Category Archives: upper peninsula

The Narnia Trail

Posted on by Posted in Nature, upper peninsula .

The Bush Bay Trail is a scenic hiking path that winds along the stunning Lake Huron shoreline. It’s commonly known as the Narnia Trail due to its enchanting natural beauty and impressive boulders lining the coast. You can find the parking area just off M-134, east of Hessel. If you’re seeking a lovely hike in the southeastern part of the Upper Peninsula, the Bush Bay Trail is an excellent choice.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

The Governor’s Estate Ruins in the U.P.

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

The ruins of Michigan 27th Governor’s estate can be found on an Island in the Upper Peninsula. Sugar Island is located in the St Mary’s River east of Sault St Marie. Duck Island is a small island that is separated from Sugar Island by a channel and Duck Lake. Chase Osborn lived on the island until his death in 1949.  He was born in 1860 in Indiana and started his career in the newspaper business. He married his first wife Lillian G. Jones in 1881 and soon after moved to Sault Ste. Marie. In 1889, he was appointed Postmaster of Sault Ste. Marie and, in 1895, the state’s Fish and Game Warden.

Osborn built an estate on Duck Island where he built two log cabins. The larger cabin he called Big Duck and the smaller one was called Little Duck. Between them was a concrete library that held his vast collection of books.

Big Duck cabin ruins

Little Duck cabin ruins

Osborn’s library

In 1910, Osborn was elected the 27th Governor of Michigan and served from 1911 to 1913. He was the only governor from the Upper Peninsula and he proposed building a bridge across the Straits of Mackinac to President Roosevelt in 1939.

Near the riverbank is a building built with logs. I am not exactly sure what this was used for. I seen it stated that Chase had a separate bedroom made with logs. He also slept outside on a bed of pine bows. I am not sure if the log structure was his sleeping quarters or some sort of shed.

Chase Osborne became a member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents and served from 1908 to 1911. In 1927 he donated his property on Duck Lake and Sugar Island to the U of M. He made arrangements to be able to live at his estate. He had thousands of books in his library and they were given to the University of Michigan and Lake Superior State University.

Chase and Stellanova’s gravesite

South of the cabin is a large rock used as a grave marker for Chase and his second wife Stellanova. Looking at the dates Chase was born in 1860 and stallanova was born in 1894. Osborn met Stellanova Brunt in 1924, and she took a job as his researcher and secretary. Chase and Lillian Osborn legally adopted 37-year-old Stellanova, and she changed her last name to Osborn. After his wife Lillian died, Stellanova’s adoption was annulled.  Chase was 89 and Stellanova was 54 when they were married. Chase died two weeks later at his home in Georgia. His remains were transported to Duck Island and they were buried under a massive rock. Stellanova died in 1989 and was buried with her husband on Duck Island. (I am thinking that Chase married Stellanova so she could get his survivor death benefits as his wife that she would not have received as his daughter.)

Osborn’s property and estate is now the Chase S. Osborn Preserve and used for research and instruction in natural sciences and forestry. When I visited the main gate on S. Homestead Road was open. I parked near the closed gate for Duck Lake. The sign next to it read that no camping or dumping was allowed but I did not see anything about trespassing so I assume it is open to the public. It is about a mile hike to the estate. It was an easy hike without any steep hills to climb. If you visit please be respectful so that it remains accessible. you can see it on google maps at the coordinates here  46.35820957281242, -84.13571232907873

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

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

Only Choice Lighthouse

Posted on by Posted in Lighthouses, upper peninsula .

Not far from US-2, near the town of Gulliver, between the “Bridge” and Escanaba, is Seul Choix Point Lighthouse. Seul Choix is a French word for “only choice” and is pronounced “sis shwa”. It is one of the few harbors along the southern shore of the Upper Peninsula. That is how the name of the lighthouse came to be. It is still used as an active aid for navigation but also serves as a museum for visitors.

Stories claim the lighthouse is haunted by keeper Joseph Willie Townsend, who served at the structure from 1902 until his death in 1910. It is said that he passed away while in the bedroom that is located upstairs. Townsend and his wife lived in the lighthouse, and he was known to enjoy smoking cigars. Unfortunately, his wife was not a huge fan of the smell and smoke associated with the cigars, and forbade him to smoke in the house. Since his death, many people have claimed to smell burning cigars in the house. It’s believed that Townsend purposely smokes in the house in the afterlife as his wife can no longer stop him from doing it. People also claim to have seen Townsend’s ghost and that furniture is rearranged. Another strange occurrence is that when the table is set for dinner with the forks facing up, if you leave to retrieve something and return to the table, sometimes the forks are facing down. Townsend was known to set his forks down in that position.

If you enjoy reading stories of lighthouses I hope you will take a look at my book Light From The Birdcage 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.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

The Big Chief

Posted on by Posted in people, upper peninsula .

The town of Ironwood in the Upper Peninsula sits next to the Wisconsin border. About a mile south of downtown is a small park with an enormous statue. It is of Hiawatha, a legendary leader of the Iroquois Confederacy, and a sign below the statue declares it to be the world’s tallest Indian. The park is the site of the old Norrie Iron Mine. The 52-foot-tall fiberglass statue was erected in 1964, and funded by local auto dealer Charlie Gotta. It was built to help draw tourists to travel through downtown Ironwood. I am not sure how much it helped, but it is definitely an attention grabber.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

The Cabins along the Road

Posted on by Posted in Forgotten Places, upper peninsula .

I pass by this row of old cabins in the Upper Peninsula frequently. They stand along US-2 near the Lake Michigan shoreline a few miles west of St. Ignace. I always wonder about them. I am sure back in the day they were a popular spot with the tourists. Now they stand slowly being engulfed by trees and weeds watching the cars and trucks pass by.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula, I hope you will take a look at my book by clicking 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.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

The Spring in Norway

Posted on by Posted in Artesian Springs, upper peninsula .

Along US-2, about a mile outside of Norway is a stone fountain. The water comes from an artesian spring and flows all year long.  In 1903 Oliver Mining Company was searching for iron ore and drilled a hole about a thousand foot deep.  The hole cuts through rock that traps water at higher elevations. The difference in elevation creates the pressure in an artesian well. The back side of the fountain has a pipe with flowing water for filling up jugs. I like to stop and fill up some water bottles when I am passing through Norway. I think it is the best tasting water in Michigan.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, if you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

The Ghost Town of Watson

Posted on by Posted in Ghost towns, upper peninsula .

County Road 426 runs along the center part of the Upper Peninsula. It passes through the old town of Watson. A few homes still stand in the area but it looks as if it has been a long time since the old store was open for business. At one time an IGA sign hung from the metal bar at the top of the building but that is gone. The old building just stands by the road watching cars pass by remembering the days when people stopped for groceries.

If you thought this post was interesting, I hope you will take a look at my new Michigan Ghost Town book 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.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

The Ruins along Old US-2

Posted on by Posted in Historic Places, upper peninsula .

US-2 runs along the southern side of the Upper Peninsula. Between Manistique and Gulliver is a short section of road that shows up on the map as Old US Hwy 2. Near the road are two large brick crumbling structures. They are the remains of kilns used by the White Marble Lime Company, founded by George Nicholson Jr. in 1889. The kilns, which were fired by wood waste from the lumber industry, burned dolomite to produce quicklime for use as a building material and an ingredient in the manufacture of paper. The company also established a sawmill, shingle mill and became a dealer in forest products, as well as crushed stone, cement, and builders’ supplies and employed nearly 250 workers. In 1925 the company was reorganized as the Manistique Lime and Stone Company but went out a few years later during the Depression of 1929.

The stone kilns still stand as a reminder of the lime industry in the region. They stand on private property but are visible from the road.

If you love exploring the Upper Peninsula I hope you will take a look at my Upper Peninsula book Available on Amazon HERE https://amzn.to/3Bn9lKc

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

 

Herman: Then and Now

Posted on by Posted in Ghost towns, small towns, upper peninsula .

While doing research for my Michigan Ghost Town book I came across an old photo of the town of Herman from the 1940s. The town is in the Huron Mountains southeast of L’Anse. I recognized the old store next to the railroad tracks in the old photo.

The town has changed a lot in the past 80 plus years. The buildings on the left are gone and the nice looking building on the right is slowly collapsing. You can see my post about it HERE 

Its interesting to see pics of the way things were and compare them to what there is now. I wish I could go back in time to visit some of the places I have posted about but the closest I can come to doing that is looking at old photographs.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read

The Locomotive Boneyard

Posted on by Posted in Train Depots, upper peninsula .

The North Shore Boat Launch is located north of downtown Escanaba. Next to it is an old Escanaba & Lake Superior Railroad facility. A line of old locomotives sit on tracks next to the boat launch parking lot.

The facility is not accessible to the public but you can see all of the old locomotives behind the fence. If you love trains it a nifty place to check out and look at the old trains that are past their prime.

Thank you for Subscribing to Lost In Michigan, If you have not subscribed yet, It would mean a lot to me if you did.

enter your email address, I promise I won't send you any spam, it's just an automated email that lets you know there is a new post to read