Late this summer, I had the opportunity to spend nearly two weeks in Michigan’s scenic and remote Upper Peninsula. My trips were work related, centered around speaking engagements, festivals, conferences and paranormal research. One three separate nights, I threw caution to the wind and checked into the “haunted rooms” of historically notable hotels and inns to see if I could meet the spirited residents who are said to still be eternal guests.
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Michigan historian, storyteller and author Dianna Stampfler will be presenting two programs in early September about the Carnegie Libraries of Michigan. Her program on Tuesday, September 3 (5pm) at the Escanaba Public Library and Wednesday, September 4 (5:30pm) at the Ishpeming Carnegie Library are both free and open to the public.
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So we stayed at the haunted Nahma Inn in October of 2019 and met several locals who shared stories with us about Nellie Fleming and her spirit who resides within this 1908 building. Apparently there are as many as 5 ghosts here – maybe Charles Good who lived for a time in the room (#17) across from Nell (#16)…and an on-again-off-again affair was known within the town. At one point, Nell’s sisters also lived here (1930 census)…including Anne (pictured) who was a local boys high school basketball coach and school superintendent (and I suspect is actually a sister-in-law, married to Nell’s only brother, John).
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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.
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The biggest pub crawl in the Eastern Upper Peninsula’s will take place Thursday January 30, 2020 in conjunction with the 52nd International 500 Snowmobile Race. This annual event draws both race fans and locals downtown for an unforgettable night on the town in celebration of I-500 race week festivities.
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During the 1950s, soldiers camped out in the meadow and woods to the west of the [Big Bay Point] lighthouse while undergoing anti-aircraft artillery training. On the cliff, east of the lighthouse, they installed large guns used for target shooting over Lake Superior.
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Michigan storyteller, historian and author Dianna Stampfler will be traveling around the eastern Upper Peninsula mid-June to share stories from many of the state’s historic lighthouses. Michigan is home to more lighthouses (and freshwater coastline) than any other state and during her six entertaining and educational presentations, Stampfler will delve into the keepers’ lives.
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Imagine hiking wooded island trails and paddling the open waters of northern Lake Huron where America’s “father of wildlife ecology” and “founder of the conservation movement” explored as inquisitive youth. That’s what conservationists and nature lovers are planning May 30 through June 2 when they attend the third annual Aldo Leopold Festival in the Les Cheneaux Islands, including the communities of Cedarville and Hessel.
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Michigan is home to more lighthouses than any other state and some 30 of those are rumored to be haunted
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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.
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My earliest travel memory was at about age three, when my family went camping at Leelanau State Park in Northport.
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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.
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A special program just for tweens and teens to discuss the life of young Ernest Hemingway in the local region, 1899 – 1919 – titled Saturday Morning with Ernie and Nick – will be held at the Petoskey District Library on Saturday, March 25. The 90-minute event gets underway at 10:30 am in the library’s lower level classroom.
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