For you forum members in Michigan or anyone else, an interesting read I found this morning.

Many ghost towns in Michigan, most were founded on the lumber industry, which never lasts.

I was reading about Rose City, MI, and the tragedy there recently and ran across this website.

https://lostinmichigan.net/category/ghost-towns/

Thanks for this.

Years ago we vacationed up in the UP and came across one of the old abandoned mill towns up there. I can’t recall exactly where, but we vacationed in Au Train and, if memory serves, the ghost town was somewhere southeast of there.

I know I'll never visit Michigan, but enjoy reading about places through the Internet.

Recently read about Ann Arbor, MI. Pretty place.

Since we summer vacation in MI now this may prove useful. Thanks for posting it.

We have been vacationing in MI since 2000. Mainly in the Manistee-Sleeping Bear Dunes area, along M22.

Thanks for sharing this.

We rent the same place that is between TC and Empire. We love Sleeping Bear Dunes but we mostly swim at D H Day in Glen Haven. Wonderful area.

The Upper Peninsula of Michigan has a boom and bust history very similar to the Wild West. If you are into such things, here are some places to check out:
Fayette. Restored harbor and forge town.
Seney. Lumber town. It was once said that if you walked into a railroad station in Michigan and told the clerk you wanted a ticket to Hell, he sold you one to Seney. And in a feud between bar owners, some folks got shot and one dude convicted of murder was later elected Mayor. Boot Hill cemetery, too.
Beacon. Mine town.
Republic. Mine town.
Gay. (yes, they have a Gay bar, too). Site of the Mohawk Stamp Mill. The stamp sands there resemble the surface of the moon.
Alberta and Pequaming. "Ford Towns". An effort by Henry Ford to fully control the raw materials used in his his cars. Alberta is restored.
Blaney Park. 1950s resort town that went bust. Had its own paved airstrip. Its still there.
Quincy Mine. Now partially restored and offering tours. The surrounding area is full of mine era ruins.
Central. Mine town partially restored.
Thats just a few sites. We have lighthouses too. Crisp Point one of my favorites.
Come up and see me! We can do the ghost towns. But hurry. Some of the sites are deteriorating and wont be around much longer.

There are lots of interesting places with a history to visit in Michigan.

We discovered one purely be accident a few years ago: Lost Creek Sky Ranch

We'd been staying in a rental cabin nearby during the off season. Looking for a place to go eat it was the only one that sounded interesting that was open in the off season. Lucky us. Food was great and they actually had Bell's Hopslam Ale on tap.

Got to wandering around the property. There was an adjacent abandoned riding stable and nearby a still-functional airstrip. Talking to the manager: Story had it the place had been a speakeasy, bordello, and bootleggers stop back during Prohibition. They were in the process of rebuilding/remodeling the rooms upstairs to make them usable again for renting out to vacationers.

I love visiting ghost towns. The best part of it is learning the history and stories of the town before visiting. Makes the experience more fulfilling. Always visit the cemetery if one exists. Read the headstones and consider the dates while superimposing history over the life span. It is distressing that a man has to live most of his life before he understands what he should have pursued in his youth. I should have been an anthropologist.

Thanks Sunset, just added to my travel folder.

Fayette state park in the UP is pretty cool. It's well maintained, and some of the buildings are restored, while others were left as they were. There's lots of good info about the history of the place, too. The setting around the harbor and next to the lake is beautiful,too. We enjoyed it.




A 30 min or so drive from there is kitch-iti-kipi "The Big Spring". It's a 45 foot deep hole with a spring at the bottom. Crystal clear water and you can see straight to the bottom. There's a cable-operated barge thing that you can ride out into the middle and look down. Our kids thought it was pretty awesome.


(photos aren't mine...borrowed them from the internet)

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We have lighthouses too. Crisp Point one of my favorites.

Getting there is half the fun.

Its even more fun in winter!

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Its even more fun in winter!

Yeah, I can't imagine doing that in the winter short of a snowmobile. And even then, you'd better have good navigational skills and be prepared for any potential mishap. We drove out there in a FWD minivan in the summertime, and there were some loose sandy areas that had me a bit worried. Made it no problem, though, and I'm glad we did it...what a neat place!

quote:

Originally posted by 92fstech:

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
Its even more fun in winter!

Yeah, I can't imagine doing that in the winter short of a snowmobile. And even then, you'd better have good navigational skills and be prepared for any potential mishap. We drove out there in a FWD minivan in the summertime, and there were some loose sandy areas that had me a bit worried. Made it no problem, though, and I'm glad we did it...what a neat place!

I drove up there 1.5 years ago in a PHEV outlander. No issues. Easy drive.

Love it up there and plan on going up in June