Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
4.
Alpena
According to Indian lore, two rival braves, each courting the same maiden, were out on
ThunderBayincanoeswhentheyfoughtaduel.Onefiredanarrowthataccidentallystruck
the girl, who fell from her boat and drowned. Outraged, the gods churned up turbulent cur-
rents and frothy waves that roil unpredictably to this day.
NomatterhowoneexplainsthetreacherousconditionsonThunderBay,itswatershave
long been a hazard for sailors. About 80 shipwrecks lie on its murky floor, protected in the
Thunder Bay Underwater Preserve. One ill-fated steamer, the
Shamrock
, went down in a
storm in 1905. Its skeletal remains rest in 12 feet of water offshore from the Alpena City
Marina; divers often visit the site in the summer to peer into the submerged hull.
Alpena itself, known as The Town That Wouldn't Die, has had its share of ups and
downs. Fires destroyed its downtown twice, and the city's economy has followed the
seesaw fortunes of the lumber industry. True to its nickname, though, Alpena has endured
each setback and is once again on the upswing as an industrial and recreational center.
For a look at the region's logging past, visit the Jesse Besser Museum and take note of
the early timber tycoons' stately homes, which line the waterfront. North of town a one-
mile trail at the Besser Natural Area winds past remains of an abandoned village, an azure
lagoon, and a virgin forest of white pines.
5.
Presque Isle
Continuingnorthward,thedriveskirtsGrandLake,whoselimestonefloorcausesthewater
to sparkle like a translucent green jewel. Presque Isle—its harbor long a haven for ships
plying Huron's trade routes—is located on the neck of land separating Grand Lake and
Lake Huron.
The Old Presque Isle Light, now a museum, began guiding mariners into the harbor in
1840. In 1870 a larger structure, the Presque Isle Light, was erected about a mile to the
north, putting the older lighthouse out of commission. Bordered by a 100-acre park, the
newer beacon, one of the loftiest on the Great Lakes, stands more than 110 feet tall.
6.
Rogers City
Though the drive passes through forest as it leads north, the economy in these parts is
fueled not by lumber but by rocks: one of the world's largest limestone quarries has been
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