Blending her long-time interest in maritime history and true crime, Death & Lighthouses on the Great Lakes is the latest title by Michigan author Dianna Higgs Stampfler and published by the History Press as part of its Murder & Mayhem series.
Read more
While tropical storms and hurricanes continue to attack the region in and around the Gulf of Mexico, the “Gales of November” are stirring up the Great Lakes region just as they have for centuries. This unique weather phenomenon is created when cold, dry air from northern Canada converges with moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, over the still warm summer waters of the Great Lakes.
Read more
Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state and some 30 of those are rumored to be haunted
Read more
For nearly 20 years, Dianna Stampfler has been speaking about Michigan’s lighthouses, their keepers and their ghosts. This fall, she will present a series of free programs called “Michigan’s Ghostly Beacons” at libraries around the state.
Read more
My earliest travel memory was at about age three, when my family went camping at Leelanau State Park in Northport.
Read more
Serving as a lighthouse keeper was the only “non-clerical” government job that women were allowed to have in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Michigan had more than 60 women documented as lighthouse keepers at these historic beacons, often serving as assistant keepers with their husbands, fathers or brothers—and in the case of tragedy, many were promoted to the role of head keeper.
Read more
Michigan has been welcoming travelers since the 1800s who arrived by steamer ships, trains and later personal automobiles to escape the city heat in Chicago, St. Louis and other locales. They were drawn to the sugar sand beaches, the cool waters and the often allergy-free environment.
Read more