DH Day Barn by James Eye View Photography
This holiday season I’m encouraging folks to consider Michigan photo calendars from many of the photographers I feature on Michigan in Pictures as the perfect gift to share your love of the Great Lakes State.
James has TWO calendars for the Michigan lover on your list, a 2026 Northern Michigan Calendar and a 2026 Michigan Birds Calendar! Click the links to purchase and for sure follow James Eye View Photography on Facebook for his latest!
USCG Cutter Mackinaw with a load of Christmas Trees by A.M. / MightyMac.org
MightyMac.org is the leading resource for Mackinac Bridge news & photos. On Monday shared this shot of the USCG Cutter Mackinaw passing under the Mackinac Bridge Saturday on its journey to Chicago with 1,200 Christmas trees for families in need aboard. The ship is scheduled to arrive today (Friday, December 5th) and if you’re in the Windy City, you can head over to the Chicago Christmas Ship for all the info on the ship, the Christmas tree distribution, and how you can support this cool project.
The annual journey honors the tradition of the original Christmas Tree Ship Rouse Simmons which sank in 1912 in a storm during its annual transit from northern Michigan to Chicago. Way back in 2006, the National Archives shared that the saga of the Schuenemann family and the Rouse Simmons is a microcosm of Great Lakes maritime history. Their excellent article says (in part):
The 1868 peak in sail-powered ships on Lake Michigan also marked the year the 123-foot Rouse Simmons was launched from Milwaukee’s shipyards. The ship was built by the firm of Allan, McClelland, and Company, one of Milwaukee’s preeminent shipbuilding firms …In the early 1870s, the Rouse Simmons joined the sizeable shipping fleet of wealthy lumber magnate and philanthropist Charles H. Hackley of Muskegon, hauling loads of lumber for Hackley’s fleet from company mills to the various markets around the lake for roughly 20 years.
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the popular German tradition of decorating an evergreen tree in the home was widely practiced, and it was not uncommon for a handful of lake schooners to make late-season runs from northern Michigan and Wisconsin loaded with thousands of Christmas trees for busy Chicago waterfront markets. Estimates of the number of Christmas schooners vary, but perhaps up to two dozen vessels in any season delivered evergreens to markets in Great Lakes states.
In Chicago, most vessels, including the Rouse Simmons, sold the trees directly from their berths along the Chicago River’s Clark Street docks. Electric lights were strung from the schooner’s bow to stern, and customers were invited to board the ship to choose their trees. In addition to selling Christmas trees, many boat operators, including Schuenemann, made and sold wreaths, garlands, and other holiday decorations. Barbara Schuenemann and her three daughters (Elsie is pictured above) helped make and sell these items as part of the family’s holiday trade.
You can read on for much more about Herman Schuenemann’s long career as “Captain Santa” which tragically came to an end on Friday, November 22, 1912 when the Rouse Simmons, heavily laden with 3,000–5,000 Christmas trees filling its hold & deck, left the dock at Thompson, Michigan looking “like a floating forest.” Sadly, the Rouse Simmons sailed into a powerful winter storm on the lake that sent her and several other ships including the South Shore, Three Sisters, and Two Brothers to the bottom of Lake Michigan.
Here’s a photo of Elsie Schuenemann at the helm of the Rouse Simmons along with one of the offloading in Chicago. Also be sure to check out a great video on the wreck of the Rouse Simmons by Richie Bravo.
Shark Attack – Triple X by Jill N. Hamilton-Krawczyk
Accuweather shares that much of the US and definitely Michigan is facing a rare “triple dip” polar vortex:
“This Arctic air outbreak can be attributed to a displacement of the polar vortex,” AccuWeather Lead Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok said. “The outbreak this week will be the first of probably three such rounds with it. Another cold blast is likely next week and a third the week after that,” Pastelok explained. “The waves of Arctic air will lead to significant surges in energy demands.”
I originally shared this photo way back on April 1, 2010 along with a pretty funny spoof, and I am very happy to bring it back along with several more that Jill shared from The Heidelberg Project in Detroit, a truly astonishing work of activist art. See many more in her excellent Detroit gallery on Flickr & stay warm people!!
Manabezho Falls on the Presque Isle River by Craig Sterken
I feature a lot of waterfalls on Michigan in Pictures. Because I’m a sucker for alliteration, many of them are shared on “Waterfall Wednesdays”. This tasty shot of Manabezho Falls in Porcupine Mountains State Park is one of three waterfalls in the 2026 Michigan Four Seasons Wall Calendar from Michpics regular Craig Sterken.
Follow Craig Sterken Photography on Facebook for his latest and view & purchase his work on his website!
Check out more Michigan photo calendars on Michigan in Pictures.
North American Bobcat Patient 25-1428 by ARK
A lot of people loved the cougar cub I shared last week, so I thought it would be neat for you all to see a bobkitten (aka bobcat kit). In addition to the fact that adult bobcats are sometimes confused for cougar (check the image compare below!), this is a great nonprofit to support on Giving Tuesday!
The Association to Rescue Critters (A.R.K.) shared a photo of North American Bobcat Patient 25-1428 who came to them with two broken legs, one of them a compound fracture. With the help of their wildlife rehab colleagues and their AMAZING Wildlife Veterinarian, this bobcat (who I am going to call Rufus) received his life-saving surgery and is now running on BOTH of his legs (click the photo for video proof)!
A.R.K. writes “Now that he (Rufus) is healed, it’s time for him to join the other FIVE juvenile bobcats we are overwintering this season. Together, they will learn to hunt, climb, cache, hide, and all of the other tools necessary for survival in the wild.“
North American Bobcats are medium-sized, nocturnal, solitary, felines that can be found over a wide range of our continent. Being highly adaptive, they occupy forests, swamps, deserts, grasslands, and even urban areas. They are carnivorous hunters but also opportunistic scavengers when possible. By regulating small mammal populations, they help maintain a balanced food web within our ecosystem and help prevent the spread of disease at the same time.
Once a year, the mother gives birth to 1-8 (typically 3) kits and raises them for 8-11 months. Once they are old enough to follow mom, the kits learn from her every move. Passing on all of her skills until it’s time for them to set out for their own territory.
A.R.K. adds that bobcat eats around 2 lbs of meat each day 😳 Thankfully, they have a dollar for dollar donation match up to $7000 through December 31st if you want to help out with the grocery bill. Click to learn more about the Association to Rescue Kritters of St. Helen, MI sure follow them on Facebook to see all the amazing animals they are helping!
The Rosa Parks Bus by Rafael Peixoto Ferreira
70 years ago today on December 1, 1955, African-American seamstress Rosa Parks was arrested for failing to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white man. This broke existing segregation laws, and many believe her courageous act sparked the Civil Rights movement. The Henry Ford has a detailed page on the Rosa Parks bus that the museum was able to purchase the bus at auction for $492,000:
After sitting unprotected in a field for 30 years, it is not surprising that The Rosa Parks bus needed a substantial amount of work. Its seats and engine had been removed, many windows were broken, metal had rusted through and the lime, white and gold paint job was a mere shadow of its former self. Our experienced conservation staff carefully examined the vehicle and consulted with various experts.
Three interested companies bid on the extensive restoration work, and finally, MSX International, an automotive engineering and technical services firm headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, was selected to perform the work at a cost of over $300,000. Museum and MSX employees researched every detail of the bus so that the restoration would be truly authentic. Original material was reused wherever possible and original parts from identical 1948 GM buses were used when necessary. Our goal was to restore the bus to its condition in 1955—a seven-year-old urban transit coach.
I couldn’t think of a more fitting image for this than the Rosa Parks bus, just one of many amazing relics of American history that are displayed at the Henry Ford (see their exhibits). See more in Rafael’s great Detroit gallery.
Here’s Rosa Parks relating the story of that day to the BBC.
Winter … a step at a time by Ken Scott
Longtime readers know that “Back Into the Woods Day” is one of the invented Michigan holidays we celebrate on Michigan in Pictures. It’s an annual December 1st holiday that celebrates the end of firearm deer hunting season & the return of (mostly) gun free hiking trails.
Today’s photo is from Leelanau photographer Ken Scott, and I’d like to be sure to highlight his 2026 “Best of the Back Pages” Calendar that features some of his great photos from the back page of the weekly Leelanau Enterprise. See a few more below including these amazing snowy owl tracks and many in Ken’s massive snow gallery on Flickr.
Click for more Michigan photo calendars from photographers we feature on Michigan in Pictures!
Sand and snow at Little Point Sable Lighthouse by Neil Weaver Photography
I am thinking that a good way to help support the photographers who make Michigan in Pictures so cool is to feature their calendars & photos as potential holiday gifts. In a way, you are also supporting the protection of the beautiful places featured in these calendars by sharing that beauty with the people you love!
Neil has been a favorite photographer for a long time now for his excellent work as well as for his photography workshops like the upcoming Munising Winter Workshop that make great gifts as well! He says that you can get his 2026 Michigan Calendar while they last & is also offering 25% off all prints orders through this week with the code: HOLIDAY25 at NeilWeaverPhoto.com.
PS: You will be able to find the calendars featured predictably enough at the Calendar tag on Michigan in Pictures!
PPS: I probably won’t get to them all this year, so be sure to check the links on the Michigan Photographers page!
Detroit’s First Thanksgiving Day Game 1934
I’m thankful for the Lions being a solid football team, for the Pistons leading the Eastern Conference, for friends & family & the turkey I am about to cook and for all of you readers!! Thank you for keeping this interesting and I hope that whatever your plans are, that you take some time to give thanks to those in your life who make it better.
The Detroit Lions will face divisional foe Green Bay Packers in today’s 1pm Thanksgiving Day football matchup. It’s the anniversary of the first-ever NFL Thanksgiving Day game that featured the Detroit Lions and the undefeated Chicago Bears who won the game 19-16. It was also the first year of Detroit Lions football!
The Detroit Historical Museum shares that in 1934 the Portsmouth Spartans made the wise decision to leave Portsmouth, Ohio and rebrand as the Detroit Lions. The Lions have played every Thanksgiving Day since 1934 (except for 1939 to 1944 during World War II) due to the influence of the team’s first owner George Richards who also owned the WJR radio station & whose marketing savvy was a big part of the early success of the National Football League.
In other Lions news, the team made an agreement with Eminem to produce halftime shows. For his first act, Em has lined up Detroit-born Hall of Fame & Grammy winning rocker Jack White along with fellow Detroiter & gospel musician CeCe Winans who will sing the national anthem. And yesterday, they announced the unretirement of All-pro center Frank Ragnow!
OK here’s a few photos from the Detroit Lions of Jameson Flippin’ Williams and a look at the Lions throwback 2025 Thanksgiving Day uniforms to take us out…
Thanksgiving Day Parade by Joel Williams
Bridge Michigan reports that AAA Michigan is predicting that 2.3 million Michigan residents will drive at least 50 miles between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1, a 1.4% increase from last year that could be higher given continuing air travel delays. mLive shares that the roads could be quite a bit less than optimal with a powerful winter storm expected along with tumbling temps on Wednesday. Snow totals over 3 FEET are possible in the UP with as much as 1 to 2 inches per hour falling. The Lower Peninsula (see NWS Weather Story below) will have high winds as well & wet, heavy snow close to 2 feet in inland Northern Michigan with less as you move south and east. All in all, it looks like a good time to allow more time for your holiday travels!!
Joel has more photos of the parade including the frankly disturbing giant head parade corps in his Detroit Thanksgiving Parade 2014 gallery on Flickr. I also shot a video last year of many of the Big Head Marchers last year!
Michigan in Pictures 