Winter Wonderland Archives - Lost In Michigan

The Memorial Log Lodge

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in State Parks, Winter Wonderland .

In 1927, Mrs. Karen Hartwick donated land to the state of Michigan In honor of her husband Major Edward E. Hartwick, who died in action during World War I. The land was used to create Hartwick Pines state park. In 1929, the Department began construction this building as a memorial to Mrs. Hartwick’s husband. However, work was halted by the Great Depression. Work resumed in 1933 when workers from the Civilian Conservation Corps finished the interior of the Memorial Building and constructed other buildings in the park. The lodge was used as a visitors center until a new one was constructed in 1994. The old lodge has been sitting vacant since 2012.

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Meads Mill Ruins

Posted on February 25, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Forgotten Places, Winter Wonderland .

These old stone ruins on the Middle River Rouge stand in Hines Park in Northville. The sign nearby reads Meads Mill but I have read that they were not part of the mill. According to Nailhed.com they were part of a 1937 Works Progress Administration project. It was built as a waterwheel and intake site for the Wayne County Training School powerhouse. Whatever they were for, it makes for a nice little waterfall and an interesting place to visit.

Lost In Michigan books are ON SALE this weekend on Amazon HERE

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Elowski Mill

Posted on February 20, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Grain Elevators, Winter Wonderland .

This old mill stands near Posen northwest of Alpena. A Michigan historical marker gives a little history about his old mill and reads:

Prussian immigrant Michael Elowsky fled the turmoil brewing in Eastern Europe in 1862. He settled in Detroit, was joined by his family, and migrated to Presque Isle County around 1870. under President Lincoln’s Homestead Act of 1865, he obtained his land on the north branch of the Thunder Bay River near Posen at no cost. He built a log dam and moved a part of this structure from Trout River and eventually developed a complex of flour,shingle, siding, planing, and lathe milling operations. Residents of Metz, Posen, and Krakow townships brought grain and timber to this mill. With the help of Thomas Edison, Michael’s son Emil added a generator and electric lights to operate the mill 24 hours a day. When the Mill closed at the end of the harvest season in October of 1963, that became the last time it would operate. During the winter of 1963-4, a great amount of snow fell, so with the spring melt, a very great run-off on the river caused the original log dam to collapse. The great run off also wiped out the sawmill that the family had across the river on the south bank. All the equipment was left intact and remains to this day.

The mill is privately owned and is part of Hemlock Hills On Mill Pond.

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Dam It’s Cold Outside

Posted on February 17, 2021 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Dam, Winter Wonderland .

If you have followed my posts for a while ( Thank you ) you know I can’t help but make stupid dam puns. I was passing through Glennie and I had to take a quick trip over to the Alcona Dam a few miles away. The dam was originally named for a nearby road called Bamfield. Work began on Bamfield Dam in 1917, but the project stalled due to unstable sand and World War I. Construction resumed in 1923, and Alcona Hydro began commercial operation in 1924. The drop in elevation is approximately 30 feet, depending on the time of year.

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A Patriotic Christmas Tree

Posted on December 21, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Winter Wonderland .

Every holiday season the Waterworks building in Saginaw is decorated with lights. It is a magical display enjoyed by many people as they pass by the iconic building on Ezra-Rust Drive. Most people are unaware of the significance of the red white and blue lights decorating the pine tree on the corner.

In 1979, during the Iran Hostage Crisis at the Embassy in Tehran, plant supervisor Wally Rogalski had the tree decorated as a patriot gesture in honor of the hostages. The tree has been decorated with the American colors ever since then. The hostage crisis occurred a long time ago, but I think it’s also a good reminder to remember all the men and women who serve in the military at home and abroad, and the sacrifices they make for us, especially during the holidays.

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Christmas in Lyons

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Winter Wonderland .

I went through the small town of Lyons near Ionia and I saw this little white building with a Christmas tree inside. I thought it looked charming and I had to stop and take a photo. I am not sure what it is or was with a hand-painted sign reading WOMEN above the door. It looked like a small depot of some kind but I am not sure.

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A Downtown Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Winter Wonderland .

I turned on to Main Street in Downtown Ionia and was surprised to see an enormous Christmas tree standing in the intersection. It seemed rather strange to drive around the illuminated tree like a traffic circle, but it was a beautiful sight.

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Silent Night in Corunna

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Winter Wonderland .

A few years ago I was out roaming Mid-Michigan looking at and photographing Christmas lights, at the time I had never been to Corunna, but when I saw this old village illuminated at night, I had to stop and take a pic. It was not that late at night, but it was eerily vacant and peaceful and also extremely cold that night, I froze my butt off taking this pic that silent night in Corunna. But it was worth it.

The church in the center of the village is the Christ Evangelical German Lutheran Church that was located in Brady Township in Saginaw County. It was built in 1888 and was moved to the village in 1991.

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The D. H. Day Farm

Posted on February 7, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Barns and Farms, Winter Wonderland .

If you have ever been to the dune climb in the Sleeping Bear Dunes than you have seen the D.H. Day farm. It was also known as “Oswegatchi” after the New York community where his father was born and the Oswegatchi River where D. H. Day played as a boy. David Henry Day built this farm in the 1880s and its unique looking barn is one of the most photographed barns in Michigan.

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Seven Bridges: Waterfalls In The Lower Peninsula

Posted on January 24, 2020 by Mike Sonnenberg Posted in Waterfalls, Winter Wonderland .

Between Mancelona and Kalkaska is the breathtakingly beautiful Seven Bridges Recreation Area. It contains, you guessed it, seven bridges that cross several streams that snake their way through the landscape. There are several little waterfalls and paths to explore. If you live downstate and you want to get some photos of waterfalls and nature it is a nice little place to stop. It’s not the same as visiting Tahquanomon Falls but it is a lot closer to the southern cities in the palm of the mitten.

If you are near Mancelona, Lost In Michigan books are available at Rooted. A Michigan products gift shop next to the Iron Skillet Restaurant. You can get a good meal at the restaurant and pick up a copy of Lost In Michigan. you can find more about Rooted at their website by clicking HERE You cand find the website for the Iron Skillet HERE

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