Archives

August in Northern Michigan isn’t just about sun-soaked shorelines and cherry harvests—it’s a month rich with fascinating stories from the past. From ambitious settlers and powerful treaties to underwater memorials and legendary lumberjacks, history left its mark all across the region during this warm and vibrant time of year. Here’s a look back at the events that shaped Augusts of years gone by. August in Northern Michigan History August 1, 1856 – Horton Bay Settled Samuel Horton, with his family and the sailing vessel Rover, landed on the shores of what is now Horton Bay. As the first white settlers… Read More »

On August 21, 1984, the legendary Chief Wawatam retired after more than seven decades of faithful service across the icy waters of the Straits of Mackinac. But her story begins long before that—on August 26, 1911, when she was launched into the waters of Toledo, Ohio, by the Toledo Shipbuilding Company. By October 18, she was hard at work for the Mackinac Transportation Company. A joint venture created by three railroads: the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway, the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad, and the Michigan Central Railroad. These rail lines relied heavily on the Chief to ferry train… Read More »

Reimund Holzhey’s Wild Ride Through Michigan History Before the Old West officially rode off into the sunset, Michigan had one last brush with outlaw justice. On this day in 1889, 22-year-old Reimund Holzhey—known dramatically as the “Black Bart of the Upper Peninsula”—staged the final stagecoach robbery east of the Mississippi River. What unfolded that day was part dime novel, part tragedy, and all true Michigan history. Holzhey wasn’t your run-of-the-mill bandit. He was a young man with a flair for drama, a penchant for train and stagecoach holdups, and an unfortunate taste for dime novels, including those about the infamous… Read More »

End of an Era: On this day in history, August 21, 1984, a storied chapter in Michigan’s maritime legacy came to a close. The Chief Wawatam, the last hand-fired, coal-burning vessel on the Great Lakes, sailed across the Straits of Mackinac one final time. This marked the end of railroad car ferry service between Michigan’s Upper and Lower Peninsulas. For over seven decades, the Chief defied the elements and carved paths through frozen water. She delivered passengers, cars, and railcars across one of the most critical and treacherous waterways in the Midwest. Launched August 26, 1911, the 338-foot Chief Wawatam… Read More »

🎉 Paul Bunyan Day: Celebrating Oscoda’s Legendary Logger On August 20, 1971, the small town of Oscoda threw a big party, the Paul Bunyan Festival. With pancakes stacked high, folklore flying thick, and a papier-mâché giant lumberjack at the center of it all. Oscodans were on a mission to stake their claim as the true birthplace of Paul Bunyan. And they had receipts. Oscoda’s claim rests on the first known published story of Paul Bunyan. The story written by journalist and former lumberjack James MacGillivray in the Oscoda Press on August 10, 1906. Titled “Round River,” the story was based… Read More »

A Presidential Slice If you ever doubted the power of pie, look back at August 18, 1926, that is when a giant Traverse City cherry pie earned a spot at the President of the United States’ dinner table. Yes, a 46-pound, three-foot-wide, 5,000-cherry-filled pie. The pie that took a road trip from Northern Michigan to the Adirondacks, and along the way, it became a sweet slice of American history. It all started with a fruitful cherry harvest on Old Mission Peninsula. Frank Burkhart, owner of a local fruit packing company, saw an opportunity to promote the region’s prized Montmorency cherries…. Read More »

The Vagabonds Land in the U.P. On this day in history—August 17, 1923—three of America’s most iconic innovators set foot in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. They arrived for a camping trip that was anything but rustic. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and Harvey Firestone, along with their wives, friends, and an entourage of staff, arrived in Escanaba aboard Ford’s massive luxury yacht, Sialia. The group, known as “The Vagabonds,” wasn’t just on a vacation—they were making history. The Sialia, a 300-foot sea-going vessel equipped with every modern safety and comfort feature, cruised through dense fog across Lake Michigan after a tour of… Read More »

A Deadly 1770 Encounter In the summer of 1770, Mackinac Island was more than a scenic outpost on the Great Lakes—it was a thriving hub of commerce, diplomacy, and survival. Known then as Michilimackinac, the island sat at a cultural crossroads between British soldiers, French traders, Indigenous nations, and a booming fur trade. Justice on the frontier? It wasn’t always about courtrooms and gavels—it was often about who had the most canoes, muskets, and men. One particularly brutal example of “frontier justice” made its way into The Pennsylvania Gazette on August 16, 1770. The article painted a vivid picture of… Read More »

 A Memorial Beneath the Waves Not all memorials may be visited on foot—some require a dive beneath the waves. On August 12, 1962, an 11-foot Italian white marble crucifix was gently lowered 65 feet into the chilly waters of Little Traverse Bay near Petoskey. Created to honor all who have lost their lives in the often unforgiving waters of the Great Lakes. The story of the Petoskey Crucifix is as winding as Michigan’s shoreline. Originally, the marble cross was commissioned by grieving parents from Rapson, in Michigan’s Thumb region. Their 15-year-old son, Gerald Schipinski, was tragically killed in a farm… Read More »

Evolution of Michigan’s Legal Boundaries August 9, 1842, marked a turning point in Michigan’s map—and the map of the entire U.S.—when the Webster-Ashburton Treaty was signed, settling several long-standing border disputes between the United States and Great Britain. Among the many results of this treaty was the decision that Sugar Island (then known to Canadians as St. George’s Island) in the St. Mary’s River would become part of Michigan and the United States. At the heart of the treaty were the efforts of U.S. Secretary of State Daniel Webster and British diplomat Lord Ashburton to put an end to growing… Read More »

🚗🚢 Michigan’s First State Ferry Service Ariel made her maiden voyage Before the Mackinac Bridge connected Michigan’s peninsulas, crossing the Straits of Mackinac was a challenge. This was true especially for the growing number of automobile owners in the early 20th century. On July 31, 1923, the State of Michigan stepped in to solve this problem by launching a state-operated ferry service. The ferry service would soon become an essential lifeline for travelers and commerce alike. A week after the service was officially established, on August 6, 1923, the first car ferry—the wooden-hulled Ariel—made her maiden voyage across the straits…. Read More »

On August 4, 1929, a small but mighty boat named the Water Lily made her maiden voyage from Copper Harbor, Michigan, to Isle Royale—a rugged, remote island in Lake Superior. For the first time ever, Michiganders could board a ferry in their own state and travel to Isle Royale’s pristine wilderness by boat. Before this historic trip, anyone wishing to explore the island had to depart from Duluth, Minnesota, or Port Arthur, Ontario. Charles Kauppi The man behind this bold new service was Charles Kauppi, a former commercial fisherman from the tiny town of Gay, Michigan. With the country on… Read More »