upper peninsula Archives - Page 15 of 26

The Rock Cut in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

Deep in the forests of the Huron Mountains in the northwest Upper Peninsula is a huge gash in the solid rock terrain. It was created in the 1890s to run the Iron Range and Huron Bay Railroad from Champion to an ore dock near Skanee. A group of investors in the Detroit area thought they could make a fortune on hauling iron ore by train from a mine near champion. They spent about two million dollars and employed 1500 men building a railroad and ore dock. By the time it was completed the mine had stopped producing iron ore and the railroad was no longer needed. Shortly after the railroad was sold for about $100,000 and the tracks were removed and used downstate.

The Huron Bay Peshekee Grade Road from US-41 will take you near the famed rock cut. The road follows along the Peshekee River and constructed using part of the old railroad grade. It is not a trip for the faint of heart. It is about 20 miles of rough road back into the wilderness. When I got the rock cut it was pouring rain and the mosquitoes were eating me alive. I think I know how Percy Fawcett felt looking for the lost city in the jungle in one of my favorite books The Lost City Of Z. Although it was a long and rough trip back to the rock cut, it was one of the most impressive things I have seen in Michigan. I can only imagine what kind of hell the men endured to create it only to never be used.

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Superior Falls

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

Superior Falls is on the Montreal River that makes up the boundary between Michigan and Wisconsin. The falls are in the southwest end of the Upper Peninsula and are located in a gorge near a power plant. It is hard to tell from the photo but the walls of the gorge are about 100 feet tall. This is one of those places you have to visit to appreciate the beauty of these waterfalls.

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Michigan’s 26 Star Flag

Posted on June 14, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Michigan State Parks, upper peninsula .

I visit a lot of locations around the state and it’s always nice to see the red white and blue flag of the USA proudly flying on a flag pole. I took this photo at Fort Wilkins State Park at the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula. I have visited it a few times and never noticed it, but I got to looking closely at the photo. The U.S. flag seemed a little different. I counted up the stars and it only has 26 of them. Fort Wilkins was built in 1844 and back then, the official American flag only had 26 stars. The historic design from when the fort was constructed proudly flies over the fort today.

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Chapel Of The Two Heart

Posted on June 13, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Churches, upper peninsula .

Near the mouth of the Two Hearted River in the Upper Peninsula is this log cabin chapel. the first chapel was built in the summer of 2006, by Richard and Kathy Robinson and family, along with the help of volunteers. Unfortunately, the Chapel burned down in the Duck Lake Fire and a new one was constructed in 2013.

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The Highest Point In Michigan

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

The highest point in Michigan is at the summit of Mount Arvon in the Huron Mountain Range in Baraga and Marquette counties. Mt. Arvon is about a 30-mile trek from L’Anse. The last 15 miles it up winding gravel forest roads but it as much about the journey as the destination. At the top is a sign marking the highest point along with a benchmark and a mailbox with a logbook. There is a two-mile hiking trail that leads to the 1,979 feet above sea level summit, or you can drive right up to it if the thought of hiking two miles uphill sounds like torture. You could probably drive up to it in a passager car, but I would recommend an SUV or truck. It would be best to do it in the summer months and avoid early spring when there is still snow on the roads in the Huron Mountains. If you do take the trip be sure to stop at the Baraga Convention and Vistors Bureau Center in L’Anse for directions and info on road conditions.

If you are looking for a place in Michigan to check off your list of places to say you have been to this is a good one. Just be sure to plan on a couple of hours of driving there and back from L’Anse. One last thing, do not rely on your GPS to take you there. You want to get to Mt. Arvon driving south on Roland Lake Road from Skanee Road.

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The Stone Ship

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

When you travel along US-41 in the Keweenaw north of Calumet in the town of Kearsarge you will see a Stone ship next to the road with a mining drill mounted on the bow for a gun. The town of Kearsarge was named after a Civil War ship of the same name by a Naval Officer who served on it and moved to the Keweenaw. He worked for the Hecla Mining Company and he named the company town after the ship. Workers with the WPA (Works Progress Administration) built many of the area’s bridges, public buildings, and roads during the Great Depression. In 1934, the WPA built the stone ship that sits along the road in Kearsarge. The ship and the park it sits in are fittingly used as a Veteran’s Memorial.

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St Anthony’s Rock

Posted on May 19, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

Behind the shops in downtown St. Ignace is a large rock named St. Anthony’s Rock. The massive rock was formed millions of years ago and is a now-landlocked sea stack or sea chimney, geologically similar to several features on Mackinac Island, such as Arch Rock or Sugar Loaf. As with nearby Castle Rock. Legend has it the rock was named by Father Louis Hennepin while exploring the great lakes in 1679 on La Salle’s boat the Griffon. It is believed the rock was named for Saint Anthony of Padua. In the late 1880s, the rock became a popular tourist attraction as the railroad bringing tourists to the area wound its way past the large rock.

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The Old Stone Courthouse in the U.P.

Posted on May 10, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in courthouses, upper peninsula .

Sault Ste. Marie is the oldest city in Michigan and it is no surprise that one of the oldest courthouses in the Great Lakes State can be found there. The Chippewa County Courthouse was built in 1877. The Second Empire building was constructed with limestone from Drummond Island and trimmed in red sandstone extracted from the second canal. The walls of this historic building are two feet thick in some places. The old courthouse was renovated in 1989 and a wooden statue of Lady Justice stands in the clock tower watching the ships pass through the Soo Locks which are a few blocks away.

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Days Gone By In Da Keweenaw

Posted on May 4, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in upper peninsula .

I saw this collection of old cars and trucks, along with the service station signs and pumps north of Hancock. I had to stop and take a pic. I hope the owner did not mind, but I really liked the way they displayed their collection. If I had a gas station, I would do a “retro” station with old-looking pumps and neon lighting. I think it would be nice to go to an old-style service station. I would defiantly have one of those ” ding, ding” air hoses. I remember jumping on them as a kid trying to ring the bell.

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Crisp Point Lighthouse

Posted on April 29, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

Crisp Point Lighthouse stands along Lake Superior almost straight north of Tahquamenon Falls State Park. If you are looking for an adventure take a trip out to the historic lighthouse. It is one of the most remote lighthouses standing on the mainland of Michigan. It is about 20 miles of dirt road to get to the beacon but the view is spectacular and the beach is a wonderful place to go rock hunting. If you take the trip follow the signs from M-123 and do not trust your GPS. I may take you down what it thinks are roads but they are snowmobile trails and not suitable for cars and trucks. Also, make sure you have plenty of gas in your tank. It is a long way from a gas station if you get low on your trip.

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