The End of the Road in Michigan

The End of the Road in Michigan

This audio collection of amazing short stories is taken from the Great Lakes region and the Tip of Michigan’s Thumb. We love Michigan's history, places to see, and things to do in Michigan. Each episode is taken from feature articles from Thumbwind.com and Michigan4you.com. So, as a podcast, you can enjoy them anytime and anywhere. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s tale from the End of the Road in Michigan. Thank you for taking the time to listen to check out and listen to our little podcast. If you like this kind of tale, you are invited to subscribe. Search for The End Of The Road In Michigan from wherever you're listening. Please watch for and download next week’s episode and take a moment to give us a review. We cover #Michigan, #MichiganThumb, #PureMichigan #Thumbwind #Caseville, #PortAustin, #BadAxe, #GrindstoneCity, #HarborBeach, #Kindie, #Elkton, #BayPort, #Sebewaing, #Verona, #Pigeon and #PortHope

Episodes

May 1, 2025 9 mins
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 community faced total destruction—and...
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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 Put-in-Bay, the D&C Line helped ...
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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 courtroom drama that captured the attent...
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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 during one of Michigan’s coldest wint...
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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 resistance campaign.

This episode tr...
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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 Great Lakes. We also examine the Indigen...
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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 darkness, and why the disaster still ...
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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 Wheel Inn. It’s a story of sawdust, ra...
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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 successful trades in Michigan's early fro...
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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 conversions, and the final season m...
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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 fishing legacy, from climate change to ...
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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.
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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.
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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 one small tug—and the community it left ...
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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 culture.

Read the whole story at Captai...
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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 this remarkable historical figure whose...
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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 America. We trace the Griffon’s jo...
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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 the United States. Learn how one man...
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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 uncover the truth behind one of Michigan...
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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, a respected U.S. Army engineer and ...
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