Great Day of Fire

Background Notes…

Most people are familiar with the legend of how Mrs. O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in the barn and started the entire town of Chicago on fire in October, 1871. Upwards of 300 people lost their lives and the city of Chicago, an important industrial and commerce center, was paralyzed.

But what not everyone knows is that equally catastrophic fires took place in Peshtigo, WI and throughout the state of Michigan on the same day. The most significant fires in Michigan were located in Port Huron on the eastern side of the state and Holland and Manistee on the Lake Michigan shoreline, with several lesser fires erupting in forested areas throughout the mid-section of the state.

While Mrs. O ‘Leary’s cow has for years been the scapegoat for the Chicago fire, there are no colorful tales as to how the fires in these other areas were started. Although the entire region was suffering from a severe dry spell that autumn, it is coincidental for so many large-scale fires to have broken out literally within hours of each other, for the most part without plausible explanation. One theory suggest that a meteor shower rained down burning astroids in a “V” shaped pattern, the cortex being Port Huron, MI, and then fanning out toward Chicago, IL and Peshtigo, WI. This theory actually makes a lot of sense and there are several eyewitness accounts in both MI and WI which claim to have seen fire coming from the sky.

The name for this letterbox is taken from both the reference commonly made to that day — the “Day of Fire” and from the popular song title, “Great Balls of Fire.”

To find the box, you must locate the marker shown in this photo, and then follow the clues provided below.

Clues…

You will find the trailhead due east from 140. 8/2=4. At 4, head the opposite direction from the cross. At the next numbered intersection, turn the way where you see a two-track crossing up ahead. When you come to the Eagle’s resting place, begin watching the right side of the trail for a glimpse of a water tower in the distance — if only this had been around in 1871! A faint trail runs through the clearing toward a fence row. Pace along the posts to the SE corner. At 35 degrees find the Great Day of Fire letterbox in a hollow stump.

Daughter of the Moon

(Hiawatha Series #3)

By the shores of Gitche Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis.
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water.
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
There the wrinkled old Nokomis
Nursed the little Hiawatha.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Song of Hiawatha, Hiawatha’s Childhood

This is an ongoing series of letterboxes themed around Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha. The boxes will be placed at various locations in or near the Hiawatha National Forest in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Named after Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, the Hiawatha National Forest is located in the central and eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The forest encompasses approximately 880,000 acres, and receives over 1.5 million recreational visits per year. The forest affords visitors access to white sand, scenic beaches and relatively undeveloped shorelines along three of America’s inland seas — Lakes Superior, Michigan, and Huron. From scenic and historic lighthouses to Great Lakes islands, from spectacular shorelines to the Midwest’s finest winter playland, the Hiawatha National Forest brings to life a myriad of fascinating and exciting natural, historical, and unique recreational opportunities.

Letterboxes in this Series…

• Song of Hiawatha
• Gitche Gumee
• Daughter of the Moon
• Nahma, King of Fishes

Getting There…

One of our favorite places for an awesome view of Lake Superior is from a roadside rest area just outside of the city of Munising. Along this stretch of highway, sunlit Lake Superior waves lap at sandy beaches and the wind blows the sand into drifts along the shoreline. Heading west out of Munising along the Lake Superior shoreline, you will find this Michigan Historic marker at a roadside rest area.

Clues…

From the marker, walk East along the drive. Follow the trail that leads into the woods six posts past the overlook, to a sandy clearing. At 100 degrees a faint path leads to the place where concrete supports recall a bridge across the creek. You should be able to cross even though the bridge is no longer there. Standing at the edge of the cement support on the opposite side of the creek, 320 degrees points to a fallen birch tree which holds the letterbox.

Porkies

To the native Ojibwa people, the well-worn chain of mountains rising from the waters of Lake Superior reminded them of “kag”, the woodland Porcupine. The mountain range they called, “Kag-wadjiw”, the “Porcupine Mountains.”

Porcupine Mountains State Park was established in 1945 by Michigan’s Legislature to protect the last large stand of uncut hardwood forest remaining in the Midwest. Since then, many changes have taken place in the way we live; however, the Porcupine Mountains are almost unchanged.

The Park is situated on 60,000 acres along the Lake Superior shoreline of Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. The remote interior, the towering pine and hemlock, seem to defy time. The solitude of the park is mysterious and exciting. Towering virgin timber, striking geologic formations, abundant wildlife, secluded lakes and waterfalls, and miles of wild rivers and streams make a visit to the “Porkies” a trip to remember. The DNR maintains nearly 100 miles of trails within the park, leading hikers to the most spectacular overlooks and vistas. Remember that the “Porkies” are rugged — steep grades, stream crossings and wildlife are frequently encountered.

Clues…

About 1.5 miles past the place where the Porcupine Mountains Historical Marker stands on the Lake Superior side of M-107, find the trail head for a political sort of trail. Follow this trail for approximately 1 mile to the junction with the southern end of a popular scenic trail. Take the junction, heading to your left through magnificent old growth forest. Upon reaching the turning point, after a long steady incline, there will be a huge dead pine immediately to the left of the trail and a small grassy overlook to the south. Find the box tucked into a log 270 degrees from the grassy viewing area or 150 degrees from the huge pine.

Lake of the Clouds

To the native Ojibwa people, the well-worn chain of mountains rising from the waters of Lake Superior reminded them of “kag”, the woodland Porcupine. The mountain range they called, “Kag-wadjiw”, the “Porcupine Mountains.”

Porcupine Mountains State Park was established in 1945 by Michigan’s Legislature to protect the last large stand of uncut hardwood forest remaining in the Midwest. Since then, many changes have taken place in the way we live; however, the Porcupine Mountains are almost unchanged.

The Park is situated on 60,000 acres along the Lake Superior shoreline of Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. The remote interior, the towering pine and hemlock, seem to defy time. The solitude of the park is mysterious and exciting. Towering virgin timber, striking geologic formations, abundant wildlife, secluded lakes and waterfalls, and miles of wild rivers and streams make a visit to the “Porkies” a trip to remember. The DNR maintains nearly 100 miles of trails within the park, leading hikers to the most spectacular overlooks and vistas. Remember that the “Porkies” are rugged — steep grades, stream crossings and wildlife are frequently encountered.

Clues…

From the Lake of the Clouds parking area, take the North Mirror Lake Trail toward the Escarpment Trail. At the junction, follow the Escarpment Trail to the east. After a while you will reach the first of several overlooks along the trail. At 50 degrees from this rocky viewing vista, the trail continues down a small hill into an area of scrub trees. Soon on your right will be another overlook area, this one gravel. Standing at the overlook, ahead of you lies a breathtaking view of the Lake of the Clouds. At 110 degrees a many-armed dead tree leans away from a fall; at 200 degrees stands a skinny pine; and at 250 degrees rests a large boulder. Tucked into a crevice along the west end of the top edge of the boulder, you will find the letterbox.

Superior Falls

Michigan’s Upper Peninsula boasts almost 200 waterfalls. Most of them are off the beaten path and require some hiking to get to. They range in size from 2-3 feet to over 100 feet. At 90 feet, Superior Falls, which lies on the Montreal River in the far northwest corner of the Upper Peninsula, is one of the highest Michigan waterfalls that is easily accessible. It is also one of my favorites because of the impressive rock walls of the canyon that surround it.

Getting There…

Superior Falls is located 14 miles NW of Ironwood, MI, less than a mile from the Wisconsin border. Take Wisconsin highway 122 north from US-2 about 11 miles west of Ironwood and go about 4.5 miles to a bridge across the Montreal River. Cross the bridge (you are now back in Michigan) and turn left onto the second gravel road. Follow it to a power station, and park your car there. There is a sign pointing to the left which brings you to a viewing area across from the falls. But the real way to appreciate the beauty of these falls is to walk down into the canyon.

Clues…

Follow the Scenic Access trail down toward Lake Superior from the second parking area. After walking around the power company building, follow the narrow pathway along the river to the falls. Just before the path ends at the rocks, watch on your left for a 3-trunk birch hanging out with a neighbor of a different species. Find the box in a root cavity hidden behind several rocks. Please be discreet and be sure the box is securely replaced and concealed when you leave.