The Discovery The bones of Sister Mary Janina (Ya-nina) were unearthed from the basement cellar of Holy Rosary Catholic church in late 1918. It had been 11 years since the nun had gone missing. Father Edward Podlaszewski was the new priest who wanted to build a stylish church on the […]
Interests
94 posts
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 [...]
As we hiked around the Keweenaw peninsula in upper Michigan we came across copper mining ruins. How did they mine copper? When did this industry cease production? How rustic were the mining towns? It was fascinating discovering the secrets of copper mining! 40,000 years ago two mile thick ice sheets […]
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 [...]
In our zodiac rubber boat, which I affectionately call a “dinghy,” we wobbled over the waves of the St. Mary’s River to Lime Island for our annual family camping trip. Charlotte (8 -10) and Noah (3 -5) endured this ride differently. Charlotte embraced the splashing waves while Noah hunkered down […]
Walking up the stone stairway into the castle-looking prison a young family wearing pajama pants followed. Their four year old girl was leashed and their one year old was in mom’s arms. As we waited in line for our tickets to tour the Ohio State Reformatory I noticed the adults […]
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 […]
Did you know that speakeasies were most often marked with a green door? I was curious to locate a historical speakeasy. I researched the Chicago Tribune and found a list of secret watering holes. The Green Door Tavern harbored one such establishment . . . hidden downstairs. We ate dinner […]