Thief River Falls gets its name from the falls at the confluence of the Red Lake River and the Thief River (which traces its name back to a conflict between the Ojibwe and Dakota people). These falls made navigation by boat impossible beyond this point, so a town was born here in 1887. Thief River Falls was originally a lumber town and then shifted to wheat farming, but it really took off when the Great Northern and Soo Line railroads came to town in the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries respectively. The rivers and railroads still power the local economy today and Thief River Falls is also the home of an Arctic Cat Snowmobiles plant. Thief River Falls has a population of around 8,600 people today and it really put on a show for me during my visit. The temperature hovered around 70 degrees under sunny skies and the sunset was absolutely spectacular. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit to beautiful Thief River Falls, Minnesota.
Mercer is a small community of under 2,000 people situated along Highway 51 in Iron County, Wisconsin. The area has one of the highest concentrations of loons in the country and Mercer has designated itself The Loon Capital of the World. The town placed a massive 16 foot loon at its Chamber of Commerce named Clair d’ Loon. Every year in August, Mercer celebrates Loon Day which includes a loon calling contest. I thought it was a great little town with some fun shops and a cute Northwoods-style downtown area. It seemed like a lot of the businesses in town were for sale, so maybe this would be a great opportunity for someone looking to move to the area. I wasn’t in Mercer long, but it definitely charmed me and I wanted to share these pictures with you from The Loon Capital of the World.
House on the Rock simply defies explanation. It is, first and foremost, a house - and quite a unique and wonderful one at that. Built high on Deer Shelter Rock and overlooking the forest below, the house is the creation of Alex Jordan Jr. who began construction on it in 1945. Using the natural terrain of Deer Shelter Rock and building around many of the trees that were there, Jordan moved much of the material in the original structure by hand. It may not be the best built house structurally, but aesthetically it is quite stunning, incorporating natural materials and Japanese design features.
When House on the Rock was featured in a local Madison magazine, people began to show up to see it and asked Jordan for a tour. He started charging people 50 cents and soon realized that there was money to be made from his creation. He began to market it and add different marvels to his roadside attraction. Soon enough, thousands of people a year were coming to see it and Jordan hired a staff and began construction on other buildings to house his strange and eclectic collections. The Streets of Yesteryear is a walk down a recreated Victorian Era Street while the Heritage of the Sea features a massive three-story statue of a sea monster battling a whale-like creature. Jordan collected and built beautiful musical creations from around the world and then built the world’s largest carousel featuring 269 animals (none of them horses) and 20,000 lights. His collections of guns, dollhouses, musical instruments and model ships could have their own museums. Over a million people a year now make their way to this Wisconsin landmark, making it one of the state’s most visited sites.
It’s definitely a “roadside attraction”, but it’s so much more than that. It’s weird and whimsical and overwhelming to the senses. It takes hours to walk through and while I didn’t learn much while I was there, I sure enjoyed myself. It’s like a giant funhouse for adults and definitely worth the price of admission. I was overwhelmed. Much of House on the Rock and its outbuildings are dark and extremely hard to photograph, but some of the photos I took came out okay. They cannot possibly do justice to the experience, though, and I don’t think any photos really could. It’s definitely a place that has to be experienced for one’s self. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy my attempt to share with you some of my favorite photos from my day at House on the Rock - a place you simply have to see to believe.
Cedarburg is a beautiful and vibrant old mill town in Ozaukee County, just a half-hour north of Milwaukee. Cedar Creek brought German immigrants to the area in the 1840s where they built grist mills and a small community began to develop. When the train came through thirty years later, the town expanded as it now had access to the larger markets of Milwaukee and Green Bay. Churches were built and streets were laid out, but Cedar Creek was still at the center of the community. As time passed, suburban Milwaukee started edging ever closer, but Cedarburg has been able to maintain its own identity and its small town charm. I enjoyed my visit to Cedarburg and hope you enjoy these photos of this beautiful historic mill town on Cedar Creek.
For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know I have a particular affinity for capital cities. Being from Washington D.C. there is a certain familiarity to a capital city and how it looks and operates. Madison is even closer to my heart since both of my parents attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison and I grew up hearing stories of their time there. The Capitol Building in Madison is actually the forth Capitol of the Badger State. The first Capitol was a hastily built wooden structure in Belmont, Wisconsin which was used for a mere 42 days, during which time a new site was chosen in Madison. The second Capitol was built in Madison in 1837 and the third Capitol was begun in 1857, nine years after the Wisconsin Territory became the state of Wisconsin. That building tragically burned to the ground in 1904 and construction of the current Capitol began soon thereafter under the watchful eye of famed architect George B. Post of New York. The statue of Wisconsin on the Capitol dome was sculpted by Daniel Chester French who also sculpted the statue at the Lincoln Memorial. I loved how many badgers were to be found in the building - in the murals, overlooking the four corners and even on the statue on the dome. Wisconsin is definitely fond of its badgers. I found it interesting that the mural in the state senate chamber commemorates the opening of the Panama Canal - big news when the Capitol was built but it seems odd a hundred years later. I think my favorite story from the Wisconsin State Capitol was that of Old Abe, a bald eagle who once served as the mascot for a Wisconsin Civil War unit and accompanied them into battle. Old Abe was shot during the war but survived and went on to tour the country after the war ended. He went to live in the Capitol building for many years but accidentally died of smoke inhalation when a fire started near his cage. Old Abe was stuffed and sat overlooking the House chamber for many years until he burned in the fire of 1904. A replacement eagle was placed in the rebuilt Capitol to commemorate Old Abe’s legacy. I really enjoyed my guided tour of the Wisconsin State Capitol and hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.
Stepping off the ferry on Mackinac Island is like stepping back in time. I’m sure that line has been used a million times, but it’s true. Way back in 1898 the city council banned “horseless carriages” from the entire island and that ban remains in effect today. Everything on the island is delivered and transported by horse-drawn cart or bicycle. This alone makes Mackinac Island special, but there’s so much more to this little corner of the world than its lack of cars.
Native Americans traveled back and forth to Mackinac Island for hundreds of years, by canoe in the warmer months and over the ice when the lake froze over. It became an outpost for the French fur trade in the 1700s and remained under French control until the end of the French and Indian War, at which time the British flag was raised on the island. During the American Revolution, the British moved Fort Michilimackinac from its former position on the mainland to a bluff high on top of Mackinac island. After the war, American troops occupied the fort, but a surprise attack during the opening days of the War of 1812 put it back in British hands. The Treaty of Ghent would return Mackinac Island to the Americans in 1815 and John Jacob Astor would soon set up his American Fur Company on the island.
After the Civil War, tourism boomed on Mackinac Island and it was named America’s second National Park with the army unit at the fort charged with the park’s protection. To accommodate the new influx of tourism, hotels were built including the incredible Grand Hotel which still sits high on a hill overlooking Lake Huron. Mackinac Island remained a National Park for twenty years, after which time it was turned back over to the state of Michigan and became Michigan’s first state park.
Today, Mackinac Island is one of Michigan’s top tourist destinations. While the population of the island is less than 500, as many as 15,000 visitors a day descend on the island in the middle of summer. I can certainly understand why as it is a truly beautiful and unique place. I arrived on the first ferry of the day and left on the last, so I did get to see the island in a fairly quiet state. The weather and photography conditions weren’t the best when I was there, but Mackinac Island is so photogenic that I took hundreds of photos anyway and included some of my favorites in this post. I haven’t captioned them all, because many are just of Main Street with horses and carriages but that was such a wonderful scene that I couldn’t help myself. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Mackinac Island, definitely one of my favorite places I visited in my two months in Michigan.
Cheboygan was incorporated in 1871 and grew up around the timber industry, supplying wood for the westward expansion of the country. Located at the confluence of the Cheboygan River and Lake Huron, the town became known as the “Gateway to the North”, although now it goes by “Historic Rivertown” as well. Because of its location and proximity to the Mackinac Bridge and Mackinac Island, Cheboygan certainly sees its fair share of tourism, yet it maintains its small-town feel and felt more like a real, lived in town than many of the places I visited in the state. With two beautiful lighthouses and as the home port of the Coast Guard Icebreaker Mackinaw, Cheboygan maintains its maritime history as well. I had a wonderful time in Cheboygan and only captured some of the beautiful places the town has to offer, but it’s definitely a town worth seeing - ether as a less touristy gateway to the region or in its own right. I hope you enjoy these photos from my time in beautiful Cheboygan.
Tiny Charlevoix, Michigan, is named for the Jesuit priest and missionary Father Pierre François Xavier de Charlevoix. It’s certainly one of the more beautiful town names in the state and the town lives up to it well. Situated between Lake Michigan to the west and Lake Charlevoix to the east, it definitely has a maritime feel to it, but more yacht than fishing boat if you know what I mean. In 1918, self-taught architect Paul Young began building fairy-tale houses in the town, some shaped like mushrooms and some more like Hobbit houses. Young’s houses are mostly grouped into two neighborhoods and are really something to see. Other houses and businesses in town have drawn from his style and I also enjoyed seeing them. Charlevoix is also the jumping-off point for ferries to Beaver Island, which is why I was in town. The downtown area is compact but pleasant with some wonderful little bars and restaurants, but the real beauty lays along the lakeshores. Charlevoix also hosts the Venetian Boat Festival every year which looks like an amazing event I’d love to see for myself. The mural on the side of the Rexall downtown is one of the most beautiful I’ve seen anywhere. I hope you enjoy these few photos from my time in the aptly nicknamed Charlevoix the Beautiful.
Tiny Marshall, Michigan sure has a lot to see in a very small area. Most of the downtown area is part of the National Historic Landmark District which includes over 850 buildings, a staggering amount for a town of just 7,000 people. It is not easy to maintain a town in the condition Marshall is in, and I really take my hat off to those who are working so hard to keep it the way it is.
Marshall was founded in 1830 and grew as a transportation hub catering to road, rail and river travelers with several historic inns and restaurants in the city dating back to those early days. The town was named for U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall and of the more than 20 towns named after Marshall, this was the only one so-named before his death. Marshall became an early innovator in the public schools movement and their model was copied across the country. The town was also one of the final contenders to become the State Capital when it was moved from Detroit, but lost out to Lansing in the end.
Today, Marshall is incredibly well maintained. I loved that I could pick up a map outside of their tourism office at any time of day and the music playing on the street made me smile. There were historic walks laid out on the map, and markings on the sidewalks to help guide you along. The buildings downtown were well preserved and some truly transported me back in time. The homes in the surrounding neighborhood were equally historic and also well cared for. My favorite was Honolulu House which offered a wonderful guided tour. I came to Marshall planning on spending an hour and ended up there for more than half the day. It was definitely the cutest town I saw in all of southern Michigan and I am definitely looking forward to returning in the future. If Marshall isn’t on your list of Michigan small towns to visit, it certainly should be. I hope you enjoy these photos from beautiful Marshall, Michigan.
Battle Creek was home to the Potawatomi people long before white settlers arrived in the 1820s. The completion of the Erie Canal brought a wave of people into Michigan seeking work in the lumber industry and the town of Battle Creek was formally established in 1839. During the antebellum period, Battle Creek served as a minor but frequent stop on the Underground Railroad and in 1857 abolitionist Sojourner Truth chose it as her new home where she would live until her death in 1883. In the late 19th Century, the Battle Creek Sanitarium opened as a health resort for the rich and famous. Some of its more famous guests were President Warren G. Harding, Mary Todd Lincoln, Thomas Edison, Amelia Earhart and Henry Ford. The manager of the Sanitarium was Dr. John Harvey Kellogg whose brother William also worked there. I’ve read several accounts of how they accidentally created their now-famous corn flakes, but however it happened, they were a hit. A lesser known guest at the Sanitarium, C.W. Post, took the cereal idea and ran with it, setting up his own Post Cereal empire in Battle Creek. Between Post and Kellogg’s, Battle Creek has taken the nickname Breakfast Capital of the World, or, less seriously, Cereal City. Because these two successful brands still call Battle Creek home, the city looks great. The downtown area is vibrant and full of unique artistic flourishes and beautiful murals. There is a wonderful walking path along Battle Creek River and some great bars and restaurants around as well. Although it was quiet when I was there, I really enjoyed my visit to Battle Creek and I hope you enjoy these photos from Cereal City.
Michigan became a state in 1837 with its Capital City in Detroit. At some point in the 1840s, a debate grew over the vulnerability of Detroit which sits right across the lake from Canada and had been occupied in the War of 1812. Many cities vied for the seat of government, and the compromise was to build a new Capital City at a strategic inland crossroads. The area, known as Lansing, was renamed Michigan City, but the original name would be restored the following year. A two story wooden structure with a tin roof was built to house the state legislature and would serve as the State Capitol for for over 20 years. Finally, in the 1870s, construction on the current Capitol was begun. Elijah Meyers was chosen as the architect and he modeled the building after the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Meyers would go on to design the Colorado and Texas Capitols as well. The building opened in 1879. A hundred years later, people were calling to pull down the old building and replace it with a modern structure like they tragically did in Louisiana, Florida and elsewhere. Thankfully, that did not happen and instead a major, top-to-bottom restoration took place. The meticulous restoration even brought in artists to hand-paint all of the walls as had been done in the original design. The result is really quite something. The Michigan State Capitol is beautiful inside and out, and I was very fortunate to get a personal tour with the building’s lead guide. I hope you enjoy this look inside the beautiful Michigan State Capitol in Lansing.
All I knew about Flint when I arrived, I learned from Michael Moore's 1989 documentary Roger and Me. That and not to drink the water. Some people warned me not to go. What I found was a vibrant, clean city with an interesting past and a bright future.
In 1819, Jacob Smith established a small trading post on the Flint River. It grew quickly and become a convenient stopover on the route between Detroit and Saginaw. By 1860 the population had grown to 20,000 and Flint’s major industry, like most of the region, was lumber. In the late 19th Century, Flint became a major producer of carriages which paved the way for its entrance into the automotive market a few decades later. General Motors was founded in Flint in 1908 and would grow along with the city for many years. When GM started pulling out of Flint in 1978, the population began to drop and crime and poverty, which always go hand-in-hand, began to rise. For several years, Flint was considered one of the most dangerous cities in the country. The recent water contamination issues have led to Flint once again being in the spotlight for less than ideal reasons.
During my visit, I found a city that wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet. Flint has fought back against its bad reputation and taken serious steps to beautify its downtown and move the city forward. I found a vibrant Farmer’s Market, beautiful murals throughout the city, some great historical markers and statues (through a partnership with the National Park Service), and some great bars, restaurants and breweries. It was quiet when I was there, but I saw exercise classes going on in the park and some kind of jogging/scavenger hunt which looked like a lot of fun. While it was frustrating for me that their main museums were closed, they were closed for renovations and promise to come back next year better than ever. I was only in Flint for two days, but I’m certainly glad I stopped for a look. If you’re ever in the area, drop in and see what’s new in Vehicle City. You might be surprised by what you find there. I Hope you enjoy these photos from downtown Flint.
