Category Archives: upper peninsula

The Upper Peninsula Rocket Range

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At the northernmost point of the Keweenaw Peninsula in the U.P. is the remains of an old rocket launchpad. The site was used in the 60’s to launch experimental rockets. The only thing that remains of the old site is a concrete pad and an old iron rail. A stone memorial was placed a the site to commemorate the historic achievements.

The memorial reads:

The Keweenaw Rocket Range
The State Of Michigan established a rocket range on this site which was used from 1964 – 1971. Michigan’s first rocket to enter space was launched from this site on Jan. 29, 1971. In tribute to the historic work done in the field of rocketry, this memorial stone was placed in the summer of the year 2000.

It is an interesting a beautiful place to visit along the Lake Superior shoreline. The road to get to the former site can be challenging and requires a four-wheel drive vehicle or some people have ridden a mountain bike to the old rocket range. you can learn more about the old rocket range in Volume 3 of my Lost In Michigan books.

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You could own this Historic Michigan Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

The historic Mendota Lighthouse is for sale, and You are probably wondering where Mendota is located, I know I was. The lighthouse is named for a nearby mining company and stands near a man-made canal on Bete Grise Bay in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The canal was dug to Lac La Belle in 1865. A light was placed to guide ships into the canal but it was used infrequently a few times and then abandoned altogether. The original light was removed a few years after it was constructed.

It was about two decades later at the end of the century that the current lighthouse was built, not to guide ships into the canal, but to help them find refuge. Bete Grise Bay on the inside of the Keweenaw was a safe harbor for ships to find shelter from a storm. The current lighthouse was built to mark the bay and help sailors find it when Lake Superior turns angry.

In 1933 the lighthouse was decommissioned and sold to Heimo (Paddy) Jaaskelainen who owned it until his death in 1996. Gary Kohs from Royal Oak purchased the lighthouse after learning about it on a motorcycle trip through the Keweenaw. He purchased it for $500,000.  The historic lighthouse is back up for sale as of June 2020 for the asking price of $495,000. If you ever wanted to own a historic lighthouse here is your chance. You learn more about the lighthouse at their website HERE

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Paradise School

Posted on by Posted in Schools, upper peninsula .

I came across this old building which I thought was a farmhouse in the Keweenaw Peninsula not far from Chassell. I just assumed it was an old farmhouse but then I came across something that referred to an old school called Paradise School. When I think of Paradise I think of the small town near the T-Falls.  I then realized this old building was on Paradise Road so I figured that made sense.

I always thought the shape of it seemed a little odd for a schoolhouse, since most one-room schools are simple buildings with a simple roofline. It’s hidden behind the trees but it is a “T” shaped building and roofline. I came across this photo this old photo on the internet that said it was the Paradise School near Chassell so I guess that it is the old Paradise School.

P.S. I wonder what became of the children in the photo. I look at old photos and I always wonder about the people in them.

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The Famous Upper Peninsula Courthouse

Posted on by Posted in courthouses, upper peninsula .

The courthouse in Marquette was compleated in 1904. It is a beautiful Neo-Classical Revival building built with local sandstone. The courthouse has held a few notable cases. in 1913, President Theodore Roosevelt won a libel suit against Ishpeming newspaper publisher George Newett and was awarded six cents, “the price of a good newspaper.”

In 1952 Lt. Coleman A. Peterson was tried for killing a man in Big Bay. His trial gained notoriety when he was found not guilty by reason of insanity. The murder and trial inspired the book and movie Anatomy of a Murder. The movie starred Jimmy Stewart and portions were filmed in the courthouse.

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Point Iroquois Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

The Tahquamenon Falls and Whitefish Point is a favorite spot for tourists in the Upper Peninsula. If you take M-123 it will take you the quickest way to see the falls. Did you know that if you take a slight detour over to Brimley, you can take West Lakeshore Drive along Lake Superior. Along the way is Point Iroquois Lighthouse and it is a great place to stop for a break on an adventure around the Upper Peninsula. The keeper’s house is now a museum although I have yet to go inside since I always seem to visit out of season. The tower is usually open for visitors to climb all year long.

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Alger Falls

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

South of Munising near the intersection of M-28 and M-94 is Alger Falls. It sits a little ways off the road and most people driving past probably never even see it. Alger Falls is not the most impressive waterfall in the area, but if you are visiting nearby Wagner Falls, it is a quick stop to see Alger Falls and check it off your list of waterfalls you have visited. I kind of feel like that yellowish-green evergreen tree is photobombing the waterfall but as Bob Ross would say ” It’s a happy little tree”

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The Bishop’s House

Posted on by Posted in Houses, upper peninsula .

Michigan has several large ornate historic houses. This house in Marquette is neither large or ornate but it is historic. The historical marker that stands next to it reads.

Frederic Baraga was a lawyer, an artist and a Roman Catholic priest who came to the U.S. from present-day Slovenia in 1830. Baraga (1797-1868) served Native Americans in the Great Lakes region and wrote A Dictionary of the Otchipwe Language (Chippawa or Ojibwa), published in 1853. Named vicar apostle of the Sault that year, he became bishop of Sault Ste. Marie in 1857, and transferred the See of the diocese to Marquette in 1866. Baraga lived in a part of this house that was later moved from behind the cathedral and attached to an existing house on this site. He continued working with native people and helped them connect annuity from the U.S. government. Baraga died in this house on January 19, 1868, and was interred in the crypt of St. Peter Cathedral in Marquette.

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Searching for the Canyon Waterfalls

Posted on by Posted in upper peninsula, Waterfalls .

My son and I stopped at the Canyon Falls roadside park on US-41. We hiked a ways back into the woods and came upon the river and some small waterfalls. I took some pics and we hiked back to the jeep and headed on our way. I was doing a little research for this post and looked at the pics on Go Waterfalling and apparently I missed the best part of the falls in the lower falls.  I wish I had known or saw a sign or something but oh well just one more reason to go back to the Upper Peninsula.

On a side note, I see people ask about things to see in the U.P. and others comment on all sorts of places like the T-Falls and the Big Spring and Lake of the Clouds. I think people think they can see everything in the Upper Peninsula in one trip not realizing it is about a five-hour drive and 270 miles from the T-Falls to the Porkies.  Pick a region of the U.P. to explore, the challenge for me is not stopping on the eastern side to visit places so I can make it over to the western side.

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The Ruins in the Upper Peninsula

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

Along the shoreline of Lake Superior are a tall smokestack and concrete ruins. It is near the town of Freda west of Houghton in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The maze of weathered concrete and rusty rebar is what remains of the Champion Mill that processed the copper-rich rocks. Trains would pull into the mill and dump their cars filled with copper infused rocks. The mill would pulverize the rocks and mix them with water from lake superior creating a sludge rich in copper. It was then taken by train to Houghton for further processing and then poured into ingots and shipped around the world.

Close-up view of the ruins

The mill closed in 1967 and it was stripped of any metal for scrap. I made the trip to see the ruins, but the road stops at a cliff that overlooks the remains. A barbed-wire fence restricts people from getting to close. It was interesting to see and hard to capture the immense size in a photo. Unfortunately, access to visitors is not allowed.  I also stopped to see the waterfalls and old train bridge in nearby Redridge. You can find the post by clicking HERE

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Newberry Jail

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, upper peninsula .

Jail and Sheriff's Residence

Constructed in 1894, this graceful Queen Anne style structure served as the Luce County jail and sheriff’s residence for over seventy years. The peninsular Land Company donated the site. The architectural firm of Lovejoy and DeMar from Marquette designed this sturdy edifice from rough-hewn Jacobsville sandstone. The Luce County Historical Society rescued this building from demolition in 1975 and restored it as the Luce County Historical Museum in 1976.

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