Join Northern Michigan History in our 5 part series as we explore the most haunted places in northern Michigan. This is our last installment in the series and we have found our way to the Western Upper Peninsula. Strange lights, actresses that never leave the theater and chainsaws in cemeteries. The western end of the U.P. is not to be messed with!
Keweenaw Peninsula
Calumet Theater – Legend is that Shakespearean actress, Madame Helena Modjeska who died in 1909 in the theater and that she never left.
Lake Breeze – Originally a warehouse built in 1850s by William Raley that was converted into a resort in 1922. The property is still owned by the Raley family today. There have been reports of a ghostly woman on the porch looking at Lake Superior. It is believed she is looking for her husband who was lost in a freighter crash. The lighthouse lights will flicker, voices heard, and apparitions seen.
Ontonagon County
Paulding Lights – Also called Dog Meadow Light is a light a light that appears in a value outside Paulding near Watersmeet. The light was first reported in 1966 by a group of teenagers who reported it to the local sheriff. The light is said to appear nearly every night and numerous individuals have reported seeing it.
There are several popular theories about the cause of the lights. One is that the light is the lantern of a brakeman who was killed while attempting to stop an oncoming training from colliding with railway cars stopped on the tracks. Another story is it is that the light is the ghost of slain mail courier. A third story is that it is the ghost of a Native American dancing on the power lines that run through the valley. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press by John Carlisle it is a grandparent looking for a lost grandchild. They are using a lantern that needs constant relighting. This would explain the reason the light seems to come and go.
Kitchie Cemetery – Located in Trout creek this cemetery has had some scary activity. Sounds of chainsaws and screaming have been reported. People have seen floating orbs around their cars.
Learn more about the rich history of the Western Upper Peninsula.
