National Register of Historic Places listings in Alger County, Michigan facts for kids
This page lists special places in Alger County, Michigan, that are part of the National Register of Historic Places. This register is like a national list of important buildings, sites, and objects that are worth saving because of their history.
These places are located in Alger County, Michigan, United States. You can even see their exact locations on a map using their latitude and longitude coordinates. There are 16 different places and areas in Alger County that are on this important list.
Contents
- Historic Places in Alger County
- Au Sable Light Station
- Bar Lake Site
- Bay Furnace
- Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Light
- Grand Island North Light Station
- Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lights
- Hartney Terrace Site
- King Road – Whitefish River Bridge
- Lobb House
- M-28 – Sand River Bridge
- M-94 (old) – Au Train River Bridge
- Mikulich General Store
- Paulson House
- Pickle Barrel House
- Schoolcraft Furnace Site
- Widewaters Site
- Former Listing
Historic Places in Alger County
Au Sable Light Station
The Au Sable Light Station is a lighthouse built in 1874 on Au Sable Point. It has a tall, white brick tower with a black top where the light shines. Next to it is a red brick house where the lightkeeper used to live. Both were designed by Colonel Orlando Metcalfe Poe. The lighthouse started working automatically in 1958, so no one needed to live there anymore.
Bar Lake Site
The Bar Lake Site is an important archaeological spot near Bar Lake. It's part of a bigger group of sites from the Woodland Period, which was a time long ago when Native American cultures thrived.
Bay Furnace
Bay Furnace was a large oven used to melt iron. It was built between 1869 and 1870. By 1874, it was making 15 tons of iron every day! A town called Onota grew up around it, with about 500 people living there. But in 1879, a big fire destroyed both the furnace and the town. Neither was ever rebuilt. Today, you can still see parts of the furnace, and the area is now a campground.
Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Light
The Grand Island Range Lights were first lit in 1868. By 1914, they needed repairs. The new rear range light was a 64-foot (about 19.5 meters) tall tower. The top white part of this tower actually came from another lighthouse near Sault Ste. Marie! The front light was changed again in 1968, but both lights were turned off in 1969.
Grand Island North Light Station
Built in 1867, the Grand Island North Light Station sits on a 175-foot (about 53 meters) tall cliff. This was the second lighthouse built at this location. People worked at the lighthouse until 1941. It was finally turned off in 1961. Today, it is a private home used in the summer.
Grand Marais Harbor of Refuge Inner and Outer Lights
The Army Corps of Engineers started improving the harbor at Grand Marais in 1881. They built a strong wooden wall and two piers to mark the entrance to the harbor. They soon realized that adding a light would help boats navigate better. The outer light was built in 1895, and an inner light was added in 1898. Both are white metal structures bolted to the pier.
Hartney Terrace Site
The Hartney Terrace Site is another archaeological location near Hartney Lake. Like the Bar Lake Site, it is part of the Woodland Period Archaeological Sites. These sites help us learn about the ancient people who lived in this area.
King Road – Whitefish River Bridge
This bridge was finished in 1919. It was the last piece needed to complete the main road in Alger County, connecting Trenary to Skandia. Engineers from the Michigan State Highway Department designed it. It was based on a standard bridge design they had created a few years earlier.
Lobb House
Edward and Elizabeth Lobb were a wealthy family. They owned a successful mine and a brick company. After Edward Lobb passed away around 1892, Elizabeth continued to run the brickyard with her son. In 1905-1906, she built this beautiful house. It was designed by architect Edward DeMar from Sault Ste. Marie.
M-28 – Sand River Bridge
This bridge carries the M-28 highway over the Sand River. It's a concrete bridge with a slightly curved arch. The bridge uses a special "rigid-frame" design, which was a new and modern way to build bridges when it was constructed.
M-94 (old) – Au Train River Bridge
This bridge, which is now closed to cars, goes over the Au Train River. It is one of only two bridges left that were built using a specific design from the Michigan State Highway Department from 1907-1908. This design was for steel bridges meant for medium-sized crossings.
Mikulich General Store
The Mikulich General Store is a two-story building with a flat roof. The Mikulich family ran this store from 1926 to 1987. It was a very important place for the Slovenian community in Traunik. It was a center for both shopping and social gatherings.
Paulson House
The Paulson House is a cabin made of cedar logs. It was built in 1883 by Charles Paulson, who was an immigrant from Sweden. For a while in the early 1900s, the top floor of the cabin was even used as a school room! Paulson and his wife lived in the cabin until they passed away in 1925.
Pickle Barrel House
The Pickle Barrel House is a unique two-story cabin built to look like two giant barrels! Its design was inspired by cartoon characters called the Teenie Weenies, created by William Donahey. The barrel house was made as a huge version of the small oak barrels used for Monarch-brand pickles, which Donahey advertised.
Schoolcraft Furnace Site
The Schoolcraft Furnace Site is where an old iron furnace used to be. Building the furnace started in 1867. By 1869, it was making 20 tons of iron every day! However, it had problems like not enough materials and poor management. Also, iron prices dropped. After trying to restart it several times, the furnace finally closed for good in 1878.
Widewaters Site
The Widewaters Site is another archaeological location near the Indian River and Bar Lake. It is also part of the Woodland Period Archaeological Sites. These sites are important for understanding the history of early human settlements in the area.
Former Listing
Hill's Store
Hill's Store was once on the National Register of Historic Places. It was located on Grand Marais Avenue in Grand Marais, Michigan. However, this building was later torn down.
