Manistique Lighthouse: Walk the Breakwater to the Red Tower
The red 1916 lighthouse at the end of Manistique's east breakwater is a walk from the town boardwalk, still guides boats for the Coast...
How the U.P. became the U.P.
History & Culture
People, places, traditions, industries, and turning points that shaped Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
Central U.P.
25 stories from this part of the U.P.
Kitch-iti-kipi: Michigan's Big Spring and Its Legend
Kitch-iti-kipi is Michigan’s largest natural freshwater spring. The ancient legend on the sign there was made up in the 1920s to bring in tourists.
Nahma: The U.P. Town That Was Sold Whole in 1951
When the Bay de Noquet Lumber Company cut its last log in July 1951, it advertised the whole town of Nahma for sale. Life...
Pickle Barrel House: Grand Marais' Strangest Museum
The Teenie Weenies were two inches tall. William Donahey drew them for the newspapers for decades, a civilization of tiny people improvising a life...
Au Sable Light Station: The Lighthouse You Walk To
The danger at Au Sable Point is that you cannot see it. A ridge of sandstone runs off the point and continues nearly a...
U.P. State Fair: Michigan's Only Surviving State Fair
Michigan has one state fair. It is not in Detroit, it has not been in Detroit since 2009, and the reason it still exists...
Sand Point Lighthouse and the Mystery of Mary Terry
Mary Terry lit the Sand Point Lighthouse for the first time in 1868, two weeks after her husband died, and kept it alone until...
Eben Ice Caves: How They Form and Why There Is No Trail
The Eben Ice Caves form every winter when seep water freezes across sandstone overhangs in Rock River Canyon. They are not caves, and the...
Miners Castle: The Day a Pictured Rocks Turret Collapsed
Miners Castle is the signature landmark of Pictured Rocks, and on April 13, 2006, its northeast turret collapsed into Lake Superior. The rock it...
Yooper Definition: How the Word Got Into the Dictionary
The Yooper definition entered Merriam-Webster in 2014 after a Delta County prosecutor lost a Scrabble challenge and spent a decade mailing proof to a...
Monarch Butterflies at Peninsula Point Lighthouse
From mid-August into September, monarchs funnel down the Stonington Peninsula to the cedars around the 1865 Peninsula Point Lighthouse, roost, and wait for the...
Siphon Bridge, Manistique: The Road Below the River
A paper mill needed water power, a dam would have flooded the town, so Manistique raised the river instead. The Siphon Bridge carried Main...
The Alvin Clark: The Schooner Raised From Green Bay
The Alvin Clark went down in 1864 and came up whole in 1969, the famous Mystery Ship of Menominee. By 1994 it was a...
Stories appear newest first and keep their original dates, corrections, and source records. Follow the essential history path Corrections policy