The End of the Road in Michigan

In the early 1900s, Hancock’s Quincy Mine —nicknamed Old Reliable—was one of America’s most productive copper mines. It reached over a mile underground, ran the world’s largest steam hoist, and fueled Michigan’s Copper Country economy for decades. But the work was grueling, the hours long, and tensions boiled over in the 1913 strike—culminating in the Italian Hall disaster, one of the darkest days...

In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan , we take you back to the early 1900s, when Saugatuck transformed from a quiet lumber town into a vibrant summer retreat for Chicago’s city dwellers. You’ll hear how steamships, interurban trains, and hand-cranked ferries brought thousands to this lakeshore village. We revisit the days of the Big Pavilion , where electric lights lit up the harbor and...

This episode traces North Adams , a Hillsdale County village that grew up along the rails and wired itself for the future. We open with the town’s most retold story—blacksmith Henry Taylor , a former slave who became a respected tradesman and was said to carry his anvil and once walk off with a potbelly stove. From there, we move down Main Street to Maccabee Hall, Barden’s Hotel, and C. J. Knapp’s...

At the far eastern tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula lies De Tour Village, where the St. Marys River meets Lake Huron. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we trace De Tour’s history from its earliest Native American encampments and French voyageurs to the bustling lumber era of the late 1800s. We revisit the days when the harbor was crowded with freighters, the winters when ships froze...

The History of Tower, Michigan (1900–1950)  In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we travel to Cheboygan County to tell the story of Tower, a northern Michigan village built on timber and the railroad. At the turn of the 20th century, Tower was a booming lumber town — home to busy sawmills, the Stratton Handle Factory, and a thriving Main Street lined with shops, hotels, and saloons. But...

On September 5, 1881, Michigan’s Thumb was engulfed by one of the deadliest forest fires in state history. In this gripping episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we recount the devastating story of the 1881 Parisville Fire , which destroyed 446 buildings and claimed 22 lives in a single afternoon. Through vivid storytelling and eyewitness accounts, we explore how this small Polish immigrant...

Before the freeways, before commercial flights, lake steamers were the gateway to the Midwest. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we chart the rise and fall of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company—one of the Great Lakes' most iconic passenger lines. From grand vessels like the City of Detroit III and Greater Detroit, to the six-day cruises connecting Detroit, Cleveland, and...

In 1911, the tiny farming town of Tyre, Michigan, was rocked by a string of mysterious deaths in the Sparling family. Over the course of two years, four men from the same household died of sudden, agonizing illnesses. At first, it seemed like a tragedy. Then suspicion. And finally, murder. In this episode, we unravel the haunting story of “ The Dying Sparlings ”—a tale of poison, scandal, and a co...

In January 1911, two young brothers vanished into the frozen waters of Lake Huron. What followed was one of the most daring rescue efforts in Great Lakes history. With ice closing in and time running out, a life-saving crew from Harbor Beach set out on a 40-mile journey by sleigh to bring them home. This episode of End of the Road in Michigan tells the true story of grit, community, and survival d...

Pontiac’s War: Fire on the Frontier, Peace in the Shadows In 1763, as British flags replaced French ones across the Great Lakes, the First Peoples of Michigan faced a new empire—one that dismissed their diplomacy, severed their trade, and threatened their way of life. Led by Odawa war chief Pontiac and inspired by the spiritual teachings of Neolin, tribes from across the region united in a massive...

Beneath the waters of Lake Huron lies one of the oldest known hunting grounds in North America. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we explore the discovery of the Alpena-Amberley Ridge—a submerged prehistoric land bridge once used by Ice Age hunters to track caribou. Archaeologists uncovered stone structures over 9,000 years old, reshaping our understanding of ancient life in the Grea...

The Sinking of the Lady Elgin – Milwaukee’s Night of Mourning In this emotional 10-minute episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we recount the 1860 wreck of the Lady Elgin—a luxury steamer torn apart in a midnight collision that killed nearly 300 people. Through survivor accounts, newspaper reports, and haunting details, this story explores how an entire city mourned, how bravery shone in the da...

What do you do when your town dies? If you're William Carter and William McCoy in 1880s Michigan, you move your hotel — building and all — to where the action is. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we trace the 140-year life of a single building that started in Port Crescent, found new life in Kinde, and reinvented itself as the Grand Central Hotel, Clancy’s, and finally the Wagon Whe...

In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we uncover the remarkable 1838 journey of 15-year-old Edward Petit , the first European child born in Port Huron.  As a teenage fur trader fluent in Ojibwe, Petit set out to locate a lost winter camp led by the elusive Chief O-ta-was . Braving freezing rain, hunger, and vast wilderness along the shores of Saginaw Bay, he completed one of the most suc...

Step aboard the grand steamers that once ruled the Great Lakes. In this episode, we trace the story of the Detroit & Cleveland Navigation Company — from its 19th-century founding to its peak as a fleet of luxurious passenger ships and, finally, to its quiet demise in the postwar era. You’ll hear about moonlit voyages, the majestic City of Detroit III, legendary designer Frank E. Kirby, wartime...

Explore the rise, golden era, and trials of Bay Port, Michigan’s Gillingham Fish Company – once the world’s largest freshwater fishery – in this documentary-style narrative. Discover how this Saginaw Bay fishing empire expanded to Charity Island, endured a devastating fire and economic decline, and lives on today through the Bay Port Fish Company. We also examine modern threats to this 140-year fi...

Explore Michigan’s shipbuilding legacy from 19th-century schooners to Great Lakes freighters. Learn how towns like St. Clair and Port Huron became shipbuilding hubs in “Schooners and Steam” on The End of the Road in Michigan podcast. The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

Explore the rise and fall of New River, Michigan, on "End of the Road in Michigan." Discover how this once-thriving lumber and salt production village emerged in the mid-19th century, only to vanish as industries declined. Uncover the stories of early settlers, industrial endeavors, and the economic shifts that led to the disappearance of this remarkable hamlet. The End of the Road in Michigan is...

In this episode of The End of the Road in Michigan, we investigate the tragic 1907 sinking of the fishing tug Searchlight , which vanished during a Lake Huron storm just outside Harbor Beach . With six men aboard and no survivors, this story includes first-hand reports, a haunting message in a bottle, and new historical context from local archives. Discover how a sudden gale changed the fate of on...

Join us on "End of the Road in Michigan" as we explore the inspiring story of Captain Aaron Peer and Grindstone City . Discover how a remote shoreline community in Michigan’s Thumb region became a global leader in grindstone production, shaping industries worldwide. Learn about the resilience, innovation, and communal spirit that transformed a harsh wilderness into a thriving hub of industry and c...

Explore the fascinating life and enduring legacy of Douglass Houghton, Michigan’s pioneering geologist, whose groundbreaking discoveries initiated the Michigan Copper Rush and transformed the Upper Peninsula forever. This detailed narrative reveals Houghton’s adventurous explorations, impactful civic contributions as Detroit’s mayor, and his tragic demise on Lake Superior. Join us to celebrate thi...

In 1679, a wooden ship named The Griffon sailed into Lake Michigan—and vanished without a trace. Built by French explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, the Griffon was the first European-style ship to sail the upper Great Lakes. She was loaded with furs and promise... but she never came back. In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we explore one of the oldest mysteries in North...

In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we follow fur trader Louis Campau as he builds the first permanent white settlement in the Saginaw Valley in 1815. From his log trading post on the Saginaw River, Campau traded with the Anishinaabe and helped shape the future of Michigan. His post became the site of the 1819 Treaty of Saginaw, a deal that ceded over 6 million acres of Native land to...

For more than 50 years, a mysterious glowing light has appeared in the remote woods near Paulding, Michigan—captivating curious visitors, spawning ghost stories, and defying simple explanation. Known as the Paulding Light, it’s been called everything from a spectral railroad lantern to an optical illusion caused by distant headlights. In this episode, we travel deep into the Upper Peninsula to unc...

In this episode of End of the Road in Michigan, we uncover the quiet collapse of Port Crescent, a once-promising Thumb Coast lumber town left behind when Washington said no. In 1886, the people of Port Crescent pleaded for help dredging the silt-choked Pinepog River—a final hope to revive their struggling economy after decades of logging and devastating wildfires. Lieutenant Colonel Orlando M. Poe...