Promising Start, photo by Heather Higham
Heather writes:
Hard to believe that a raging storm tore through just hours after this idyllic morning in the dunes. But this is from the same day (Sunday) as the monster winds that uprooted and snapped countless large trees…
View her photo bigger, see more in her Sleeping Bear Dunes slideshow and follow her at Snap Happy Gal Photography on Facebook.
PS: I’ve been posting lots of updates from the storm on my Leelanau.com Facebook.
Ludingtons SP_0103, photo by Ron DeHaan
Here’s the S.S. Badger heading out for Wisconsin. I rode the Badger many times in my Junior & Senior year of high school (Go Wausau East Lumberjacks!) to get from Michigan to Wisconsin. It was such a pleasant way to cross Lake Michigan, and at the prices they charged there were a number of people who would do a round trip crossing, playing cribbage, drinking beer from a cooler and laughing as they enjoyed the ride.
View Ron’s photo bigger and see more cool shots from the Ludington area in his slideshow.
More ships & boats, more Ludington and more of the Badger (and badgers) on Michigan in Pictures.
Lake Michigan … points along the bay, photo by Ken Scott
My friend Ken Scott has been walking the shore of the Leelanau Peninsula for the past year and a half. He writes that the point to the left is Pyramid Point in the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore but he doesn’t know what name (if any) the other point is. Anyone know?
View Ken’t photo bigger, follow him at Ken Scott Photography on Facebook and definitely check out his Shoreline Trek slideshow.
Lots more Lake Michigan on Michigan in Pictures.
Fayette State Park, photo by Mike Boburka
The Michigan Historical Center’s page on the Fayette Historic Townsite says:
The Fayette Historic Townsite includes 20 historic buildings, exhibits, a walking tour and scenic overlooks. Fayette has 20 preserved buildings and structures. Eleven buildings house museum exhibits and are open to the public, including the hotel, machine shop, company office, town hall, and residences.
A massive blast furnace still stands on the site, and is part of the well-preserved history of this former 19th century industrial site. Fayette is a living museum, telling the story of a company town in the 19th century, nestled on the Garden Peninsula in the central Upper Peninsula.
The limestone bluffs on Snail Shell Harbor were mined for use in the blast furnaces.
Exhibit with clothing and toys, part of the children’s exhibit at Fayette Historic Townsite.
Exhibits at Fayette focus on life in a company town, including what it was like to grow up there. At its height, half the population of Fayette was children.
The townsite is part of Fayette Historic State Park and on the second Saturday of August the annual Heritage Day celebrates Fayette with period displays, food, and music. Click through for more.
View Mike’s photo background big and click for more of Mike’s Fayette photos.
More Michigan ghost towns on Michigan in Pictures.
Untitled, photo by Noah Sorenson
There’s nowhere in Michigan that’s more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes, and you can probably find a swimmable lake or river closer than that.
That’s something that I hope you’ll manage to do on this sweltering weekend – stay cool folks!
Noah took this on Monday at Elberta beach on Lake Michigan. Definitely check it out background bigalicious and see more northern Michigan goodness in his slideshow.
Lots more Michigan beaches and summer wallpaper on Michigan in Pictures!
Simplicity – Sand and Stones, photo by PhotoJacko
Michigan comes from the Chippewa language where “Michi-gama” means “great water” or “big lake”. With 3,126 miles of PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE Great Lakes shoreline and countless public beaches, there’s no excuse not to get out to beaches like the fabulous one at Grand Mere State Park near Stevensville in southwest Michigan this weekend!
View Jackie’s photo bigger, see more in her Long Exposures slideshow and be sure to follow her on Facebook.
More great beaches & beach photos on Michigan in Pictures.
Holland – MI, photo by betopps
View this photo from June 29, 2013 background bigtacular and see more in betopps slideshow.
Taking on Water, photo by Aaron Springer
“She was built in 1880 [by Linn & Craig in Gibralter, Michigan] and has been unfortunate from the start. Two years ago [in 1891] she was wrecked near Detour [at the north end of Lake Huron], and remained on the rocks all winter, being abandoned to the underwriters, who finally rescued the wreck and sold it.”
~ Buffalo Evening News Monday, October 16, 1893
Historic Arcadia Michigan tells the tale of The Wreck of the Minnehaha:
In October of 1893, the steam barge Henry J. Johnson was towing the Minnehaha from Chicago bound for Point Edward at the south end of Lake Huron with 58,000 bushels of corn. At 7:30 PM on October 13, the two ships found themselves off Point Betsie facing 90 mile per hour gale force winds. They tried to find shelter behind the Manitou Islands, but at dawn the next day, they were still south of Sleeping Bear Point fighting high winds and waves to stay out of shallow water.
Captain Benniteau of the Johnson decided to turn the ships south and head to Frankfort, the nearest refuge. However, somewhere near Frankfort high waves crashed over the Minnehaha’s deck, smashed two hatch covers, and began filling the hold with water. William Parker, captain of the Minnehaha, realizing his ship was in serious trouble, sent up distress signals, released the tow lines, and headed for the beach. There was nothing the crew of the Johnson could do but avoid the same shallow water.
The Minnehaha ran aground about a quarter of a mile offshore between Burnham and Arcadia. To avoid the waves sweeping the decks, all but one member of the crew, who drowned trying to swim to shore, climbed into the ship’s rigging. As the ship was breaking up, the captain called to the crew to grab whatever would float and go over the side anyway. But only the captain made it to shore safely. One crew member made it to a pier, but was too tired to hold onto a pole used to try to pull him to safety.
Read on for much more including photos of the Minnehaha.
Check out Aaron’s photo bigger where he also has a pic of the wreck in calm water and see many more of his great photos of Lake Michigan.
More Michigan shipwrecks on Michigan in Pictures!
Esch Beach, Otter Creek, photo by Sara Hunt/oni_one_
The Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore tells the rich tale of the ghost town Aral:
Aral was located on Lake Michigan where Otter Creek empties into the Lake just south of Esch Road, a few miles south of Empire, MI. Today this is one of the most popular swimming beaches in the Lakeshore, but in the 1880s, Aral was a booming lumber town!
When the United States acquired land, it first had to be surveyed before it was made available to individuals. In the summer of 1849, Orange Risdon was one of the surveyors assigned to the area around Grand Traverse Bay. In 1853 soon after he finished the survey, Risdon and his wife, Sally, bought 122 acres where Otter Creek emptied into Lake Michigan.
The US Civil War began in 1861, and to induce able-bodied men to join the Union forces, the US government offered $100 bounty to men who enlisted. By 1863 the bounty was increased to $300, and finally a draft was instituted. An interesting provision of the draft act allowed drafted men to avoid service by hiring a substitute or by paying $300. One of the men receiving draft notice was Robert F. Bancroft, who was married and 30 years old. He chose to take advantage of this provision by hiring a German immigrant to take his place as a soldier, but interestingly he followed his replacement to the battlefield. Instead of carrying a gun, he brought his camera and became one of the first battlefield photographers.
Following the war, the veterans returned home, and Robert Bancroft settled with his wife Julia and daughter Anna in Traverse City. He began buying land in Platte and Lake townships as investments and in late 1864, he bought the 122 acres from Orange and Sally Risdon of Saline, MI.
Bancroft cleared 20 acres and built a log cabin for his family to live in. Then he planted some black locust trees and an apple orchard around the cabin. Lumber speculators soon arrived looking for stands of white pine. Most of the forest in this area was hardwood, but there were some stands of white pine inland from Otter Lake. By the late 1870s Daniel Thomas bought a 5-acre parcel on Lake Michigan south of Otter Creek, but he decided to build a house across the road from the Bancroft’s. Lumber speculators were on their way north as the forests near Grand Haven and Muskegon were harvested.
…By 1883, the lumber business was booming and the town was growing. A post office was required. The community was known as Otter Creek – the “Krik” by locals. When they applied for a post office, their name was rejected because there was already an “Otter Creek” in Michigan. “Bancroft” was the next suggestion, but again the name had already been used. One of the workers suggested the name “Aral” because of the beautiful Aral Sea in Europe. Locals continued to call it Otter Creek though. Dr. Frank Thurber was named the first postmaster. Keep his name in mind, for he too would play a central role in the murder.
Murder you say? Indeed – read on for lots more…
View Sarah’s photo background bigilicious on Facebook and follow her for lots more at oni_one_ on Instagram.
Untitled, photo by Noah Sorensen
You really should check out this photo background bigtacular. Lots more in his slideshow and if you do the Instagram thing, Noah is a great follow @mcsorensens.
Michigan in Pictures 