upper peninsula Archives - Page 12 of 26

Gay Old Mill

Posted on October 21, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The town of Gay is located along the east side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. Its most well-known landmark is the Gay Bar, but a little ways down the road is a tall chimney. It was part of the old Mohawk and Wolverine Stamp Mill. Rail cars full of ore would come into the mill and dump the ore where it would be pulverized and the copper extracted. The remaining sand would be conveyed out to the Lake Superior shoreline. The mill operated from 1900 to 1932 and produced 22 million metric tons of sand. Over the decades the sand has eroded into Lake Superior affecting the spawning of trout and salmon. The state and EPA are working on relocating the sand and controlling the erosion.

When I was there taking photos a lady was placing a sign for the museum and invited me to come to see it. Near the chimney is an old two-story building that served as a school for many years. It has now been turned into a museum and there I learned a lot about the old stamp mill and the town of Gay. It was the first time I have ever been along the east side of the Keweenaw. I mostly travel up the west side to see Eagle Habor and Brockway Mountain. If you are ever in the Keweenaw be sure to take a trip along the east side. The road that travels along the lake is a beautiful drive and you can stop in the town of Gay and learn some history or get a drink at the Gay Bar.

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Tioga Creek

Posted on October 18, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

Michigan has several nice little roadside parks in the Upper Peninsula. They are always a nice place to stop and take a break on a long road trip. I especially like the ones with a waterfall like the one at Tioga Creek where it crosses US-41 bwtween L’Anse and Ishpeming. There is also a waterfall a couple hundred yards into the woods but that is a post for a different day.

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The Backside of the Tahquamenon Falls

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

I have been visiting the Tahquamenon Falls for decades and marveled at its beauty. In my photos of the Upper Falls, I have noticed a platform on the other side. I looked on Google maps and there is a road that heads up towards the falls from the backside of the river.

On my most recent trip to the falls this Autumn I took the trip through the woods to see if I could get to the platform on the other side. I drove down the forest roads for over 30 minutes, I noticed a lot of signs for private hunting clubs and I began to get that sinking feeling that there was a reason why I have seen few photos from the opposite side of the falls.

As I got within a couple of miles of the falls it finally happened. I hit a gate and signs for private property. I was disappointed that my journey had come to an end but it was a beautiful ride through the woods on an Autumn day. I figured there was a chance that I may fail in my attempt but I knew that if I didn’t try then my curiosity would bother me for years as I wondered if I could make it to the other side. So if you have seen that platform and have wondered about it now you know that it is not accessible.

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The Hoaston House

Posted on October 14, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in autumn, Houses, upper peninsula .

Thomas H. Hoatson was the vice president of the Calumet and Arizona Mining Company that had successful mining operations in Arizona. He grew up the son of a miner in the Keweenaw and chose to live there with his family. In 1907, he built this magnificent house in Laurium as a surprise for his wife and children. It is one of the largest houses built in the Upper Peninsula with 45 rooms. His family lived in the house until his death in 1927 and then it changed owners a few times until it was turned into a funeral home in the 1940s. In 1979 the owner of the funeral home Maynerd Hurlbut Killed his wife and grandson before killing himself. The home sat vacant for several years but was restored in the 1990s and converted into a bed and breakfast called the Laurium Manor.

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Skoglund Homestead

Posted on October 12, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

In the heart of the Ottowa National Forest is an old stone cellar dug into the hillside. It was part of the Skoglund Homestead north of Kenton. I could not find any info on the old homestead but I did find that Erik Skoogland and his wife Martha are buried in the Kenton Cemetery. Erik was born in 1856 and died in 1950 and had five children.

The old homestead sits out in the middle of nowhere. It was an interesting trip out to see this historic spot and the old cellar looks like a Hobbit’s home. I did go inside and it has concrete walls and floor and nothing else but dust and dirt. It looks as if it has been a long time since it has been used. The Skoglund’s must have been isolated from civilization deep in the woods, but it sure is a beautiful place.

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An Upper Peninsula Skyscraper

Posted on October 6, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

After spending a few hours driving across the Upper Peninsula I came to the small town of Chatham on M-94 south of Munising. At the sight of this three-story brick building I thought it looked like a skyscraper compared to all the buildings I saw in the small towns I had been traveling through. In the stone above the middle window is carved 1904 THE PACIFIC.

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The Phoenix Church

Posted on October 5, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

On M-41 between Calumet and Copper Harbor stands the Church of the Assumption. It was in the heart of the mining town of Phoenix. The Phoenix Copper Mining Company created one of the first copper mines here, and the town was named after the company. The Church is maintained by the Keweenaw County Historical Society and is open to the public. You can walk into the vestibule (I think that’s what it’s called) and see the inside of the church through a plexiglass wall. It’s a nice little stop while you are out exploring the Keweenaw and yes it still has an ornate altar and wooden pews.

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A Roadside Waterfall

Posted on October 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

I know there are some grand and impressive waterfalls in Michigan, like the Tahquamenon falls or Bond Falls. Warner falls is probably not the most impressive waterfall in Michigan, but it is a nice little waterfall along M-35 south of Palmer in the Upper Peninsula. If you’re like me, and have to see all the waterfalls in Michigan, then this is a nice little waterfall and a nice place to stop and stretch your legs for a few minutes too.

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New Fort Brady

Posted on September 27, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, upper peninsula .

This old brick two-story building stands near the entrance to Lake Superior State College in Sault St. Marie. A Michigan historical marker stands next to it and reads:

When Sault Ste. Marie expanded and its canal was widened, the riverfront site of Fort Brady was abandoned for a higher, more strategic site selected by General Philip Sheridan. Work began in 1886, and the new fort was opened in 1893. From this hilltop, New Fort Brady guarded the copper and iron ore enroute from the mineral regions of western Lake Superior through St. Mary’s Ship Canal. Although never under attack, its troops were called up in 1894 during civil unrest, but primarily they protected the canal until the Second World War, when fifteen thousand soldiers were stationed here. In 1944 the National Guard assumed these responsibilities and New Fort Brady was closed. Camp Lucas, a small section of the fort, was reactivated briefly during the Korean Conflict.

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The B-17 Crash in the Porkies

Posted on September 24, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in State Parks, upper peninsula .

A few miles from the main entrance to Porcupine Mountains State Park is the small town of Silver City. Next to an old boarded-up gift shop is a mangled propeller. It is about all that remains of a B-17 bomber that crashed in the Porkies. On April 18th, 1944 the B-17 was on a training mission when it left Sioux City Iowa headed to Marquette. During the flight an engine caught fire and they were ordered to land in Duluth Minnesota for repairs. Unfortunately, the underpowered airplane was not going to make it. Fortunately, the crew bailed out and landed safely on the ground. The bomber crashed in the trees somewhere south of the Lake In The Clouds

The flight crew managed to walk to Silver City. At the time, the old boarded-up gift shop was a bar and the airmen waited there for their rescue. The military quickly came in and recovered the wreckage of the airplane especially the machine guns that were onboard. One of the propellers was left at the bar in Silver City as a reminder of the incident. Fragments of the wreckage can still be found in the forest but it is a ways off one of the hiking trails and you have to bushwack your way through the trees to find it.

P.S. believe it or not, the B-17 propeller is not the only bent-up one on display in the Upper Peninsula. You can read about the one on my post HERE

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