I found very little information on the town of Watson, even though the general store, a house, and a couple of buildings still remain standing in the long forgotten community. Watson is nestled in the south-east corner of Marquette County on road 426. Walter Romig’s Michigan Place Names say that it was a “mail distributing point” in the Watson Store Company prior to 1918. I wonder if that is the store that is still standing with the iconic IGA Super Market sign. There are a handful of people still living in the area and the Watson Bible Chapel is nearby. A set of railroad tracks run next to the road, but with the grass and trees growing up between the rails the train has not traveled down them in a long time. I am assuming after the train no longer stopped in Watson the people in the little town slowly moved away. It is a reminder of days gone by, and I hope it continues to stand for many years.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula, I hope you will take a look at my new book Lost In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula available on Amazon HERE

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The Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula is the largest state park in Michigan. It is known for its hiking trails, waterfalls, and the Lake Of The Clouds. But few people know that hidden among the trees are the ruins of an old mining town. It also has an old stone lined shaft that sinks into the ground. It is rather spooky how it curves out of a hill and I can not imagine descending down into the earth from it. The hole is fence off now but you can still see it in the forest of the Porkies

Nonesuch is a type of copper ore that exists in sandstone and the town was named after the ore. Mining began in 1867 and ended in 1912.At its peak, the town had a population of 300 people and besides the mining buildings, it had a school, boarding houses, stables, and even a baseball team. Today stone walls can be found in the area where the town once stood. I also found some old cast iron machine parts including a large gear half-buried in the ground and held in place by a tree root.

The ruins can be found near the Little Iron River. A parking lot can be found off South Boundary Road with a trail that is about a half-mile long that will take you to the ruins. To find the parking lot drive straight south of the visitor center. A short road keeps going south where South Boundary Road curves to the west. Down that short road, you will find a small parking lot and an informational sign for the town of Nonesuch.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula I hope you will take a look at my new book Lost In Michigan’s Upper Peninsula available 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.