The Ghost of Minnie Quay is calling

Posted on by farlane
Sticks and Stones by Jeff Gaydash

Sticks and Stones by Jeff Gaydash

Back in the day, Linda Godfrey would regularly share stories with me from her classic book Weird Michigan and her other works. Linda has regrettably passed on and her Weird Michigan website is lost, but here’s a seasonally appropriate tale of shipwrecks & lost love from my archives…

In the mid-1800s, the Lake Huron port and lumber town of Forester was a far cry from the sleepy, near ghost town it is today. The remains of huge pilings just off the scanty beach now stand as crumbling reminders of the great pier that once bustled with Great Lakes ships and sailors.

One of those sailors unwittingly started the legend that would be Forester’s main claim to fame after the lumber ran out and the ships stopped coming.On shore leave one day, the unnamed young man took up with a local girl named Minnie Quay, whose folks, James and Mary Ann Quay, owned the town tavern.

The Quays forbid Minnie to see her beloved, but the order proved tragically unnecessary after his ship became one of many that succumbed to Great Lakes gales. Minnie made one more visit to the forbidden pier after learning that news, and on April 26, 1876, at the age of 16, she threw herself into the water in hope of joining him in the afterlife. She lies in a waterfront cemetery now, next to the bodies of her father, mother and brother.

Legend says that she still wanders the beaches, moaning for her lost sailor, and that some have seen her standing waist deep in the water, beckoning others to join her. The former Quay home and bar still stands, giving Minnie’s ghost even more reason to linger.

Jeff is a fine art photographer & printmaker. Explore his work in the Great Lakes gallery on his website.

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The Dogman is Michigan’s Werewolf

Posted on by farlane
Nightmare at Muskegon State Park II by otisourcat

Nightmare at Muskegon State Park II by otisourcat

“Somewhere in the north woods darkness a creature walks upright, and the best advice you may ever get is don’t go out at night.”
-Steve Cook in The Legend of the Michigan Dogman

The Pacific Northwest has its Sasquatch, West Virginia has their Mothman, Jersey has their Devil, and we in the Great Lakes State have our Dogman, a fearsome werewolf-like beastie that purportedly roams the wilds of Northern Michigan. Discovery UK shares some of the Legend of the Michigan Dogman:

The first of the alleged Dog Man sightings in Michigan was in 1887, during a boom in US lumber production known as the great logging era, which roughly ran from 1870 to 1890. During this time, Michigan was its biggest producer of white pine lumber. Perhaps it’s therefore of little surprise that the initial influx of stories emerged then, with so many workers living and working in the woodlands in the area. The first of these is said to have taken place in 1887 in Wexford County, when a group of lumberjacks stumbled upon a creature they described as having the body of a man and the head of a dog. Its piercing eyes were either blue or yellow and its howl a terrifying scream.

  • 1917: Four horses found dead, all with their eyes wide open. It’s said the examining vet believed they appeared scared to death.
  • 1937: A victim of an attack by a pack of wild dogs claimed one of them walked on two legs.
  • 1957: A newspaper report stated that claw marks found on a church door could only have been made by a creature reaching a height of 7”4.
  • 1997: A farmer was found deceased at his plough from a heart attack, surrounded by dog tracks.
  • Unknown year: An army veteran claimed he saw the Dog Man of Michigan in Manistee National Forest, describing “a wolf head the size of my window” as the animal kept up with his truck travelling at 25 miles per hour. He also recalled it having sharp white teeth, three-inch long fangs, human-like hands some 14 inches across, black pointed ears, and yellow eyes.

Overall, Michigan Dogman stories often share common themes: a sinister canine visage, towering stature, and an unnerving ability to walk upright. What’s more, they all seemingly occurred in years ending in the number seven. This latter point has become a part of the mythos, with enthusiasts suggesting a possible ten-year cycle in the creature’s appearances.

Otisourcat originally shared this photo way back in 2008. Head over to their Flickr for the latest including some awesome shots of a raccoon on a snowman.

Some other Dogman related content you might enjoy includes this post on Michigan filmmaker Rich Brauer’s latest Dogman movie (third in his trilogy), the comprehensive Michigan Dogman entry in Wikipedia that relates the dogman is said to have been stalking the area around the Manistee River since the days when the Odawa tribes lived there, and of course Steve Cook’s song that “started” (or restarted) it all. Enjoy the song, but know that although author Steve Cook loves to claim he started the legend, it has been around for generations.

More of the Michigan dogman and other haunted Halloween fun on Michigan in Pictures!

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Falling Skies: October 2025 Meteor Showers

Posted on by farlane
Thumb Barn Milky Way & Meteor by Charles Bonham

Thumb Barn Milky Way & Meteor by Charles Bonham

In addition to being the season of cider, changing leaves, and Halloween, October also comes with two meteor showers. Our friends at EarthSky give you all you need to know to see the Draconid & Orionid meteor showers:

The Draconids, October 6-10 / peak October 8

The best time to watch the Draconid Meteor Shower in 2025 is as darkness falls on the evening of October 8 through the wee hours of the morning on October 9. A waning gibbous will light up the sky that night, so try to block out the moon when watching for meteors. The radiant point for the Draconids is highest in the sky right when darkness falls so this is a great one for the early to bed crowd!

The Orionids, September 26 – November 22 / peak October 21st

The best time to watch for these meteors is on the morning of October 21, starting after midnight through the hours before dawn. In 2025 conditions are perfect with a dark sky and new moon. The Orionids produce a maximum of about 10-20 meteors per hour, some of them bright fireballs. They are known as the Orionids because they appear to radiate from the Club of the well-known constellation Orion the Hunter.

Charles shares that he found a Draconid meteor in this photo of a barn in Pinnebog from last October after reviewing many different frames. You can see it right next to the left side of barn roof along with a hint of Northern Lights on the right side! See more in his Barns gallery on Flickr including some truly spectacular ones of this barn under the aurora!

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Sunflower Barn

Posted on by farlane
Sunflower Barn by Charles Bonham

Sunflower Barn by Charles Bonham

Sunflowers & barns – together at last! ;)

Charles took this last week near Bay City. See more in his Barns gallery on Flickr.

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Looking back on the Midland flood of 2020

Posted on by farlane

Swinging the Arch into Position by Charles Bonham

Five years ago yesterday, the City of Midland was devastated by the collapse of the Edenville & Sanford dams. If you’re wondering whether or not the State of Michigan taken this tragedy to heart, the answer according to this mLive article appears to be “Nope”:

“Did we really use Midland to do deep learning and then change our regulations and invest in this infrastructure time bomb?” said Bryan Burroughs, executive director of Michigan Trout Unlimited and a member of a former task force that issued a suite of mostly unrealized recommendations on dam safety after Edenville.

“Not dramatically, not significantly.”

…Republicans and Democrats pledged action. Lansing politicians secured large sums to rebuild the mid-Michigan dams, channeled smaller pots of money to other dams and added state inspectors. But corresponding dam safety reforms were introduced and quickly faded away. “We’re still at the starting blocks waiting for the gun to go off with dam safety in Michigan,” said Bill Rustem, a former task force member and advisor to Michigan governors William Milliken and Rick Snyder.

Lots more in mLive & also check out the latest in the case of Midland residents & businesses vs the State of Michigan in the Detroit News.

Charles shared a ton of photos with us during the Midland Flood of May 2020, so I thought it would be a great time to check back and see how things are looking lately! See more lovely spring pics in Charles’s Dow Gardens gallery on Flickr!

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Happy 55th Earth Day, Michigan!

Posted on by farlane
Happy Earth Day by Paul Bruce

Happy Earth Day by Paul Bruce

Today is the 55th Earth Day, and this holiday that is celebrated across the planet was born right here in Michigan! I hope that you are able to take a little time today or this week to think about how you and your family, friends & neighbors can help create a future where humans live in harmony with the world around us because it really is the only one we’ve got. 🌏✌️💙

Paul took these at the Reid Lake Foot Travel Area near Harrison in the Huron-Manistee National Forest in the northeast Lower Peninsula. The US Forest Service says the 3000-acre area includes 13 miles of gently rolling trail around Reid and Little Trout Lakes, the shoreline of Big Marsh, and views of Fanny’s Marsh and Mossy Bog. There are also 9 designated first-come first-serve campsites available. Check out his photos from last Earth Day & many more in his Reid Lake gallery and for sure follow him on Flickr for more!

Many more Earth Day photos on Michigan in Pictures!

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Knowledge written on stone: the Sanilac Petroglyphs

Posted on by farlane

Petroglyphs by Ashleigh Mowers

The Sanilac Petroglyphs Historic State Park in Michigan’s Thumb is the home of Michigan’s largest known collection of early Native American teachings carved in stone. The 420-acre park is open seasonally & managed jointly with the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan. The excellent Stateside Podcast shares that the name of the park in Anishinaabemowin is ezhibiigaadek asin, which means “knowledge written on stone” and says in part:

One of the most popular petroglyphs in the park is a figure of an archer, known in Anishinaabemowin as ebmodaakowet. The figure’s body is an arrow, as is his hat, and he holds a bow and arrow in his hands.

“Early on, when archeologists who were not consulting with tribes, you know, saw that, they thought, oh, surely this must be a hunting magic. They took it very literally. ” explained Tchorzynski. “But actually, this ebmodaakowet is actually shooting the arrow of knowledge seven generations into the future. And this was a carving that was left with great love and great affection for descendants in the future, to remind people of our responsibilities to be good ancestors, to preserve and remember, and our obligation to shoot the arrow of knowledge into the future as well. We all must be good ancestors.”

The fragile carvings are easily affected by natural forces. The Marshall sandstone is a very soft rock, and so many of the petroglyphs have faded naturally throughout the centuries. Over the years, the petroglyphs have also been damaged by human hands. Parts of them have been vandalized, and pieces of the stone have been chipped away and taken. In order to protect the carvings from degrading over time, a wooden pavilion was erected over the site. A rope now separates visitors from the rock.

Read (or listen to) a lot more at Stateside!

Ashleigh took this photo back in 2017. You can read her great writing about traveling in Michigan (and elsewhere) at Go See Do Explore. She has a brief article about her visit as well.

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Sanilac Petroglyphs by Leon Baker (don’t have a link for him anymore!)

Turnip Rock at Sunset

Posted on by farlane

This photo was the second most popular photo of 2024 on Michigan in Pictures!!

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Turnip Rock at sunset by Tom Clark

Tom shares that Turnip Rock is a beautiful, wondrous land formation off the coast near Port Austin:

The gigantic stone developed its signature look after millennium of being worn away by waves thumping across its bow. After being separated from the mainland in prehistoric times, Turnip Rock is an island inhabited by some trees and very little else.

Turnip Rock was one of twenty finalists in the 2013 “Seven Wonders of Michigan” contest sponsored by the Detroit Free Press and the Lansing State Journal, but it wasn’t selected as one of the final ten.

He took this back in July of 2014. See more in his Lake – Water gallery on Flickr and for sure head over to his website to view & purchase his work!

PS: Head over to the post on Facebook for another angle on Turnip Rock by Tom & a 1906 pic!!

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Turnip Rock in Clear Water

Posted on by farlane

Turnip Rock in clear water by DjOOF

Turnip Rock in clear water by DjOOF

The excellent sunrise side blog Thumbwind explains that Turnip Rock in Lake Huron can only be reached by kayak or canoe & share some tips for would-be explorers:

Paddling to Turnip Rock is not hard. Located at the tip of the thumb, it’s about a four hour round trip from Port Austin. This small guide offers a local point of view to avoid problems with the local law enforcement and property owners while being able to enjoy a unique natural wonder.

Despite its uniqueness, this natural wonder is located in the Pointe Aux Barques Cottage Community and is private land. Thus the only way to access it is from the water. Fortunately, that can easily be achieved by canoe or kayak. This means that you can’t go feet dry. Stay in the water. The area around the rock is monitored and even the topic of an Instagram account. If you must get out of our kayak stay as close to the water’s edge as possible. (Unless its an emergency)

During the weekends the number of paddlers can get quite large. If the area around the rock is crowded consider paddling a few hundred yards past the rock and view the overhangs and cave features that border the Pointe Aux Barques community. During the late 1800s, the cave were hideouts for fugitives. It’s worth taking a few minutes to explore. You may be tempted to get out of your kayak and climb the rocks for a view. This is a no-no and there are several signs reminding not to trespass.

Read on for lots more, and if you happen to take any pictures, consider sharing them in our Michigan in Pictures Group on Facebook!

DjOOF writes that they made it past Turnip rock and captured this view on the way back. See more in their Google Nest Pics album on Flickr. Also check out their shot of one of the smuggler’s caves referred to above!

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Great Lakes on the Rise in 2020

Posted on by farlane

Precarious by Mark Swanson

Precarious by Mark Swanson

mLive reports that the six-month water level forecasts show a high-end forecast that could surpass all other modern water levels for some of the Great Lakes:

For the last three months, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron (which shares the same lake water level because they are linked) have set monthly record water levels. The monthly record water levels are expected to continue into summer. If we get significantly higher than usual precipitation, the water levels could slosh over the highest level ever recorded since good water level measurements began back in 1918.

…The upper end of the possible outcomes would take Lake Michigan and Lake Huron 5 inches higher than October 1986, the highest water level recorded since records began in 1918. July or August of this coming summer would be the months that could happen.

That would be a devastating high-water level for cities and beaches along the Lake Michigan and Lake Huron shoreline.

Remember one inch of water on Lake Michigan and Lake Huron is 800 billion gallons of water. If this summer’s water level reaches that upper end, Lake Michigan and Lake Huron would have 4 trillion gallons more water than the highest water level recorded by in the fall of 1986.

Read on for more about Lakes Superior (probably not dangerously high) and Erie & Ontario (also likely to be dangerously high).

Mark took this in February near Stevensville on Lake Michigan. See more in his Final 60 album.

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