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.
The Keweenaw Peninsula juts north from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula far out into Lake Superior. The word “Keweenaw” comes from an old Ojibwa word meaning “a place where portage is made”. This area is home to one of the richest copper deposits in the world and has been mined for thousands of years. After Michigan became a state in 1837, prospectors started making their way into the Keweenaw and copper claims and mines were quickly established. These mines were often in operation until World War II. Around these mines, communities grew which were often settled by immigrants eager to build a life in the new world. Mining was dangerous work, but the promise of a decent wage was enough to lure people to this isolated northern region. When the price of copper dropped and the mining process was no longer profitable, whole communities packed up and moved elsewhere and once-bustling towns were quickly reclaimed by the forest. Some towns remain today, but many are struggling and reliant on tourism. I loved this region and spent a little over a week exploring its history and towns. I toured the Quincy Mine and enjoyed wandering around Houghton, Hancock, Calumet, Eagle River and Copper Harbor. I included a few photos from nearby Marquette as well since it traces its roots to the same time period. The whole region is now a part of Keweenaw National Historical Park and Keweenaw National Heritage Area and you can find the Visitors Center in downtown Calumet. I hope you enjoy these photos from the beautiful Keweenaw Peninsula, Michigan’s Copper Country.
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.
Grand Haven is a beautiful town of about 10,000 people located on the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River. It’s history is similar to that of many of the towns I’ve written about coming up the Lake Michigan coast. Originally inhabited by the Potawatomi people, it was later visited by French fur-trappers and then settled in the mid-19th century as a lumber town and shipbuilding site. Today it has a strong Coast Guard presence and hosts an annual Coast Guard reunion which brings people from near and far. Grand Haven also has a huge tourism industry as visitors come to enjoy the beach, the lighthouses, watersports and the pleasant downtown. I had a wonderful visit to Grand Haven and was especially fond of the double lighthouse and the beautiful sunsets over Lake Michigan. I hope you enjoy these photos from my visit to Grand Haven, Michigan - the Jewell of Ottawa County.
South Haven, Michigan is a charming little port town where the Black River flows into Lake Michigan. Originally inhabited by the Potawatomi people, the first settlers arrived in the 1850s. Like many towns along this coast, South Haven started out as a lumber town, supplying the trees to build the towns as the United States expanded westward. As the trees were cleared, farmers took advantage of the open fields to plant fruit, and the area grew to be a major supplier of fruit to the Great Lakes region and beyond. Today there is still plenty of traffic moving up and down the Black River and in and out of Lake Michigan, but South Haven has also made tourism a major industry. The beach is warm and welcoming, the downtown area is clean and lively and there is definitely plenty to keep you busy on a short or long stay. Of course, sunset is the highlight of every day along the Sunset Coast of Michigan. I was there over the 4th of July weekend and while it was probably busier than usual, South Haven maintained its small-town cool and handled the busy weekend well. I really enjoyed my stay in South Haven and hope you enjoy these photos from my visit.
Hello Everyone. It’s been another great week on the road out here in southwestern Michigan. I had to slow down a bit because of the holiday weekend, but it’s been nice to spend some time at the beach and to have some quiet time to catch up on some work. The beaches on the shores of Lake Michigan are beautiful, and the temperature has been perfect to enjoy them without getting too hot. The water is a little chilly, but it’ll sure wake you up if you jump into it. It’s been great to see some of the beautiful lighthouses out here as well and wander through some cute little towns. Most of the 4th of July celebrations in the area were cancelled due to Covid, which was understandable but also a shame. It’s definitely been a crowded week as well and I’d just as soon avoid the crowds, so I’ve been laying lower than usual this weekl. All-in-all it’s been a good week, though, and I’m still enjoying my time in Michigan. I should probably be moving a little bit quicker than I am, but my goal is to stay happy and healthy and not wear myself out so on that front, I’m doing well. Shadow Catcher is also doing well and while I need to replace the city water connection (which I just had replaced a few months ago), that seems to be the only issue at the moment which is great.
When I left you last week, I was on my way to the Gilmore Car Museum in Richland, one of the premier automotive museums in the country, and it did not disappoint. It was clear from the minute I walked into the first exhibit that this was a museum designed and built by genuine car enthusiasts. That first exhibit was on the evolution of the Corvette from a concept car (one of which was a station wagon!) into one of the most notorious American sports cars in history. From there I went on a somewhat chronological tour through cars of different decades from the early days through to the 70s, after which cars lost all style and excitement. There were also outbuildings with different collections and themes and even an old diner brought to the museum from Connecticut. One of the coolest items was a mock-up of a Ford Model A cockpit which walked you through the steps of how to get it started. I giggled with glee and did it three times in a row (nobody was waiting or watching). I spent about 4 hours at the museum and after it closed, tons of classic cars started pouring in for some kind of event. I just enjoyed standing in the parking lot and watching them go past.
From there, I headed back to Kalamazoo and straight to the Bell’s Brewery Eccentric Café. I’ve been a lover of Bell’s beer for many years now and was excited to try some of their brews that don’t make it out of their backyard. I put Bell’s right up there with Dogfish Head as one of the absolute best and most consistent breweries in the country. They didn’t disappoint and I enjoyed a few beers in their back garden while I was there. I wandered around downtown for a bit and ended up stopping in the only other brewery that was open on a Wednesday night, which was Final Gravity. Their beer was truly terrible, but the bartender was both a fellow Penn Stater and a fellow former teacher, so I really enjoyed chatting with him over my barely palatable beer. It was definitely nice to have someone to talk with for a while…
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.
Frankenmuth, Michigan is a whimsical fantasyland of Bavarian architecture, fried chicken, cheese and chocolate. The town was originally settled in 1845 by German immigrants from Franconia who combined their homeland’s name with the word “muth” for “courage” and called their new home Frankenmuth. These early settlers were Lutherans and attempted to convert the local Native Americans to their religion without much success. They did build one of the larger Lutheran churches in the state though. Today, people come from far and wide to eat chicken at either Zehnder’s or the Bavarian Inn, right across the street. I chose the Bavarian Inn and the chicken was good, but not great. I did enjoy the feel of the town, the architecture and strolling around the shops and down by the river. It’s definitely different and very photogenic. I hope you enjoy these photos from tiny Frankenmuth, Michigan.
Heading out of Port Huron on my way to explore Michigan’s “Thumb”, Lexington was the first town I visited. It was so clean and pleasant that I had to stop and take some photos. They had some great little local businesses along Main and Huron Streets, a nice little harbor and a cool small-town vibe. It really is just a little beach town on the shores of Lake Huron, but it definitely seemed like a nice place to relax for a few days and probably a great town to live in. I hope you enjoy these photos giving you just a little snapshot of my brief stay in Lexington, Michigan.
Tiny Tecumseh, Michigan was established on the River Raisin in 1824. It was named for the Shawnee Chief who once organized different Native American tribes to fight against the expanding United States in the War of 1812. Tecumseh was once the county seat of Lenawee County, but in 1838 that duty was transferred to nearby Adrian. Today, Tecumseh has a population of about 8,500.
I really enjoyed my visit to Tecumseh. It reminded me of how most American towns used to look. They have a bakery, a shoemaker, a quilt shop, a winery, a brewery, a hardware store, a small grocer and several craft, hobby and antique stores. There wasn’t a chain store in sight which I found quite refreshing. A town has to really fight to keep those mom and pop downtown businesses afloat, and I respect that. It was a great little town to walk around and though I was only there for a few hours, it seemed like a really livable place. I hope you enjoy these photos of the quaint and charming town of Tecumseh, Michigan.
