7 Wonders of Michigan: Chapel Rock edition

Posted on by farlane
Chapel Rock by Craig Sterken Photography

Chapel Rock by Craig Sterken Photography

Michigan has some truly incredible sights, but I have to think that Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore belongs at or near the top of any list of the 7 Wonders of Michigan. Apparently I started to compile a list back in 2015 & added Mackinac Island’s Arch Rock to it. Let’s add Chapel Rock as well. If you have suggestions for the list, share in the comments and then we can vote on them all!

The Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore says:

The Chapel area was named by early European explorers and is found on early maps as La Chappelle. Chapel Rock is a remnant of Cambrian age sandstone that was carved by Lake Nipissing high water some 3800 years ago. Continual erosion has carved the rock into the beautiful sculpture it is today. There once was an archway connecting the rock to the mainland (see pic below!). The arch collapsed in the 1940s. The lone white pine on Chapel Rock is estimated to be about 250 years old. 

Atlas Obscura adds that a member of the Douglass Houghton expedition exploring Lake Superior’s southern shore described a single pine tree that grew like a “spire” out of the sparse dirt covering the top of the outcropping. Till this day, the same resilient pine stands sentinel over Chapel Rock, connected to the mainland by its extensive root system.

Craig shares that the cool weather has him thinking about autumn colors, and that he was honored to have this photo purchased by National Geographic for a book on national parks! I will for sure share the book when it’s out. You don’t have to wait to see more from Craig though! Follow Craig Serken Photography on Facebook and view or purchase his work on his website!

Chapel Arch by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Chapel Arch by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

Support Michigan in Pictures with Patreon

Chapel Rock in Winter

Posted on by farlane

Chapel Rock in Winter

Live Anywhere, photo by Jay

When you think about it, it’s not only miraculous that the white pine on Chapel Rock in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore survives with barely any soil, but also that it endures winter after winter in the teeth of Lake Superior.

Jay took this shot on February 20th last year. View it background bigtacular and jump into his slideshow for some more spectacular winter photos from the Pictured Rocks.

Woodland Hipsters

Posted on by farlane

Woodland Hipsters

I’m a Lumberjack: 1899, photo courtesy Shorpy.com

While you might feel like you saw these stylish gents at the coffee shop the other day, Dave shares that the hipster look is timeless: Upper Michigan circa 1899. “The loggers.” 8×10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company.

View the photo background bigtacular and see TONS more incredible vintage photos (lots from Michigan) at Shorpy.com. You can also get prints of this and any photo they have.

The Monarch and Hartwick Pines

Posted on by farlane

Logging Era Grayling MI Monster Hartwick Michigan White Pine called the Monarch RPPC 1942 at the Memorial Park prior to Hartwick becoming a State Park

Logging Era Grayling MI Monster Hartwick Michigan White Pine, photo by UpNorth Memories – Donald (Don) Harrison

This Friday, April 26th is Arbor Day, and I thought it would be nice to take a look what is probably the most famous trees in Michigan’s history and the place where it once grew, Hartwick Pines State Park. In 1927, Karen Michelson Hartwick purchased over 8,000 acres of land that included 85 acres of old growth white pine from the Salling-Hanson Company of Grayling. Mrs. Hartwick was a daughter of  a founding partner of the logging company and shortly after the purchase, she donated the land to the State of Michigan as a memorial park named for her husband, the late Major Edward E. Hartwick of Grayling. A nice article from the Toledo Blade about Hartwick Pines explains:

This is Hartwick Pines, the largest stand of “old growth” forest in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Here, white pines, red pines and hemlocks ladder their way 160 feet to the sky.

…There are approximately 24,000 trees in the Hartwick Pines old growth grove today, but not all are “old growth” trees. Lightning and wind claim a few of the old trees each year, and they are replaced with a mixture of hardwoods and pines.

A large hemlock near the parking lot was recently damaged by a storm and had to be removed. Its stump showed 365 annual rings. The most famous tree at Hartwick Pines — The Monarch — lost its crown in a 1992 storm and then died four years later. It was 155 feet tall when healthy, with a circumference of 12 feet and an estimated age of 325 years.

Read on and learn more about Hartwick Pines from the State of Michigan.

See this big as the Monarch and jump in to Don’s slideshow of postcards for more vintage scenes from Hartwick Pines!

PS: The Monarch was a white pine, Michigan’s State Tree.