it, so yeah, I think it is one of the most remote cemeteries in Michigan.

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The Pequaming Water Tower

Posted on September 28, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

Driving north from the Upper Peninsula town of L’Anse along the Keweenaw bay it is hard to miss the water tower in Pequaming. Unlike most water towers that have the name of the town painted on it the one in Pequaming has the word FORD in the iconic font used by the Ford Motor Company. That is because at one time the town of Pequaming was Ford owned town with a massive sawmill that produced lumber for the model-t. You can see a remnant from the old sawmill on the left side of the photo is what remains of the old powerhouse. At one time Henry Ford had a summer residence in the town. As time went on Ford no longer need the lumber and closed the sawmill. The area is now mostly summer resort homes and a harbor for fishing boats.

You can read more about the town in Lost In Michigan Volume 3 available on Amazon HERE

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