This, the fifth largest lake in the world, was the first of the Great Lakes seen by white men. By following the Ottawa River route, Samuel de Champlain in 1615 came to the “Freshwater Sea.” It was half a century before the French fully understood . . . — — Map (db m120725) HM
A non-denominational, non-profit Boy’s Camp. Founded in 1950 by Major Franklin Clarke Browne an “indestructible spirit,” (1886-1964). Helen Margaret Browne President and Director — — Map (db m155590) HM
A forest fire destroyed
Bearinger’s log schoolhouse, known as Grace
School, in 1919. The
following year this
structure was built of
locally gathered fieldstones no doubt chosen
as a material resistant
to fire. This building
served Bearinger . . . — — Map (db m233772) HM
On October 15, 1908, raging fires
swept the pine forests of Presque
Isle County. When the flames approached the village of Metz, a train
jammed with women and children left
for Posen, five miles away. At
Nowicki's siding, two miles out . . . — — Map (db m233736) HM
According to local historians,
Prussian immigrant Michael Elowsky fled
the political turmoil
brewing in Eastern Europe
in 1862. He settled in
Detroit, was joined by his
family, and migrated to
Presque Isle County around
1870. Prior to 1885 . . . — — Map (db m233734) HM
(English)
In memory of our common ancestors, who left their
homes in the vicinity of Poznań, Poland and established
the town of Posen in the New World 1870.
—The citizens of Poznań, Poland and Posen, Michigan, . . . — — Map (db m233684) HM
The first utility pole set
by Presque Isle Electric
Cooperative was erected near
this site on September 22,
1937. Established in 1935,
the Rural Electrification
Administration (REA) was a
New Deal program designed
to help cooperatives . . . — — Map (db m233652) HM
By the 1840s, tens of thousands of settlers arrived yearly in Buffalo, New York, in search
of passage and opportunities further west. Fast, reliable and often opulent steamers,
such as the sidewheeler Albany, carried these passengers across . . . — — Map (db m236525) HM
Starting in 1883, the Fame sailed the Great Lakes for 34 years. Still, it was considered
an unlucky vessel. It sprang a leak less than a year after it was built, ran aground
several times; was struck by lightning twice; and collided with . . . — — Map (db m236522) HM
On October 22, 1881, a fierce storm descended on Lake Huron. Violent northwest
winds and a blinding snowstorm caused havoc. The heavy weather stranded 14 ships
in this area. Remarkably, there was not a single loss of life, and all of the ships . . . — — Map (db m236528) HM
The Bronze Bell was taken from the old Lansing City Hall clock tower when the building was torn down in 1959… It weighs 3425 lbs. 60% heavier than the Liberty Bell.... It was cast in 1896. — — Map (db m155625) HM
People have traveled on the Great Lakes for thousands of years. During the “Shipwreck Century” (1825-1925)
technology transformed maritime travel and small wooden sailing vessels evolved into giant steel steamers.
Millions of trips were made . . . — — Map (db m236520) HM
John Kauffman
In 1858, German immigrant John C. Kauffman (1833-1913) left Buffalo bound for Chicago aboard a ship that later ran aground near Bell Bay. John walked ashore and made his way to Burnham’s Landing at Presque Isle Harbor, . . . — — Map (db m120786) HM
Presque Isle Harbor is one of Lake Huron's safest harbors of refuge. Its name comes from this peninsula which, translating from the French, is "almost and island." Indians and Frenchmen portaged across the peninsula to avoid several miles of open . . . — — Map (db m40149) HM
In 1869 the U.S. Congress appropriated $7,500 to build two range lights marking the channel into Presque Isle Harbor. Orlando M. Poe submitted plans in May 1870, and by August the range lights were in operation as seafarers aligned the lights to . . . — — Map (db m120784) HM
Presque Isle, which means “almost an island,” was
named by French voyageurs in the 1600s. It refers to
the peninsula north of the harbor and the surrounding
area. Long before the French arrived, Ottawa people
from the North Channel Islands of . . . — — Map (db m236567) HM
This lighthouse, built in 1870 by Orlando M. Poe, is one of three Great Lakes towers built from the same plans. It replaced the smaller 1840 harbor light. The conical brick tower rises 113 feet from a limestone foundation. The Third Order Fresnel . . . — — Map (db m40062) HM
Lake Huron mariners of the early 1800s considered
Presque Isle the best natural harbor between Port Huron
and Mackinac. Because many ships anchored here for
shelter and cordwood to fuel their boilers, Congress
appropriated $5,000 to build a . . . — — Map (db m236569) HM
Newell Avery Eddy Jr., who built the Presque Isle Lodge, was born in Bay City in 1880 to a lumbering family that had relocated from Maine to Michigan's Saginaw Valley in the early 1850s. In addition to the Eddy Brothers and Company lumber operation, . . . — — Map (db m120788) HM
Shipwreck Alley.
For more than 12,000 years, people have traveled on the Great Lakes. From Native American dugout canoes to wooden sailing craft and steel freighters, thousands of ships have made millions of voyages on the Inland Seas. The . . . — — Map (db m236831) HM
Like many lighthouses, the Presque Isle lights were in a remote area that was
inaccessible by road. The U.S. Lighthouse Establishment operated boats, called
lighthouse tenders, to bring materials and supplies to these remote outposts.
The . . . — — Map (db m236895) HM
1905 Keeper’s House.
This 1,800-square-foot residence provided housing for additional keepers needed
to run the lighthouse fog signal. In 1905, a crew from Alpena, Michigan, constructed
the house using cement block from a specialized machine . . . — — Map (db m236840) HM
Frederick Burnham settled in Michigan in the 1840s. In 1850 he married Julia Clark in Ann Arbor. Beginning in the 1850s, the Burnhams acquired large tracts of Presque Isle County's rich timberlands. Among their holdings was the land purchased in . . . — — Map (db m66627) HM
Dedicated to the Citizens of Presque Isle Township in Memory of
Lester R. Nichols II.
As an Urban Planner for the Department of Natural Resources,
Les developed public parks and recreation areas, throughout
northern Michigan.
His . . . — — Map (db m236966) HM
Sanctuary Sentinels.
As the nation’s population and economy rapidly expanded throughout the 19th century, so did the shipping traffic on the Great Lakes. Violent storms, thick fog, shifting sandbars, rocky reefs and heavy vessel traffic made . . . — — Map (db m236876) HM
Conveyed to Presque Isle Co. on November 23, 1998 from United States Coast Guard U.S. General Services Administration United States Department of Interior Commissioners Allan H. Bruder — Chairman Charles A. Rhode • Emil Plath Jr. . . . — — Map (db m154596) HM
An emergency steering wheel like this would have been found on steam-powered freighters operated by the Rogers City-based Bradley Transportation Line, which carried limestone from the Port of Calcite to locations throughout the Great Lakes from . . . — — Map (db m123700) HM
This two-story building was constructed in 1885 by brothers James and Ed Erskine. They ran a general store on the ground floor and lived upstairs. Over the years, it has also been a dry goods store, saloon, and clothing store. The photo shows the . . . — — Map (db m123980) HM
Forty Mile Point Lighthouse
During the late 1800s, the U.S. Lighthouse Board created a system of coastal lights along Lake Huron's Michigan shore so that mariners would always be within sight of at least one.
With a light south of Forty . . . — — Map (db m221642) HM
This building was constructed in 1878 for Frederick Denny Larke and his wife Augusta. Larke was one of the founders of Rogers City, and an unparalleled advocate of community development. Originally a general store, it was converted to a drug store . . . — — Map (db m123692) HM
This is the oldest surviving commercial building in Rogers City. It was built in 1873 to house Herman Hoeft & Son's general store, the second store in the fledgling Village. The Hoefts were in competition with the “company store” . . . — — Map (db m123695) HM
The maritime professionals who sail the ships on the Great Lakes are celebrating the 100th anniversary of their fraternal organization, the I. M. S. A. whose purpose is stated in the Association's constitution, "The purpose of this association's . . . — — Map (db m121891) HM
For many decades, the “Calcite Light” greeted ships entering the harbor at Rogers City's Port of Calcite, the world's largest limestone quarry. Although the early history of this light is unknown, when it was manufactured in the early . . . — — Map (db m123701) HM
The center portion of this building, with its gabled roof, was built in 1899 for Charles Osgood, proprietor of the first bank in the county—the Presque Isle County Bank. The original building is shown in this 1907 photo. Charles Osgood is on . . . — — Map (db m123693) HM
Presque Isle County was organized in 1871. The County's original courthouse was built on this site in 1872. The property was donated to the County by William Rogers, namesake of Rogers City. The community's first cemetery and a tennis court also . . . — — Map (db m123691) HM
Rogers City's art deco-style Post Office was built in 1940 at a cost of $60,365. The photo shows the building shortly after it opened in 1940. Both the exterior and interior have changed little during the intervening years.
One of the highlights . . . — — Map (db m123754) HM
Shipwreck 250 feet
S.S. Joseph S. Fay Built 1871
Wrecked at 40 Mile Point
October 19, 1905
See 130 Ft. section of her
Starboard side on the beach. — — Map (db m122180) HM
On this site stood the three-story, red brick Bertram Building shown in the photo. When it was completed in 1887, Third Street was only a rough path through the woods. F. E. Bertram, a sawmill operator and store owner, had the bricks brought in from . . . — — Map (db m123697) HM
Emil and Lizzie Poch purchased this property in 1890. The following year they had a building erected, in which they operated a hardware store. They later also sold dry goods and groceries.
In 1925, the owners of Lee's Hardware in Alpena leased . . . — — Map (db m123981) HM
This parcel of property is historically important for several reasons. The home of Frederick Denny Larke was located along the Third Street side of the lot. Larke was one of the founders of Rogers City and a successful businessman with diverse . . . — — Map (db m123982) HM
From 1897 until 2006, this corner lot at the center of Rogers City's business district was occupied by the imposing two-story, frame building shown in the photo. Originally a furniture store operated by Julius Gumm, the building was purchased in . . . — — Map (db m123699) HM
From 1910 until 1964, this site was occupied by the copper-domed Presque Isle County Savings Bank shown in the photo. Construction of the building was supervised by local lumberman and business owner Paul H. Hoeft, who had the structure placed on a . . . — — Map (db m123696) HM
The earliest building on this site seems to have been Rogers City's first flour mill, where wheat grown locally was ground into flour. That mill was destroyed by fire in the fall of 1913.
Sometime after that, David McKenzie operated an auto . . . — — Map (db m123698) HM
The Calcite Pilot House was saved and retired to Rogers City where it was installed as a tourist attraction at Harbor View overlooking the Calcite Plant. Over the years, she was visited by thousands of people. Eventually, the Pilot House was . . . — — Map (db m122335) HM
This structure was the first to be built in 1896. It was used to house the laborers that erected the lighthouse. After the house was complete, it was used by the workers that were contracted to do maintenance work such as boiler inspection, etc. . . . — — Map (db m122171) HM
The Glawe (Glove) School was established in the 1880’s. It was built on Ocqueoc Road in Ocqueoc Township. On land that was donated by Christian Glawe.
The school was in continuous use until 1960. After that it was used for church functions until . . . — — Map (db m122182) HM
Limestone is a mineral raw material essential
in making steel, chemicals, and cement. Henry
H. Hindshaw, a geologist, established in 1908-09
the commercial value of this area's limestone
for industry. The high purity of this deposit
and the . . . — — Map (db m233738) HM
