From the Cherry Capitol of the World to the place with the world’s highest ski jump, a quick stop in Portage Michigan, then to an Island City, from there to a home where the city name changed three times and finally the place of the world’s longest board walk on a very busy shipping channel. Have you ever thought about the places you have lived in your lifetime? That first sentence gives a brief overview of mine. I was thinking about it one day. I have lived in some pretty interesting and unique places in my lifetime.
Traverse City Cherry Trees an Grand Traverse Bay in the background. Photo obtained online.
The Cherry Capitol of the World, Traverse City, is where I was born. My genealogy includes the Lautner family who were some of the original settlers of the area. My paternal grandmother was a Lautner, she grew up on part of the original Lautner Settlement on M-72 in a home built by her father when she was six years old. She lived in that same home until her late 80’s when she placed herself into assisted living. When I was growing up we traveled to Traverse City often, staying with my grandparents and visiting other relatives. We rarely did any of the tourist stuff, the one exception being the National Cherry Festival, which happens every July in Traverse City. Special parades every day,carnival, and of course farmers selling fresh cherries in small stands everywhere you go. If you have never visited the Traverse City area I recommend you spend some time there. From the lighthouses on Old Mission Peninsula and Leelenau Peninsula, the Casinos, Grand Traverse Bay, and more, it is a beautiful area.
This past summer I visited the town where my parents moved to when I was a toddler, Iron Mountain, Michigan. Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula about midway across, this small historic town sits right on the border of Wisconsin and is home to the word’s highest artificial ski jump. Pine Mountain Ski Jump has a scaffold that is 186 feet high and the length of the slide is 381 feet. You can climb the stairs to the base of the jump or drive a winding road to the top of the hill for a spectacular view. This is also the location of the Upper Peninsula Veterans Memorial Site, dedicated in 2006. This memorial honors those from all 15 counties of the Upper Peninsula who served in Vietnam, Lebanon-Granada, the Gulf War, Korea, World War I and World War II. Space has been reserved to honor those who have served in the war taking place in the middle east. There are many things to do in the area, but one thing to remember is that the city’s name comes from the valuable iron that was found and mined in the area and a few minutes downthe road in Vulcan you can tour the Iron Mountain Iron Mine. The mine tour lets you experience the conditions under which men worked at a time when there was no modern technology. What they accomplished is amazing.
Pine Mountain Ski Jump, Iron Mountain, Michigan. Photo by Grace Grogan, copyright 2014.
The next stop on my list of places I have lived is Portage Michigan. I was still young at the time, it is where I attended Kindergarten and began first grade. Portage is close to Kalamazoo, the home of Western Michigan University and is located less than 30 miles from Battle Creek, the cereal city, home to both Kelloggs and Post cereal companies. In preparing for this posting I learned that Portage is home to the Air Zoo which houses over 60 rare and historic aircraft. The Air Zoo also offers indoor amusement park style rides, interactive exhibits, flight simulators and a 4D theater. We only lived a short time in Portage before making the final move of my childhood.
In 1966 we moved to The Only Eaton Rapids on Earth, an island city located south of our state’s capitol, Lansing. This is the town I consider my home town, residing there from the time I was six years old until I married and moved away just before my 21st birthday. It is a unique small town with lots of local history. Home to Miller Ice Cream, the VFW National Home and was once a booming tourist area due to mineral springs. Eaton Rapids was founded in 1838, became a city in 1881, and is named after the youngest member ever to join the U.S. Senate, John Henry Eaton. That and the presence of rapids in the nearby Grand River created the towns name. It is referred to as an island city because the downtown area is completely surrounded by water. If you pay attention when driving around town you are constantly crossing bridges everywhere you go. Not only that, but if you live in the town you know that going to “the island” refers to an island park located near the downtown area. The island itself is one of many Michigan Historical Sites in the town. Another historical sight is the VFW National Home, created in 1924 when Corey J. Spencer donated a 472 acre farm to be used as a home for widows and orphans of veterans of the wars of the country. It is the only home of its kind in the country and is still in operation today. As a final note on the town’s second nickname, E.E. Horner, while President of Horner Woolen Mills, was on a trip to England and wrote home with an address of only “Eaton Rapids.” The postcard arrived at its proper destination and the town became known as “The Only Eaton Rapids on Earth.”
Eaton Rapids Island Park as viewed from Hamlin Street foot bridge. Photo by Grace Grogan, copyright 2014.
When I married I left Eaton Rapids and moved to Utica, Michigan, which is where my husband and I built our first home in 1983. The area we built in was experiencing a lot of growth and over the years city boundaries were adjusted and changed so that our house began as part of Utica, became part of Mount Clemens, then Macomb.
Utica is located in Macomb County and was originally platted in 1829. The city suffered fires in 1905 and 1906 so only has a few buildings prior to those dates.
Mount Clemens is also a town in Macomb County and was first surveyed in 1795 by Christian Clemens. Christian Clemens and John Brooks platted the land, built a distillery and the area was incorporated as a village in 1851 and a city in 1879. Mount Clemens became the county seat of Macomb County in 1818. Mount Clemens was once a booming town well known for its mineral baths from 1873 to 1974. Surburban expansion in the area continued and we were notified that the area we lived in was once having a city name change from Mount Clemens to Macomb.
The change to Macomb occured in the 1990’s, but the growth was so substantial that between 2000 and 2008 the population increased by 48%. Macomb Township has no incorporated villages but has three unincorporated commnities: Meade on the northewast portion of the township, Waldenburg in the central portion of the townships and Macomb, where we lived, in the northwest part of the township. You may think that Macomb was created during the period of growth, but the Township of Macomb was officially approved by the legislative council on May 7, 1834 and is named in honor of General Alexander Macomb, a highly decorated veteran of the War of 1812. A variety of factors, including the rapid expansion of the area in which we lived let us to St. Clair, Michigan.
In 2003 we left Macomb behind and purchased a house in St. Clair, Michigan. This is a very scenic and historical area in which to vacation or reside. The city has an extensive history and its name is believed to have been derived from three different sources. One of those is that it honors Patrick Sinclair, who purchased land on the St. Clair River and in 1764 built Fort Sinclair. In addition to the longest freshwater boardwalk in the world located on the beautiful St. Clair River, a busy shipping channel that runs between the United States and Canada and has more shipping traffic than the Suez Canal and Panama Canal combined, the town is home to Cargill Salt (formerly Diamond Crystal). Diamond Crystal began operation in 1887 of a large solution salt mine and evaporation facility. This is the only salt plant in the United States that produces Alberger salt, a special fine salt used on products such as potato chips, fast food french fries, etc. The history of St. Clair industry is extensive, including the sawmill industry, shipbuilding, and in the late 1800s became a well-known resort with luxurious hotels offering mineral baths with passenger steam ships stopping at hotel docks on a daily basis. Today St. Clair offers a Marina, Palmer Park, Alice Moore Center for the Arts, Alice Moore Woods, Michigan Historical Sites and a museum. A unique place to visit and live.
Palmer Park boardwalk and St. Clair River, St. Clair Michigan. Photo by Grace Grogan.
Will I someday reside in other places? I can not be sure. My husband and I purchased property years ago on a mountain in Tennessee, but for various reasons have determined that we will not be moving there and have put the property up for sale. At one time we planned to become full-time RV people, living and traveling the country in our motor home. Again, life brings changes and it is debatable whether that will ever happen. As for now, we are residing in the beautiful Blue Water Area and enjoying our spare time as photographers, capturing everything the area has to offer and making our images available for sale at local art studios, Mercy Hospital in Port Huron, and on Fine Art America.
Where have you lived in your lifetime? How many times have you moved? Please share in the comment section.
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--- LIFE IS A MELTING POT --- Grace Grogan...Writer, Photographer 