Limestone Township in Traunik in Alger County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Traunik
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024
1. Traunik Marker
To this place they came, beginning in 1912, and when enough had gathered to form a community, they named it Traunik, which means "meadow" in Slovenia, the country they left in search of a better life.
They brought with them a willingness to work and a determination to succeed, and out of the forests they shaped fields, homes, and a good life for their families.
This monument has been placed here in memory of these Slovenian settlers by their children and grandchildren, now scattered about the world but tied by invisible bonds to this spot, where once the night air was filled with Slovenian melodies, and an ethnic community pulsed with life.
Erected 1993.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Immigration • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.
Location. 46° 15.638′ N, 86° 58.247′ W. Marker is in Traunik, Michigan, in Alger County. It is in Limestone Township. It is on Traunick Road (County Route H-44) just west of E T Road (County Route H-01), on the right when traveling west. It is at the Traunik Slovenian Hall, at the tree line on
this page online
Regionally, this marker is on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. It is also in the American Midwest, on the Great Lakes, and on Lake Superiors South Shore Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Mikulich General Store (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Paulson House (approx. 11.6 miles away); Au Train (approx. 13½ miles away); Lake Superior (approx. 14.2 miles away); The Grand Island Nishnaabe (approx. 14.3 miles away); Face in the Rock (approx. 14.3 miles away).
Also see . . . Wikipedia entry for Limestone Township. Excerpt:
Traunik is an unincorporated community at the junction of county highways H-01 and H-44 on a branch of the Soo Line Railroad. George Nickel homesteaded 160 acres(Submitted on August 11, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.)(0.65 km2) of land here in about 1895. The community began to grow rapidly in about 1910 with an influx of Slovene immigrants to work in area lumber camps. The place was first known as Buckeye Landing and Buckeye Spur, after the Buckeye Land & Lumber Company. Storekeeper Louis Mikulich (Mikulič) became the first postmaster in July 1927 and renamed the town after the native Slovene village of many of the settlers, Travnik (not to be confused with the Bosnian city of Travnik).Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 20242. Traunik Marker
Photographed by J. J. Prats, August 3, 2024
3. Traunik Slovenian Hall
Marker on its boulder can be barely seen in the shadows under the trees just above the leftmost stair post.
Credits. This page was last revised on August 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on August 11, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 430 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 11, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.
