upper peninsula Archives - Page 14 of 26

Michigan’s Underwater Bridge

Posted on August 5, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Bridges, upper peninsula .

Most bridges that cross over a river are above the river. This bridge just north of Manistique that crosses over the Manistique River at one time was lower than the level of the river. It gained recognition on Ripley’s Believe it or Not. The reason for this unique distinction is the paper mill downriver was in need of more water for increased production in the early 1900s.

In my photo, you see a dude fishing. The bridge with its solid concrete walls runs along the left side of the photo. In front of the fisherman is a concrete flume that water flowed through to the papermill. The top of the flume is higher than the surface of the road and the concrete sides held back the water of the flume. I am not sure exactly when, but the paper mill no longer needed the water it once did and the water level in the flume has been lowered. It is not the most visually appealing bridge or flume but I thought it was interesting that the bridge at one time went through the river instead of over it.

P.S. If you are wondering about the tower in the background you can see my post about it HERE.

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The Champion Mine

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The Champion Mining Company was created in 1899. This headframe was constructed in 1902 near Painesdale at the base of the Keweenaw Peninsula. The mine closed in 1967. The old mine is not far from M-26 and the Bill Nicholls Trail passes by the remnants of the old mine buildings. It is still private property but you can see a lot of it from the road and trail.

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The Ghost in the Dompierre House

Posted on July 23, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Haunted Places, upper peninsula .

I was roaming around the town of Michigamme in the Upper Peninsula and I saw a sign for the Dompierre House. It is an old log cabin that sits on the Michigamme Historical Society property. I walked up to the house and took a few pics then looked in the upper left window and my heart literally skipped a beat. I thought I saw a ghost but then realized it was a mannequin standing in front of the window. The historical society was closed when I was there so when I got back home I looked up some info on the old house and I am thinking it is probably haunted after what I had learned.

The original builder of the house was the Michigamme Mining Company and was one of the first structures in town. It has two entry doors because it was most likely a duplex when it was built. In 1896, Napoleon Beauvais purchased the home from the Mining Company. He and his wife, Julia Cadair Beauvias, moved in. Unfortunately, in 1903, Beauvais’ son from his first marriage attacked Julia and then killed himself. Julia was able to summon help before she died herself. The home remained vacant until 1916 when Eusebe Dompierre purchased the home for his daughter and her family for $200 which would be about $4560 today. The home remained in the Dompierre family until it was moved to its present location and restored in 2000.

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Potawatomi Falls

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

Potawatomi Falls are located along the Black River and drop about 30 feet. There is an overlook along the Black River Scenic Byway where you can see this beautiful waterfall named for a local Native American tribe. It is hard to capture its size and beauty in a photograph but if you are in the western Upper Peninsula it is worth a trip to check out these waterfalls and the scenic byway.

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Sault Water Tower

Posted on July 15, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula, Water Tower .

West of downtown Sault Ste Marie near the Lake Superior State Campus is an old stone and brick water tower. The 45-foot diameter tower was constructed in 1894 and the steel tank inside holds 364,000 gallons of water. It is one of the oldest water towers in Michigan and was refurbished in 2010. That is when its wooden roof was replaced with a steel one.

P.S. If you are wondering, the oldest water tower in Michigan is in Ypsilanti. you can see my post HERE

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The Pioneer Church in Da Upper Peninsula

Posted on July 11, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

This cute little log cabin church sits in the heart of the Upper Peninsula in what remains of the small town of Mansfield not far from Crystal Falls. Built in the late 1800s it was the only church in Mansfield. It was maintained by a Lutheran Congregation but used by other faiths. As the town’s population dwindled the church was used as a shingle mill and later fell into ruin.

In 1987 the Mansfield Memories Committee restored the old church and is known as the Mansfield Pioneer Church. It welcomes guests that visit the historic area and is used for special occasions.

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The Cliff Mine and Ghost Town Ruins in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on July 7, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Deep in the forests in the center of the Keweenaw Penisula is the stone ruins of a once prosperous mine and town that supported it. The Cliff Mine is the first successful mine in the Michigan Copper District and dates from 1845. The highly successful mine was the largest copper mine in the US for more than a decade after it was started. By the 1870s the veins of copper had been extracted from the ground and the mine closed.

You can still see the stone walls and foundations from the buildings among the trees behind the tailings (piles of rocks) dug out from the mine. I was amazed by the stone tower that I am thinking was a chimney. You can find the old Cliff Mine ruins hiking over the west branch of the Eagle River off Cliff Drive where it connects back to US-41.

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The Company Town of Nahmah

Posted on July 2, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in small towns, upper peninsula .

This general store, the Nahmah Inn next to it, and some houses still remain in the company town of Nahmah. It stands along the Lake Michigan shoreline in Big Bay De Noc east of Escanaba. The town was established in 1881 by the Bay de Noquet Lumber Company of Oconto, Wisconsin. At Its peak, the company employed over 1500 people and built housing and stores for its employees. The company closed in 1951 and the town made national headlines when the company sold the entire town to an Indiana playground manufacturer. They intended to convert the town into a resort community but never had the funding to do it. The town still survives today as individually owned houses and businesses and welcomes tourists enjoying the Upper Peninsula.

P.S. My plan was to get a pic of the silo-like structure that stood along the shoreline. It was a wood burner used by the Bay de Noquet Lumber Company. To my disappointment, I learned the historic wood burner collapsed in 2019.

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Old Victoria

Posted on June 28, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Historic Places, upper peninsula .

This old log cabin is one of a few buildings that still stand in the Old Victoria Historic Townsite. The hills around the area are one of the first places in the state to be mined for copper. The historic town is near Rockland on the west side of the Upper Peninsula and tours of the homes are given to visitors during the summer months. For info on tours and events, you can see their Facebook page HERE

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Vermillion Point

Posted on June 26, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

This old shack is one of a few buildings that stand at Vermillion Point. The buildings were used by the U.S. Life Saving Service. They sit along Lake Superior west of the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and the men stationed at them would rescue sailors in distress. They were abandoned decades ago but have been slowly restored and the area is now part of a nature preserve. If you are looking for a bit of an adventure a trip down a sandy road will take you to this out-of-the-way place that most tourists don’t know about. It is also a great place to go rock hunting along the shoreline. The history and directions to this unique place can be found in Volume 4 of my Lost In Michigan books.

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