Roaming around Ypsilanti, I came across this old grain elevator and had to stop and take a pic of it. I find that in many small towns, the grain elevator is the center of town, but in some of the larger cities the grain elevators are not so important, but I am sure at one
This cute little log cabin church sits in the heart of the Upper Peninsula in what remains of the small town of Mansfield not far from Crystal Falls. Built in the late 1800s it was the only church in Mansfield. It was maintained by a Lutheran Congregation but used by other faiths. As the town’s
Guiding ships into the western end of the Straits of Mackinac the White Shoal Lighthouse sits miles away from land in northern Lake Michigan. The light was a marvel of engineering when it was constructed in 1908 and compleated in 1910. The lighthouse with its unique “candy cane” red and white stripes, is the only
The southwestern Michigan town of Three Oaks was named after, you guessed it, three oak trees that stood nearby when the area was settled in 1850. This adorable little brick depot was constructed in 1898. It was used by the railroad until 1959. The little depot sat empty for years before it was restored in
If you have lived in Michigan for a long time you have probably visited Mackinaw City, The Island, and the Fort along with other sites at the tip of the mitten many times. On my last trip to northern Michigan, I took a ride on the Yankee Sunshine. It is a glass-bottom boat operated by
Deep in the forests in the center of the Keweenaw Penisula is the stone ruins of a once prosperous mine and town that supported it. The Cliff Mine is the first successful mine in the Michigan Copper District and dates from 1845. The highly successful mine was the largest copper mine in the US for
Along the Lake Huron shoreline in the Thumb is the town of White Rock. It was named after, you probably guessed it, a white rock. They rock is about a half-mile offshore. Over the years it has broken up in the ice and is not as prominent as it once was but it is still
In the heart of downtown Buchanan is the Pears Mill. It was built in 1857 and is the last of thirteen mills that were built on the McCoy Creek. It was slated for demolition in 1983 after the co-op that used the building moved out. A group of citizens saved and restored the historic mill
I feel fortunate to live in a country that I can travel freely and pursue my happiness. My ancestors came to this country looking for a better life for themselves and their families. I feel as if I owe it to them to do what I can to continue on with the dream this great
The town of Idlewild near Baldwin was started as a resort town for African Americans in the early part of the 1900s. Because of discrimination, many African Americans were limited to where they could vacation. Called the “Black Eden of Michigan”, from 1912 through the mid-1960s, Idlewild was an active year-round community and was visited
