We take a couple of days to visit a place removed from the modern world - Bois Blanc Island. We visit John Dillinger's alleged hideout, old industry, a lighthouse, an almost 200 year old survey stone, and more. Bois Blanc is a quiet place. It has always been in the [...]
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We visit the Champion Mill Ruins at the Freda, Michigan ghost town. The ruins are situated on the shores of Lake Superior with lots of dispersed camping available with a couple of miles. The mill started operation in 1901 and was the last producing mill in Copper Country in [...]
We explore a timber crib dam that is over 120 years old and a unique steel dam. Only three steel dams were ever constructed in the United States. One of those dams failed soon after it was built. This dam is one of many engineering marvels left over from industrial [...]
The Chuck Box has a history that is closing in on 200 years. Charles Goodnight invented the concept that supposedly "revolutionized" the cattle industry. The concept gave birth to the "Chuck Wagon" which became a sort of "rolling HQ" for long cattle drives that lasted weeks. In this video, we [...]
I take a trip on Lake Michigan, 7 miles off shore to a remote island called Ile Aux Galets. The original name was given by French Explorers. It means "Island of Pebbles". Over the years, mispronunciation by English speakers evolved the name to Skillagalee Island. Although both names are used, [...]
We explore the ruins of an abandoned factory - formerly the Rowe Manufacturing Company - in rural Newaygo, Michigan. The internal power plant's structure still exists over a century later. The ruins have two, still flowing, water races. They used to provide power to a large manufacturing plant which produced [...]
We head down to southeast Ohio to explore some abandoned industry and the ghost town of Moonville, Ohio. Industry left this area about a century ago. The railroad stayed until the 1980's. Today, Moonville still gets a lot of visitors. Ghost Hunters come here to explore the possibilities of spirits [...]
The "Zodiac Thor" is a unique vessel. We utilize this Zodiac Futura Mark III to travel to many remote places. It is a bit of a "Jeep" of the open water. It is full of capability and versatility. It is stable in all sea states and provides a great [...]
When America was younger, it had to reinvent itself to grow. The 4-lane "super highway" was a new development just before World War II. The first super highway was the Pennsylvania Turnpike. It was built for just over $61 million and with a lot of new ideas and engineering. There [...]
Yes. There’s a village called Christmas, Michigan in the upper peninsula. Earnest interest brought us there to investigate the holiday celebrations reaching far into the northern parts of our state. The last port of the Christmas Tree Schooner was our first stop. It’s a powerfully sad story! We learned a […]