Clara is reported as having been unimpressed with the cabinperhaps the bungalow in Pequaming was more to her tastes. 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. Founded in the 1890s by wealthy white Midwest outdoor enthusiasts qua enviro-capitalists, the HMC sits on more than 8,000 hectares of old-growth hardwood forest. "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. Some say the crew invented glamping (read: luxury camping). north of US-41/M-28 travelling Naturalist Aldo Leopold produced a plan for preserving the tract in 1938. Burroughs taught the campers about nature and Edison took plant samples, looking for sap-producing plants that might be used to make rubber. You can view flood and environmental risk in nearby areas on the map. Public access to the Salmon Trout River has been a contentious issue with area fishermen, who've accused the club's guards of harassment. It changed the way people lived, worked and played. Associate members have no voting rights and no rights in the distribution of the organization's assets in the event of its dissolution. AuthorArcher Mayorwas hired by the members to write a history about the club to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 1989. 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. "One of them was Henry Ford's and it's big enough to put two of my houses [in it], but they're called cabins nevertheless.". A state trunkline log dated January 1948, however, While Ford and Edison are still household names today, it should be pointed out that conservationist Burroughs was one of the best-selling authors in his day, with his books selling millions of copies, and was almost as famous as the other two men. The history of the United States is the history of private property and the privatization of the non-human world. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. As a matter of fact, regarding the publicity that the Vagabonds received, many transportation historians think that Ford had more on his mind than enjoying fresh air and the great outdoors. Since this was one of the most There was speculation hed develop a major summer resort or game preserve there. Ford worked to stop construction of the The Huron Mountain Club stretches along Lake Superior, encompassing over 13,000 acres of ancient forest, deep glacial lakes, and rugged peaks. 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. region represents one of the most extensive and best preserved tracts of prime- val forest in the state. The club was started in 1889 by John Longyear (also the founder of a large forestry business) as a shooting and fishing club, and, basically, as a moneymaking operation. Field trips to the area by the To quote the book: by 1985, [the numbers] were fifty [Regular Members], one hundred and nine [Associate Members,] and twelve Senior Associate Members. It can be assumed this route was designated more to serve a relatively Its a clear example of Fords relentless obsession with power in all senses of the word, willingness to throw around his weight, and (ultimately) short attention span. But Lindau thought there might be some other ways to get in. acreage in Marquette County adjacent to the HMC holdings including land 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. 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 resort caretaker) Mr. Feldhauser found Mr. Ford in the clubhouse and told him there was a man on the other side of the river who could not get his Ford car up a steep incline. An Island in Grand Traverse Bay Lake Michigan Islands Volume 1, by Kathleen Craker Firestone, Camping in Cloverland with Henry Ford, by Guy Forstrom, The Last Days of Henry Ford, by Henry Dominguez, The History of Pequaming, by Earl L. Doyle and Ruth B. MacFaralane. Henry Ford grew up on a farm and had a great love of the outdoors, which he advocating accessing by means of the automobile. left two widely-separated segments of the highway remaining. He purchased a steamer to ferry the members there and back. Wikimedia by rossograph - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Avoidable Contact #121: In which a Radical is rescued, and raced, and crashed. To access the McCormick Tract, follow U.S. 41/M-28 west from Marquette about 50 miles to Champion. Randy Annala is the father of one of my (Kaye's) best friends. Eventually, we found the guy who wrote the book about the Huron Mountain Club. of Negaunee. Considered rustic by todays standards, the 20-room lodge also welcomed the likes of Charles Nash, John and Horace Dodge, Walter P. Chrysler, A.P. As we bobbed through this glacial lake, the newly changing leaves danced like seasonal glitter before they landed on us. An ideal place for wealthy folks that want to enjoy the scenery in privacy, one would think. century, very few state-maintained roads ran along the Great Lakes shorelines. As previously mentioned they own around 20,000 acres of some of the nicest scenery in the mountains. In 1929, he was a member. It was August 1923, when the Vagabonds (minus Burroughs) plus E.G. He rarely traveled alone. 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 a man he met explained otherwise. As ironic as it may seem, Henry Fordthe man who revolutionized Tags: ConservationIdeas of NatureParks and RecreationWilderness. The club is more about conservation these days. Well, it all started when Elizabeth Lindau posed this question to our MI Curious project: "Can I get into the Huron Mountain Club? See the link below for a list of job openings and online application. 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. At each stop, the staff would set up a large round table, with seating for 20 and a giant, built-in Lazy Susan to pass the food around such a large gathering. It also seems as Henry Ford loved exploring the outdoors and was always seeking adventure, says Robert Kreipke corporate historian for Ford Motor Company. 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. During this time period, the route of The factory also produced almost all of its own furniture, including all of the tables and chairs in the company lunchroom. There's no excess; there are no hot and cold running servants like there used to be. Still somewhat secretive today, the Huron Mountain Club is a private reserve occupying about 20,000 acres of timberland and lakes in the Huron Mountains, a small chain that rises to about 2000 feet on the east side of Keewenaw Bay, part of Lake Superior. In the Yellow Dog River area he purchased land and began the construction of another club in 1898. Gretchen Millich of Michigan Public Radio reports on the efforts of the Huron Mountain Club to save their land from development with the Open Space Preservation Act. is complicated. 13 things we learned about the Huron Mountain Club. The club's founder envisioned it as a money-making venture. confusion about the future of the entire corridor, as the entire portion For more information, contact the Ottawa National Forest Ranger District (4810 E. M-28, Kenton, 906/852-3500). More recently, residents joke about how the local bank, well aware of the towns volatile economy, was loath to loan money to town businessesan overly conservative stance that proved to be the banks undoing. When Michigans state trunklines were first laid out and built in the nineteen teens, highway planners deliberately avoided running them along the Great Lakes shorelines, likely for winter driving safety. In 1921, the MSHD erected this 271-foot How do you get in? M-35 began The Stonehouse on Ives Lake in Michigans Upper Peninsula. Ironically, the man known for paving new paths and forging progress found himself halting the state of Michigan in its attempts to extend the M-35 trunkline across the U.P. Michigan is generally flat but the Hurons have some of the highest elevations between the Rocky Mountains and the eastern mountain chains. M-35 from Negaunee to Baraga was removed. But the value of this endeavor increases along another axis, as the isolation of private and elite lands nevertheless preserves species of fungi (and much more) in the face of global biodiversity decline. Ford and his son returned to the Au Sable the following summer, checking into the Douglas and signing the guest registry on Sunday, June 10, 1917. This 24,000-acre tract was intended to be a private, membership-based hunting and fishing preserve. routings were built, such as US-2 between In 1919, the State Highway Department designated a new trunkline routegiven the M-35 route numberto run northwesterly from the Negaunee area through the Huron Mountains Longyears original facilities meant some rough living but by the roaring twenties, the Club had become an exclusive retreat for the very wealthy, with cabins larger than many middle class homes. Albert Kahn to design then build a $100,000 "cabin" which, in 1929, was A compass and topographic map are absolute necessities. Lest you think that the Kingsford mill was a small lumberyard, it was a large industrial operation, including a body shop that assembled Ford woody station wagon bodies. Lovells Historical Museumlovellsmuseum.com, Marquette Regional Historical Centermarquettehistory.org, Ford Bungalowmichigan.org/property/the-henry-ford-bungalow, Ford Center, Albertamtu.edu/forest/fordcenter, Michigamme Historical Museummichigammetownship.com/michigamme-museum. As mentioned, Henry and Clara first tried to join in 1917, but the official history of the club says that Fords public image and fame concerned members that his membership might bring unwanted attention and publicity. During one noted trip there, Ford was harkened to assist another fisherman who was having car trouble. In the meantime, we'll just say it doesn't hurt your chances if youre Channing Tatum, or related to Henry Ford (and even Ford had trouble getting in). I was the last to join the group for a swim, but no one seemed to mind. the public at large. the Huron Mountains, transporting logs to his mills at Alberta. WHEN THE FIRST MODEL T rolled off the Ford assembly line in the fall of 1908, there wasnt an education program for drivers or licenses for their cars. We are inholders, not members. The cancellation of all of M-35 between Negaunee-Marquette and L'Anse 3. By 1910, the state of Michigan required residents to register their vehicles and display license plates. 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. hunting and fishing preserve. The Upper Peninsula is also not very large and its surrounded on three sides by Lake Superior, Lake Huron, and Lake Michigan. a state trunklinein addition to longer straight segments, uncommon You couldnt see more than a foot or two down. It is said that he had his own private rail car that would drop him and his guests friends, family and colleagues at the town and the lodge of their choice. Further construction on the incomplete portion of the highway through So it became a family outing, with Clara Ford and the Fords son Edsel coming along. It has kept away the loggers, miners, and developers, leaving what some consider the most magnificent wilderness remaining in the Midwest. As it happened, the push for good roads did nome come from automakers or motorists, but rather bicyclists. Kingsford set out on a week-long camping junket through the Upper Peninsula, visiting many of Fords operations along the way.