Henry Richardi moved to Bellaire with his father in 1881 after moving the family business from Missouri. They made wooden utensils and with the hardwood forests around the Bellaire area, they thought it was the perfect location to set up shop. Partnering with Frederick Bechtold the established the company of Richardi & Bechtold. Henry Richardi purchased the business from
When we plug something into the electrical outlet on the wall no one thinks about where the power comes from as long as it works. The small village of Shepherd in central Michigan built a powerhouse to provide electricity for its citizens. It was shut down decades ago a historical marker on the building tells
After the long journey from southern Michigan and across the Upper Peninsula this sign made me laugh as it felt as if I had driven to the end of the earth. I don’t have a story to go with this pic. I just want to say thank you for following me on this journey and
South of Brooklyn at the junction of US-12 and M-50 is the historic Brick Walker Tavern. It was built in 1853 as a stagecoach stop and inn for travelers on their journey between Detroit and Chicago. The historic structure is now used as a wedding venue. It stands across the street from the original Walker
After a ship hit the rocks off Mission Point and sank in the 1860’s construction on the Mission Point Lighthouse began. It was not completed until the 1870s because of the Civil War. The white-sided little lighthouse guided ships around the Grand Traverse Bay until 1938 when an illuminated buoy was placed offshore. The light
This old house stands on the edge of Newberry in the Upper Peninsula. It was once part of the state hospital that was first built in 1895 as the Upper Peninsula Asylum for the Insane. It was funded by the state to treat patients in the Upper Peninsula. By 1911 the name had changed to
The Cadillac House was built in 1860 and is one of the oldest hotels in Michigan. It stands in the small port town of Lexington along the Lake Huron shoreline about 30 miles north of Port Huron. It stands to reason that an old hotel with several rooms have had a guest or two die
Finnish Immigrant Herman Hanka homesteaded this farm after being fired from his mining job. An explosion in the mine killed one of his fellow workers and left Hanka deaf and disabled. He built this farm northwest of Baraga in the 1890s. Generations of the Hanka family lived on this farm until the 1960s. It is
I saw these old combines sitting in a field on the back roads somewhere near Shepherd. It looks as if they have been sitting there a while. They remind me of the bull in the movie Cars. Since I don’t have a story I want to take the time to thank everyone who commented on
Located in the woods are two markers where Michigan got its start about two centuries ago. They mark the states Meridian, (north and south line) and the Baseline, (east and west line). All of the townships and counties in Michigan’s two peninsulas are surveyed from these two points. The markers are located in Meridian Baseline
