upper peninsula

The Haunting of Seul Choix Point Lighthouse

Posted on October 23, 2007October 28, 2015 by Michigan in Pictures

Seul Choix Point Lighthouse; Schoolcraft County, photo courtesy Archives of Michigan

Dave Wobster has an excellent article on Seul Choix at boatnerd.com that begins:

Hundreds of years ago, moving the across this region was a different story. Native Americans and French explorers were traveling in canoes and later small ‘Mackinac’ boats. It was readily apparent that along the 75 mile stretch, from the Straits of Mackinac to today’s Manistique, there was only one place to seek refuge from the storms that often sweep up Lake Michigan. Realizing that the bay near the present day Port Inland was their only choice, the French named the place Seul Choix, the French name for ‘Only Choice’. The French pronunciation is “Sel-Shwa”, while locally the name is spoken as “Sis-Shwa”.

He goes on to document the history, touching upon a ghost story that is fleshed out in The Keeper of Seul Choix Point by Ken Rudine:

Joseph Willie Townsend was the keeper there from 1902 to 1910 when he died in that upstairs bedroom. His body was drained and prepared for his wake which was held in the basement. He lay in state in the parlor until his relatives could assemble from other locations. He was buried nearby in a cedar coffin. Joseph was a cigar smoker in life, but his wife refused to let him smoke in the house. Now cigar smoke is often smelled in the house, as if Townsend now enjoys what his wife forbade.

The article tells other tales about the haunting, and you can get more information about this lighthouse (including an aerial view that shows the setting) at the Seul Choix Point Light web site. Beware! The site is “haunted” as well – by a song you cannot shut off … mu-hu-hahaha! There are a couple of children’s books based on these stories (well, probably minus the embalming part) called The Captain & Harry by Jan Langley.

You can also see more historical photos of Seul Choix Point Lighthouse at the Archives of Michigan and view modern-day photos of Seul Choix Light on Flickr (slideshow). Since I’m not sure that anything I linked to has good directions to the lighthouse (which is located near the ghost town of Fayette about 10 miles east of Manistique), here’s the Seul Choix page from Exploring the North.

Monocle Lake, Hiawatha National Forest

Posted on October 22, 2007October 22, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Monocle Lake, Hiawatha National Forest, photo by UofMBlonde415.

This photo is one of a number of photos Beth took on Saturday in the Straits & Soo.

Hunt’s Guide to the UP has this to say about Monocle Lake:

The centerpiece of this attractive natural area in the Hiawatha National Forest is 172-acre Monocle Lake. It’s stocked for fishing with walleye, bass, pike, and perch. There’s a beach, boat launch, and picnic area with charcoal grills. Lots of improvements, including a floating fishing dock and hard gravel paths, make Monocle Lake outstanding for handicapped people.

A two-mile hiking trail loop starts at the picnic area and goes through natural hardwoods intermixed with some very old white pines and hemlocks. The trail’s first 1,100 feet are fully accessible, including the boardwalk carrying the trail across a wetland and beaver dam … Ospreys (also called fish hawks) have a nest in the area, so it’s not unusual to see them catching fish in the wetland shallows.

There’s more about the lake on the Hiawatha National Forest Monocle Lake Campground page, but I couldn’t find the answer to my question of how Monocle Lake got its name. If you know, please share it in the comments!!

More photos in the Michigan Fall Wallpaper series.

Tahquamenon Falls double exposure(detroit)

Posted on October 20, 2007October 20, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Upper Falls, photo by rckrawczykjr.

Ralph recently returned from an autumn trip to the UP (slideshow). When I saw his double exposure of Tahquamenon’s Upper Falls, I knew I wasn’t going to be waiting any longer to give a shout out to the next Exposure.Detroit show.

Exposure.Detroit Presents!

When: November 9th 7pm-10pm
Who: Cris Rea, Joe Alisa, Ralph Krawczyk Jr., Rhonda McElroy, Sue Fraser
Where: The Bean & Leaf Cafe, Royal Oak

If you can, be sure to show up to see work from Ralph and the other very fine photographers in the show!

See more Tahquamenon Falls photos on Michigan in Pictures and don’t miss other photos in the Michigan Fall Wallpaper series.

Fall Color Tours: Pictured Rocks & Munising – Newberry – Grand Marais

Posted on October 4, 2007May 18, 2009 by farlane

Miners Castle – October 2006, photo by Lars Jensen

Let’s jump over to the eastern side of the UP for the next color tour of Munising – Newberry – Grand Marais … and the Pictured Rocks.

The highlight of this tour is of course the stunning Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore., (be sure to check out Lars Jensen’s other Pictured Rocks galleries). Travel Michigan starts you heading east from the town of Munising (Munising.com has the best links, but you can also see the Munising Visitors Bureau). Be sure to check out Munising area waterfalls including Horseshoe Falls (photographed so well by Amy Kilroy – see her Pictured Rocks set for more!). Regarding Munising, Michigan.org says:

This harbor town of about 2,500 is the departure point for regularly scheduled, 2-1/2 hour, narrated Pictured Rocks Boat Cruises as well as chartered Skylane Air Tours that offer a birds-eye view of the scenery. Hikers can tackle all or a portion of the 43 mile Pictured Rocks segment of The North Country Trail (NCT), a national scenic hiking route from North Dakota to New York.

I’ve never done the Air Tour (check that link above and scroll down for the video!), but the boat cruise offers an amazing look at the Pictured Rocks that’s well worth the time and cost! The Pictured Rocks is my favorite place in Michigan, and I’ve covered it pretty well on Michigan in Pictures and on Absolute Michigan. The same is true of Tahquamenon Falls, so let’s say that Grand Marais is a cool little harbor town with its own brewery and a great little diner car diner and skip over to the Tahquamenon Logging Museum which features all kinds of logging era memorabilia and special events including Lumberjack Breakfasts and a Harvest Fest the 3rd weekend of October.

They don’t stop at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point (’cause that’s another tour), but you can definitely make the short detour to check this very cool museum out. Then it’s back south to Newberry (recent photos at visitnewberry.com) and then west to the Seney National Wildlife Refuge (Wikipedia entry) and the gorgeous Seney Stretch of M-28. Although this highway has been called “mind-numbingly monotonous” and “the state’s most boring route“, it’s actually pretty beautiful in the fall! (photo to the right is H-58 in Fall Color by James Phelps – part of his great Pictured Rocks set).

Here’s a link to a map of photos from the Munising / Pictured Rocks area in the Absolute Michigan pool!

Just so it’s clear, these fall color tour entries are produced by Absolute Michigan & Michigan in Pictures using the great information compiled in Travel Michigan’s Fall Color Tours as a starting point. We’re trying to add to what they’ve put together – not rip them off! As always, if you have links to information or photos that we missed, comments or reports, post them in the comments below!

Don’t miss our Michigan Fall Wallpaper series and see more of Travel Michigan’s Fall Color Tours.

Fall Color Tours: The Keweenaw Peninsula (Houghton, Eagle River, Copper Harbor)

Posted on September 27, 2007October 4, 2007 by farlane

Quincy Hill in Fall Colors 5, photo by KaylynStar

Kaylyn has a number of colorful photos of Quincy Hill in the fall. As the northernmost point of Michigan, the Keweenaw Peninsula would probably have been the logical place to start color touring Michigan rather than where we did start (Western UP – Ironwood, Silver City, Wakefild, Porcupine Mountains).

In any case, the Keweenaw, way up north and surrounded by the icy waters of Lake Superior, is one of the first places in Michigan to be touched by autumn’s paintbrush. Michigan.org’s Color Tour of Houghton, Eagle River, Copper Harbor starts you in the city of Houghton at the Quincy Mine (photo: Quincy Mine & Hoist by Coder). The mine is open from May through late October and is part of the Keweenaw National Historical Park and offers guided tours of the old copper mine, the largest steam hoist ever built and a whole lot more mining history. There’s a museum on site and they also have a passenger cog rail tram that takes you to the top of Quincy Hill (where I assume you can get some great photos).

The tour heads north on M-41 to Phoenix where you can apparently tour the Church of the Assumption. The copper mining ghost towns of the Upper Peninsula page from Exploring the North has a brief bit on Phoenix:

Phoenix is located on highway 41 at the junction of M-26 to Eagle River. Once (about 1872) a thriving mining town of around 500 to 1000 people, but today there are only a few old buildings and the Phoenix Church remaining at the site of the old mine. St. Mary’s Church was built in 1858 to serve the Catholic residents of the mining community of Cliff, the scene of the area’s first major copper discovery in 1844. In 1899 the church was dismantled and reassembled in Phoenix, where it was renamed the Church of the Assumption. The Keweenaw County Historical Society has purchased and restored the property so the Phoenix Church appears much as it did over 100 years ago.

From there, it’s west to Eagle River, once an important port town for the copper industry and now a resort community. Attractions include the Eagle River Falls (photo: Eagle River Falls by Jim Sorbie) and the Eagle River Inn (they have some cool old photos on their site). Keep heading north and you’ll come to Jacob’s Falls and the Jampot, where the good monks of the Holy Transfiguration Skete make jams, jellies and pastries from all kinds of fruits including their famous thimbleberry jam. Stop car. Go in. Buy jam.

Eagle Harbor is next, and I can never mention Eagle Harbor without mentioning the first blog I ever saw, George’s Eagle Harbor Web. It’s also home to the Eagle Harbor Lighthouse and Museums (detailed info from Seeing the Light). Not far past here is Brockway Mountain Drive, the highest above sea-level drive between the Rockies and the Alleghenies. From the lookouts you can see glorious views of the town of Copper Harbor where you can see their photo gallery & webcam, Lake Fanny Hoe & Fort Wilkins State Park and the northern Keweenaw (photo: Samuel of the Mountain by Kyle Rokos). It’s probably time for a bite to eat too and them you can take a boat tour to the Copper Harbor Lighthouse if you’re feeling a little adventurous … or the ferry to Isle Royale if you’re feeling a lot adventurous!

It looks like the folks at Travel Michigan got a little tired at this point, tailing off with:

Continuing south of Copper Harbor is the authentic Delaware Mine, which yielded eight million pounds of the metal between 1847-1887. The scenic route continues through wonderful forests and through the city of Calumet, which was the cultural and commercial center of the Keweenaw Copper Range. Take time to visit the restored Calumet Theater and the red sandstone buildings of the downtown business district. This is the heart of the Keweenaw National Historic Park, which recognizes the importance of the mining history of this rugged and scenic region.

I’ve been in the Delaware Mine and I have to agree with UPTravel.com who say “If you have time to visit only one attraction in the Keweenaw, make it Delaware Mine, the area’s premier tourist attraction, where copper was mined from 1847 – 1887.” It’s very, very cool.

If you’re curious as to what the color looks like right now, I’d say “pretty darn good!” A final reminder, be careful when driving those back roads!

Don’t miss our Michigan Fall Wallpaper series and see more of Travel Michigan’s Fall Color Tours.

Fall Color Tours: The Western Upper Peninsula

Posted on September 25, 2007October 4, 2007 by farlane

Mom’s Vista, photo from Tiffibunny

This is one of a large number of great photos from all over the US posted by Tiffany Follett that were taken by her mom (see her set From My Mom for more!). It’s a view of Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park from M-107 that was taken in September 2003.

I thought this was a perfect photo to use to highlight Ironwood – Silver City – Wakefield, the first Michigan fall color driving tour from Michigan.org that I’m going to try and flesh out with photos from the Absolute Michigan group on Flickr and links to even more photos and information. I hope this isn’t seen as a rip-off – the tours they have developed are pretty cool and my hope is that this can be a complement to what Travel Michigan has put together. If you take the tour and/or have observations, photos or links to add, please do in the comments below!

This tour starts at the western end of Michigan’s stretch of US-2, in the town of Ironwood. Absolute Michigan’s page for Ironwood lists Copper Peak Ski Flying (MoodyGoat offers View from the Top – that’s over 1800′ up!) and the Western UP CVB as some notable sites. To those I’ll add the North Country National Scenic Trail, which enters Michigan at Ironwood and goes all the way to the Mackinac Bridge (explore the UP portion of the trail) and North Guide’s WesternUP.com (they are regularly posting fall color photos too).

They send you down U.S. 2 to Wakefield, one of many ore towns settled in the late 1800s, and then up County Road 519 to the Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park where you can catch staggering views like the one above (lots more from the Porkies on Michigan in Pictures). The photo below is Lake of the Clouds, Porcupine Mountains by J. Michael Ducey.

Next it’s east to Silver City, about which Hunt’s Guide to the UP says:

Today Silver City is mostly a collection of tourist-oriented resorts and other businesses along M-107 near the entrance to Porcupine Mountains State Park. But for three years in the 1870s it was a silver mining boom town. At the fur-trading post that was the first settlement here, stories circulated about silver found by Indians back in the woods away from Lake Superior. Homesteader Austin Corser actually found the silver on the Little Iron River in the 1850s. He kept quiet about it until he proved his claim. In the 1870s he revealed the silver, sold his land, and left. Only one brick of silver, worth $723, was ever shipped from Silver City.

Then it’s south on M-64 to Bergland, located at the northern tip of the Upper Peninsula’s largest lake, Lake Gogebic. They suggest stretching your legs on the Gogebic Ridge Hiking Trail or Lake Gogebic State Park before heading back west to Ironwood.

You can check out more photos from this area on the Absolute Michigan group’s map on Flickr (and add your own!) and get your desktop in theme with the season with out Michigan Fall Wallpaper series!

More of Travel Michigan’s Fall Color Tours.

Manabezho Falls in the Porcupine Mountains State Park

Posted on September 22, 2007September 22, 2007 by Michigan in Pictures

Manabezho Falls, long exposure, photo by DA2Brian.

GoWaterfalling’s page on Manebezho Falls says:

The Manabezho Falls are part of the Presque Isle River’s spectacular final dash to Lake Superior. The entire 1 mile stretch is very beautiful, with lots of bare rock and rapids. It is easily accessible from the Presque Isle entrance off of CR-519 on the western end of the park…

Manido Falls are just short distance upstream. Nawadaha Falls is a bit farther upstream. Downstream of Manabezho the river plunges into a narrow gorge. The “falls” there have no name, but they are quite interesting.

The falls are located in the Porcupine Mountains State Park and you can see more photos of Manabehzho Falls on Flickr (slideshow) and also check out the Porcupine Mountains group!

I’m pretty sure that “Manabehzo” is Manabozho, the Ojibwa/Algonquin trickster and messenger of the Great Spirit. For more about this colorful figure, check out Manabozho, the Mischief-maker by Rick Walton.

Fall Wallpaper: Up North, 1975

Posted on September 13, 2007September 26, 2016 by Michigan in Pictures

Up North, photo by _PaleBlueEyes_.

A ton of the visits to Michigan in Pictures come (unsurprisingly) from people searching for all kinds of things. Some from the last 2 days include the specific (Hessel boat show, Henderson Castle, Hartwick Pines – must be “H” week) and the general (surfing michigan, pics of detroit, nature photos). One thing remains constant: people are always looking for something nice to adorn their desktop. I’ve noticed a spike in people searching for “fall backgrounds” and “fall wallpaper” over the last few days that mirrors the changing of the trees, so it must be time to start rolling out some of the fall color photos I’ve found.

If you’re looking for fall color photos, try the fall tag. I tag any photo that’s large enough to make a nice background with the “wallpaper” tag – just look at the bottom right of the post to see that!

About this photo, PaleBlueEyes writes:

So, my grandpa has a ton of old slideshow photos that I’m helping him convert to digital pictures, then make into slideshow DVD’s. The pictures are mostly of the family and various vacations in Europe, India, and around the US. This picture happened to be one of my favorites. It was taken on my grandparent’s property in the UP in the fall of 1975…I think even with all the technology on cameras today, I’ll never be able to take this beautiful of a picture.

Huron Island Light Station from the Michigan Lighthouse Collection

Posted on September 11, 2007September 11, 2007 by farlane

Huron Island Light Station c. 1965, Archives of Michigan

The Archives of Michigan has a number of digital collections including the Michigan Lighthouse Collection. With almost 600 photos, the Lighthouse Collection is a great resource for lovers of lighthouses and historical photos.

The entry on the Huron Island Light Station in Terry Pepper’s Seeing the Light begins:

When the Soo Locks opened in 1855, maritime traffic boomed around the Keweenaw, with immigrant miners and supplies arriving at the growing number of harbors, and huge loads of copper shipped to feed the incessantly hungry furnaces of the industrial cities of on the southern lakes.

With this increasing vessel traffic it became quickly apparent that the Huron Island chain represented a significant hazard to vessels making their way along the coast. Marking the turning point for vessels coasting in either direction between the lights of Marquette and Portage River, the islands were surrounded by dangerous shoals, were frequently enshrouded in pea-soup fogs, and had been the site of numerous shipwrecks over the years.

You can see more Huron Island Light Station photos from the Archive of Michigan’s Lighthouse Collection, get information about the Huron Island Light from the National Park Service lighthouse inventory, check out a few photos and a map from Lighthouse Friends and also get a more recent view of the Huron Island Lighthouse feature from Michigan in Pictures.

A Pictured Rocks Vacation

Posted on August 27, 2007May 18, 2009 by farlane

Mosquito Beach 1 – Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by mandj98

So, I’m taking a brief vacation* but I’ve cued up some vacation themed photos to run while I’m gone. I hope you enjoy them.

For the first time in several years, my vacation plans don’t include the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore (aka my 2nd favorite place in the world). The Mosquito Beach trail loop is probably the best trail I’ve ever hiked. Long enough to feel challenging, but short enough that you don’t have to carry the kids … too far.

James Phelps really loves the Pictured Rocks too, and he has created a great Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore set (slideshow) about which he writes:

Wild Beauty on the Lake Superior Shore Sandstone cliffs, beaches, sand dunes, waterfalls, lakes, forest, and shoreline beckon you to visit Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Hiking, camping, sightseeing, and four season outdoor opportunities abound. The Lakeshore hugs the Lake Superior shoreline for more than 40 miles. Lake Superior is the largest, deepest, coldest, and most pristine of all the Great Lakes. From the NPS Pictured Rocks site.

He has uploaded all the pictures at wallpaper/screensaver and he also has many for sale as prints from his photography web site.

*I do have a rather large house-sitter, so all you prowlers can prowl elsewhere! ;)

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