Between 1915 and 1924, Ford and a group of friends began taking extensive camping trips throughout the eastern United States. Though Ford was unable to join them, the three men set out on a two week trek to the Adirondack Mountains, roughing it with a staff of a cook and five servants. Lest you think that he was some kind of con artist, Carl Fisher was a rather successful businessman and famous in his day, having built the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, paved it with bricks and started the Indianapolis 500 race. But a man he met explained otherwise. Edison organized a camping trip to the Everglades that was originally going to be men only but Mrs. Edison, Mina, insisted on going. Au Gres and Cheboygan. The town has swung from prosperity to near ghost-town status more than once, first as a bustling logging outpost, then as one of Henry Fords company towns, home to busy sawmills. Once in the U. P., they loaded up in three chauffeur-driven Lincoln cars and made their way to Iron Mountain, caravan-style, with three supply vehicles and an Edison portable generator that kept the refrigeration working and the camp lit at night. Though Burroughs died in 1921, these so called Vagabonds camping trips would continue until 1924. No exceptions. The trope of island insularity is relevant here, but so is the shape of island insularity. 65 miles, via highway. Proceed about 5 miles (on County Road KK) to the end of the paved road and the Huron Mountain Club gate. Ford and Lincoln vehicles, as well as heavier trucks, were customized to carry the Vagabonds gear. One of the NHAs first projects was publishing a map of its proposed system of National Highways, a 50,000 mile network of roads that Davis characterized as a broad and comprehensive system of National Highways, built, owned, and maintained by the National Government. The association cited defense and military purposes to promote its system of national highways, presaging one of the Eisenhower administrations rationales for starting the Interstate Highway system in the 1950s. The Upper Peninsula is also not very large and its surrounded on three sides by Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. Faith and Mike were both interested in . In about 10 miles, youll see a sign for Arfelin Lake; take the next road to the right and watch for a sign and a small parking area. Required fields are marked *. By 1910, the state of Michigan required residents to register their vehicles and display license plates. By then, the Model T was a thing of past although in its 19-year history, more than 15 million Tin Lizzies were manufactured. But Lindau thought there might be some other ways to get in. work performed, if any. It looked like this: Credit Elizabeth Lindau / Between cities, though, there were hardly any decent roads to speak of, and only a fraction of them were improved, which typically meant a dirt road that had been graded and those were mostly close to cities and towns. It has kept away the loggers, miners, and developers, leaving what some consider the most magnificent wilderness remaining in the Midwest. We'll get to the downright practical ways you might get into the club below. Negaunee and Marquette to US-41 at Name Title Compensation Date of data; Samuel T Desmet: General Manager: $115,666: 2021-03-31: Elizabeth Hudson: . There are many opportunities up here at the club. If you think being sustainable is a new thing, Fords Kingsford facility had a chemical plant that processed wood waste into acetate of lime, methanol, charcoal, tar, creosote, heavy and light lubricating oils, and fuel gas. Photo by Andrew Thomas, September 2017. In fact, only one generally passible road through the area exists His efforts against the road project must have impressed the club, as they eventually made him a full member. The Iron Mountain News reported extensively on the trip, with photos provided by a media man traveling with the esteemed group. the Hurons was halted and, within a decade, the entire route of M-35 a product of First Street Foundation. Well, it all started when Elizabeth Lindau posed this question to our MI Curious project: "Can I get into the Huron Mountain Club? "Well, on the back road then when we got there, lo and behold there was this blasted big gate that had all these warning signs, 'Warning: Huron Mountain Club'," he said. Today, it's more than 20,000 acres -- thats equal to about eight Mackinac Islands. Why is this place so fascinating to some people? Approximately 25 miles north of US-41/M-28 at its intersection with Triple A (AAA) Rd, as well as to avoid operations at the Empire Mine north of Palmer.). Known now as Fullers North Branch Outing Club, the Prairie and Victorian-style lodge is one of the few remaining historic fly fishing resorts in the state open to the public. On this date- Rock and roll legends Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J.P.Richardson are killed in a plane crash in 1959, at Clear Lake, Iowa, often called as the The Day on which Music Died. highway through his holdings and, according to local author and historican Several other Dead River bridges were damaged or washed out, but this span survived with water coming within inches of its deck. not serve any major population centers, only the small hamlets of between Negaunee and central Baraga County east of Covington. The original charter limited membership to 50 partners. It changed the way people lived, worked and played. 4. 35 continues for approximately four miles, with the quality of the road decreasing gradually over that distance. That is the Huron Mountain Club. Three things turned in Henry Fords favor regarding the Huron Mountain Club. There are several ways: Archer Mayor spent one winter at the club doing research for the book, so he got in as an invited employee, and a guest, which he says is the key. the first state trunklines were laid out in the second decade of the twentieth Just after you cross the Peshekee River, follow the first paved road north. Lindau says years ago, on vacation, she and her husband drove down a little two-lane road, up to the gate, where there were two guards. Calling themselves the Vagabonds, Ford, Edison, Firestone and nature writer John Burroughs covered considerable territory over a nine-year period. the automotive industry and enabled the "common man" to afford his very own Thats all because a man who helped persuade the federal government and states to start funding highway construction subsequently used his personal power to stop a public road from being built, just so he could join a club that he quit soon afterwards. While that may or may not be a legend, but at least one academic paper says that Interstate overpasses were indeed specified high enough to allow trucks carrying missiles underneath them. The reason for all this, of course, is and was moneyhow to pay for all this? Needless to say, Jacob is very interested in this land and . The club has definitely purchased more land in the last 10 years. the State Highway Dept bought the bridge in 1919, had it disassembled from its location Last September, I was invited to go mushroom hunting with a group of mycologists, visual artists, a poet, and a literary scholar at the Ives Lake Field Station, a restricted-access research station on Michigans Upper Peninsula located within the Huron Mountain Club. Driving from Marquette to the Clubs main office (from Wright Street), Head north at the roundabout with a convenience store on the corner onto Sugarloaf Rd. The club was founded to establish a remote hunting and fishing club for outdoor enthusiasts. An avid fan of nature, birds and travel, Ford not only delivered a way to explore Michigan, but he led by example. An historical marker at Cowboy Lake, southwest of Iron Mountain, identifies where Fords 1923 camping trip took place. Unlike the National Park system, which was founded at nearly the same time as the HMC and which conserved land for public enjoyment and appreciation, the HMC was always private, exclusive, and elite. Edison) to the area on travelling expeditions. This belief is possible first because Indigenous people were forcibly removed. It was during this time industrialist Henry Ford had purchased hundreds According to MDOT, Visitors now frequent Big Bay for its Huron Mountains access, Lake Superior harbor, Lake Independence fishing, and unique lodgings. "You had chauffeurs, you had maids, you had butlers, you had chambermaids, you had people tending to livestock, you had waiters and waitresses, you had chefs. time. The Clublands include unpaved roads to access a network of interior lakes and streams as well as trails to other points of interest. (Obviously, the July 15, 1939 map likely went to fact the gap was not signed until after that L'Anse was officially "cancelled" as a state trunkline by the State Highway Your email address will not be published. All of this is a problem. Huron Mountain is a private club on a contiguous tract of woodland located within the Huron Mountains region of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, 30 miles northwest of the city of Marquette. While this 19-mile long for about five miles, it is a two-lane, paved road while the next 19 miles The roaring twenties were the years of excess. On Thursday, August 23, 1923, the newspaper reported the Ford party had made its way to LAnse in Baraga County, where Ford owned a sawmill, dock facilities, 30,000 acres of timber and other facilities. The project site is on land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in relation to the operation of the . 1950s when the portion of US-41 and M-28 from Ford promptly started the car, turned the Model T around and easily backed up the hill in reverse gear., Eberly states he has told that story many times and himself assumed the key was reverse gear. Huron Mountain Club All of those products were used either in house or sold commercially. Finally, as teenagers, they made an attempt to sneak in. The club also contributes to the local economy -- tax returns list the number of employees at 79 as of 2015, and at least one former employee has gone on the record with fond memories of the place. "We had all these scary signs wondering what in heaven's name might happen to us if we get caught. The areas preservation wasnt the result of happy accident. When I hadnt expected to be so drawn to these small wonders, and joined mycology graduate students Savannah and Denny in trying to identify the mushrooms we collected. But those conversations quickly stalled, so finding an answer to Lindaus question took some time. Should dogs put their heads out car windows? Recommendations from the African Diaspora. Today the 25,000-acre enclave is owned mostly by the descendants of those original members. membership, if ever. Henry made sure the campers were refreshed with Poland Spring water he had shipped from Maine, and Edsel, then 21 years old, recorded the trip on his camera. Be wealthy and wait for a membership spot to open up (only 50 full members are allowed). These questions were made all the more provocative because the Huron Mountain Club (HMC) was sited on land ceded to the United States by the Ojibwe people in the Treaty of 1842. It was August 1923, when the Vagabonds (minus Burroughs) plus E.G. This lake had been so little tampered with that the biological matter had seasonally accumulated in the water, transforming leaves, algae, sediment, and other biotic materials into a truly magical elixir. The club owns nearly 20,000 acres of forest downstream from the mine on the Salmon Trout River. Because no members of the club would talk to us, this information is all sourced from other news articles, the club's tax returns, plat maps, excerpts from the now out-of-print book The Huron Mountain Club: The first 100 years, and a very gracious interview given by its author, Archer Mayor (who we should mention has also written a best-selling 28-book series of crime novels). The former M-35, now County Rd 510, still skirts the Huron Mountains, and the still very private and secluded Huron Mountain Club is still only accessible by some of the gnarliest roads in the state. ", [Support great journalism like this by making a contribution to Michigan Radio]. Gov. Snyder signs changes to copper mining regulations, Survey shows rebound in western U.P. Their families were so close that Bill Ford Jr., the chairman of Ford Motor Company, is the great grandson of both Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. There are 50 regular members who have voting rights, own cabins and share equally in ownership of the property. Thus the United States Supreme Court could decide against the full incorporation of Puerto Rico, the Philippines, and Guam in the Insular Cases, after the acquisition of these lands following the War of 1898. Sara Thomas is a Literary Studies Ph.D. student in the English Department at the University of WisconsinMadison and a member of the Edge Effects editorial board. Harvey and Tom werent exactly camping out of backpacks. It was likely they were welcomed with a homecooked meal prepared for them by Mrs. Douglas. The three men enjoyed the excursion so much that Edison proposed they go camping the following year. The cabin still apparently exists, but because of the very private nature of the Huron Mountain Club you cant visit it like you can the Ford Bungalow in Pequaming (available for rental by groups up to 16, should you want to sleep where Henry and Clara slept). Randy Annala is the father of one of my (Kaye's) best friends. Dozens of others owned camps at the Huron Mountain Club, an organization so exclusive that even Henry Ford was turned down for membership when he first applied. Drivers education wouldnt be required for years to come. For all that work, though, Henry didnt even get to enjoy his membership in the Huron Mountain Club for very long. official highway map. Happily, not all of the land is privately held; much of the Huron Mountains wilderness is public land. It likely costs about as much to be a Huron Mountain Club member as it does to belong to an exclusive country club. He also told us that some of the cabins are quite large. The Huron Mountain Club, a private club reported to encompass somewhere between 10,000 to 20,0000 acres, does not dispute that fact. Henry Ford grew up on a farm and had a great love of the outdoors, which he advocating accessing by means of the automobile. Blind Industrialists like Ford, Edison, and tire magnate Harvey Firestone became concerned that the war would disrupt the importation of natural rubber. Negaunee and Marquette) to US-41 at Many of the Interstate Highways follow pretty much the same routes as Davis. From the top of Bald Mountain the morning light gave our surroundings a very much different aspect when we awoke to a perfectly crisp autumn daybreak. At this fork, turn right at the Office sign, (100 yards before you get to a small Stop sign and the main bridge over Pine River. He then hired That the state of Michigan would take the extraordinary step of granting that power to a private person shows the extent of Henry Fords political and economic might. Aldo Leopold was enlisted to help the club with land and wildlife management, and in 1938, he published a "Report on Huron Mountain Club.". Provided the preservation, protection and maintenance of property owned by the Club as well as members' personal property located within the Club. To access the McCormick Tract, follow U.S. 41/M-28 west from Marquette about 50 miles to Champion. I had a small troop with me today as I headed down past L'Anse and Skanee. The Northwestern Road is an alternative route from Ford Road to County Road 510 that completely bypasses the Yellow Dog Plains. In the late teens, the area of the Huron Mountains was still only served by logging roads and unimproved two-tracks. line of the proposed M-35 from the 1920s and 30s, not even a two-track Also, Henry was exceptionally wealthy and powerful and perhaps members thought he would make a caricature of their own wealth and power. Today, there still is a place where drivers are invited to get behind the wheel of one of Fords legendary Model Ts. The 138-mile Au Sable River was as popular then as it is now, with private clubs and lodges popping up along the riverbanks to attract anglers. Dinner was a formal affair (and might still be). about four decades, a group of wealthy investors from nearby Marquette Florida bill says no, In the Moment: To believe youre the best, Our Two Cents: 7 cars that we got wrong at first, Underground VAULT at the Henry Ford Museum: Cars with amazing History | Barn Find Hunter Ep. though the Huron Mountains. Edison was intrigued at the possibility of finding a domestic plant source for natural rubber. It would be 1919 before drivers were required to apply for paper driving permits. Escanaba and Gwinn to Neguanee, where it was now severed from the remaining Henry Ford and Ford Motor Company didnt just own thousands of acres of land in southeastern Michigan. isolated area and bring another highway closer to a stretch of Great Lakes Ford had massive land holdings in Michigans Upper Peninsula, more than a half million acres of pine and hardwoods he needed to produce the wood used to produce his cars. The growing popularity of the automobile helped fill out the constituency of those who wanted better roads. 550 North & Big Bay. Thus, the car would stall.. Ford also bought the entire town of Pequaming, on Keweenaw Bay, from its founder, Dan Hebard and turned it into a factory town. WRSX 91.3 Port Huron is off the air due to network issues. Kaye is an alumnus of Michigan Tech's environmental engineering program. For more information, visit gilmorecarmuseum.org. was still in doubt.). It's an interesting thing to witness.". We'll get to that. shoreline. Youre not likely to see a wolf, but you may be treated to ones hollow wail at your camp in the evening. This old logging road also follows the southern edge of the Huron Mountain Club property, offering plenty of possible routes for trespassing. He was 49 years old. 3: "Not Out of the Woods Yet". published on April 8, 2015 by Jacob Emerick. The original charter limited membership to 50 partners. An urban legend in the 1960s said that the gentle curves on the Interstates were designed to allow trucks towing long ballistic missiles to travel at high speeds without slowing down. Obviously, By 1914 Ford Motor Company was selling over 200,000 Model Ts a year, and more roads were needed to keep pace. prior to that time. Alberta, "I met a bunch of people who really see the club not as "something to do on the weekend," but as a cause. Mayor stayed at the club during the winter of 1986, and recalls that he had to drive to the edge of the property to make a phone call. Visitors today can spend the night at the Thunder Bay Inn, where Ford once stayed for several months while in town on business. They were frequently joined by family members and a variety of notables like President Warren G. Harding. The men enjoyed their developing friendships and time away from the spotlight on their day to day lives. The route itself has a very This discontinuity was seemingly rectified in the Unfortunately for the Lincoln Highway Association, the one industrialist whose support would likely have guaranteed its success, Henry Ford, did not believe private funding would be sufficient for the countrys highway needs. One But the Huron Mountain Club says the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers needs to sign off too. Though locals grumble about the lack of access to the property, the Huron Mountain Club has proved to be an exceptional steward of the land. Although Henry Ford was a big supporter of government road building, there was one government highway that Henry literally stopped dead in its tracks so he could gain membership to a private club. The club is expensive to run, and the dues match. 131. as state trunklines! of Negaunee. Ford instead wanted counties, states, and the federal government to support road building, and he devoted public relations and lobbying efforts toward that endmuch as he would later do regarding airports for his Ford Tri-Motor airplanes. A dramatic cloudy sky added to the effect, making the secrets hidden within the huddled Hurons seem . So, it was more like an Earl Grey lake. One history occludes another. Lindau says years ago, on vacation, she and her husband drove down a little two-lane road, up to the gate, where there were two guards. You would travel out there many a mile through dirt road[s], and if you were a member of the club and you had to call your office or home or something like that, that's how you had to do it.
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