Eastern Upper Peninsula

  I have a picture hanging in my dining room of the Mackinac Bridge being built. This picture has always fascinated me. Every time I look at it, I discover something new. A friend was visiting on their way to Mackinac Island and we got talking about the bridge and the ferries before the bridge. I wanted to learn more about the ferries that would transport people and their cars across the Straits of Mackinac. I knew they existed but beyond that I did not know anything about the ferries. After all, the bridge opened a couple of years before… Read More »

The Jail and Sheriff’s Residence in Newberry, Michigan is a historic building that was constructed in 1894. It was originally built as a correctional facility and government building. The courthouse was constructed 4 years before in 1890. The courthouse was designed in an elaborate Victorian style. The Luce County Jail was designed as a counterpoint to the courthouse. The building served as the county jail and the residence of the sheriff and his family for over 70 years. In 1975 the courthouse was torn down, the jail was headed for the same fate. The Luce County Historical Society rescued the… Read More »

The Soo Locks in Sault Ste. Marie in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula are operated and maintained by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer. The name came from Father Jacques Marquette, a French Jesuit missionary. With this name Father Marquette was honoring Sainte Marie, a nod to Mary, mother of Jesus. Sainte is the feminine version of Saint. In an older version of French, sault translates to rapids. Father Marquette was naming the town of the geographical feature of the area: the rapids of Saint Mary. They are a set of parallel locks that make ships travelling between Lake Superior and Lower… Read More »

Join Northern Michigan History in our 5 part series as we explore the most haunted places in northern Michigan. This third part in our series visits the Eastern Upper Peninsula. This area includes a suicide that may have been a murder, witches, soldiers and a brothel. The Eastern Upper Peninsula did not disappoint! Mackinac Island Mission Point Resort – The resort is rumored to have a ghost that comes for an occasional visit. It is believed to be a college student name Harvey who died behind the resort in the late 60s. It was reported that he shot himself because… Read More »

Last week we published an article about the Zeba Indian United Methodist Church and that it started in Sault Ste. Marie. This week we are going to talk about how it started. John Sunday and Rev. John Clark Before heading west to start the Missionary in Zeba John Sunday, a Methodist Native American Preacher from Canada, began mission work in the Native American settlement at the Sault Ste. Marie Rapids. In 1832 Rev. John Clark, heard of the movement at the ‘Soo’ and decided to work there. He would later follow John Sunday west. In the spring of 1833, Clark… Read More »