I was born in Detroit, grew up in Redford Township, moved to Ypsilanti when I was 20 and got married and moved to superior township near ypsi for 6 years. Then my wife and I moved to Manitou Beach/Devils Lake near Irish Hills, Brooklyn, Cambridge Junction, Jonesville, North Adams, Addison, Allen, Coldwater, and more. We have live here for 45 year. I'm 75 and my wife is 73. We have been married for 52 years. I just realized that, thanks to your video, our lives have played out along the Sauk Trail! Thank you for the wonderful video.
We have a old state police post in CadillacMichigan the police used this post up until about 20 years ago the is privately owned now a business owns it
Thank you for the memories. I lived around Jerome. In the 70's we watched a wagon train that was following the trail. All of the classes at the Jerome school got to see it. They stopped in Moscow and my mom and my aunt took part of the wagon train.
When I was a kid growing up in the South Bend area, the Michigan "welcome centers" were the liquor stores across the state line where you could play the lottery and buy beer on Sunday, both of which you couldn't do in Indiana in the 1980's. Now the welcome center is the cannabis shop but we're still crossing that line for something that's illegal in Indiana.
Thank you for doing this journey and logging this history. I have a little to add to it. Michigan was explored and first settled by the French from Quebec (Quebecois). My fifth great-grandfather was delivering supplies and picking up furs in 1756. His on, my fourth great-grandfather settled near Detroit (Swan Creek) and built a church there. grandfather (1901-1974) was a chiropractic pioneer and Henry Ford's only doctor for years. Through a tip from Ford, my grandfather bought Bundy Hill on Hiwy 12 near Jerome (south of Jackson), which was the highest point in southern Michigan. 11:46 - (This photo you flash is Bundy Hill). There was a tower on it and even a small zoo and a restaurant with a gas station. My dad ran the gas station. My grandfather turned the restaurant in the photo into his home and office and built another restaurant out of the lumber from the tower. My grandmother ran a smorgasbord there called "The Olso Inn" during the 1940s and my father and later my uncle practiced there for many years. The restaurant was very popular. My grandfather sold Bundy Hill itself to a gravel company and I understand that it was used to repave the Chigaco-Detoit Highway, as it was called then. My father moved the family to California in 1952 and I grew up there. Among other things, I now know why my cousin was addicted to Coney Island Hotdogs!
Damn, you got money. I know a guy who is several generations French, here in Michigan. I forget exactly what he said, but it was that most of them went down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
I went to Sauk Trail Public School in Park Forest IL when I was a boy. I did not know that there was a real Sauk Trail between Detroit and the west for so many years, and with such a rich history. Thank you.
I attended Dogwood elementary , Westwood junior high and rich east high school . Dogwood elementary burned down rich east was closed due to dwindling attendance the only one left is Westwood junior high . Lived there in the 60s and early 70s it was a great place to grow up . I remember many days with my friends playing in the forest preserve .
Chuck and Poppins, you have outdone yourselves on this one. FASCINATING! is all I can say. Thank you both so much for your dedication to our history and detail of that history.
Being a former Michigander, living out in Cali, it warms my heart to see your series. I can almost smell the country side you pass through ( worked on Mackinac island the summer of 1976 as a teenager) and this brings back such memories you can't even believe. Thank you so much, only wish these were even LONGER, as your reporting brings so much joy, almost sad when they end. See you on the next adventure.
I am a lifelong Niles resident. I drive on US-12 every day. This gives me so much more perspective on my local history in conjunction with what my grandfather used to teach me. Thanks for the info!! ❤❤❤
Great video. My wife is from South Bend, IN. We now live in Garden City, MI. Every time we drive to South Bend we always try and stop at a new place on Michigan Ave (US-12). This video just gave us new places to stop on our journey.
This video just popped up on my feed and I’m glad it did. You obviously did a lot of research in order to make this video. I’m 74 years old and can remember historical spots of local interest that eventuallly just faded away by being overgrown with vegetation or just plowed up. Remember being told of towns that had thousands of people during the Mormon era that are now just fields of crops. Thanks on preserving history thru your videos.
Wasn't going to watch this in its entirety but did. Had no idea of how much history is on one road in Michigan. Very good history lesson and well put together video. Subbed.
we spent our summer driving across most of the U.S. From Alberta Canada And by far had the best times in Michigan,and we have seen over 1000 dollar generals. What gives.? you guys are great.
Ok, I was going to point out the mis-pronunciation of 'sun-lean'--that the city's name is pronounced differently than the word for a salt and water solution--but if you're being nice about it, I'll follow your lead.
I used to work in downtown Detroit and never knew any of this. I have walked exactly where you were filming. Too cool. 2 coney's w/mustard an' onions and a pop (Vernor's!), thank you. Now, let's head to the Michigan Welcome Center!
Detroit is fun. Who knew? Nice people. Nice-looking buildings. Lots of history and art. Professional sports. Good food. Lots of high tech stuff. Went there for other business and went with dread, but was surprised by what a cool place it was.
Agreed. Detroit (and Cleveland) are places that get a bum rap from the media, much of it left over from the years when both were truly bad. Cleveland is ahead of the game, having long ago rebuilt itself into a diverse city with lots of amenities. Detroit still has a away to go but it heading in the right direction. At its core are a bunch of great community organizations and creative people and entrepreneurs who love the place. In many respects, these two cities are now more livable than the supposed "cool" cities like those the West Coast and the Sun Belt. Costs are much lower, crime is down, people are low-key and welcoming.
@@janoswimpffen7305 Yes, Cleveland is the same way. You can find decent communities to live in there that feel neighborhood and affordable. They have good transit. The art museum and medical there is tops in the world. There are good pro-teams there baseball and football. The Rock Hall of Frame brings a lot of top groups. Good schools and good universities. Plus there are great people and great restaurants. Both places you can make a life there that is INTERESTING. The older I get the more I like the Midwest cities and the people in them. The rest of the country has no idea.
Your reporting about Saline Michigan reminds of the incongruity of the Great Lakes (freshwater) and salt. About 200 miles east of Detroit in Fairport Harbor Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, about 2000 feet down is the Morton Salt mine that produces 12,000 tons of salt a day. I really enjoyed your video and the vicarious road trip.
There is an old story about the early Sauk trail. It was so muddy. A man saw a hat in the middle of the road. He got a long stick and picked up the hat. Under it was a head! He said "Do you need help?" The man said "No thanks, I have a good horse under me."
My mom (and Grandparents) grew up on US12 in Clinton Michigan. I think their family was one of the original settlers there. My grandfather had one of the original gas stations west of town on US12. I remember going to it in the 1960's before he retired and closed/sold it. That gas station was a tiny place about the size of a small bedroom and had either one or two pumps. There was an open grease pit next to the building where he could service the vehicles from underneath. The building is still there but it isn't a gas station and you couldn't tell by looking at it that it has some history to it. I live in Florida now, but I grew up in Monroe County Michigan about 45 minutes away and we used to go to Clinton regularly for visiting my grandparents. Mom, Dad (from Grand Rapids) and my grandparents are long gone, but they are all buried in Clinton. We go every few years to clean the tombstones and pay our respects. BTW I have an old high school buddy who lives in Saline. Interesting history about the salt springs. I didn't know that. I also didn't know it was the "Sauk Trail". Thanks for the history and memories.
Learn something everyday. Now tht you mentioned, I followed 12/michigan ave. On my google maps to Chicago because my friends & family didn’t believe me tht it stretched from here to the chi. I noticed cities every so often. 👍🏾
Out west, cities are every 30 miles or so, because that's the distance the old steam trains were able to go before needing water. The railroad brought in stops at often uninhabited areas with no value other than the well that was dug for it, some of these stops turned into towns, which eventually led to them being connected by highways and interstates. Other stops faded into obscurity, and can only be found by looking at big gaps between towns and narrowing down their location. The remnants of wood or adobe structures can sometimes be seen, and in rare cases, the well can be found and explored. They were rather large wells with steps going down to the water table and reinforced like a mine would be, and they did this so they could keep tabs on the water level and maintain the leathers (pump seals) for the windmill. Workers would take breaks down there during the summer, as it was a nice 70F down there in the middle of 110F summers.
As someone who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, directly south of Detroit, Michigan, we always knew of the Great Sauk Trail. Part of an ancient network of Indian paths, the Great Sauk Trail, as it came to be known, extended from Rock Island in present-day Illinois to the Detroit River. It played a significant role in the communications between the native peoples in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the British in this region, particularly during the period of Anglo-American rivalry following the American Revolution. For four decades pro-British tribes such as the Sauk and the Fox made annual pilgrimages along the trail to Fort Malden. Here they met with officials of the British Indian Department and participated in gift-giving ceremonies reaffirming their alliance. When these exchanges were terminated by the British in the late 1830's, the Great Sauk trail gradually fell into disuse.
Great video, proud of my family’s history along US12, from White Pigeon, Mottville, Union and Edwardsburg… we lived along this famous trail for over 200 years.. Have a great day
Highway 12 was moved south back in the 1960s after the completion of I-94. In many parts of Michigan, the original Highway 12 is known as Michigan Avenue or Old 12.
Thanks! Keep these videos coming. You make me homesick for my state of Michigan even though I only live 12 miles away from the state line and part of the Saulk trail is nearby running towards Chicago. I found Niles Michigan a really interesting place to visit a number of years ago - it’s history would amaze anybody The two of you make history come alive in a way that is so approachable thank you again.
I transplanted from Flint, Michigan to Alaska 23 years ago. I always love seeing these wonderful gems pop up on my feed that take me back to my original home state to learn something new. I'll be taking an extended road trip close to the end of the year down to the states, and will look at US12 from a different perspective when I get there. Thanks for the informative journey!
i'm from southwestern lower michigan- Burr Oak, which is just a few miles north off US-12 between Sturgis and Bronson... Halfway Road will get you there. i still have relatives all over that area. i grew up in that region, shown in your video generally from 20:00-26:00... i lived in White Pigeon in 1989-91, i recognized the railroad crossing in the video between Sturgis & White Pigeon, and the bridges near Mottville; we went to the Mottville Speedway in the late 70s... White Pigeon used to have an A&W drive-in back in the day... and i've been to the Capri, last time was summer '85... nice video
My great-grandfather owned a hotel in Jonesville, once a very busy town along the Chicago Road, and the hotel had a speakeasy in the basement during prohibition.
Grew up in Bronson, Mi. Moved to Sturgis, Mi. Currently live in Coldwater, Mi. My life has been spent on the Sauk Trail mainly between the Irish Hills, Mi area, where we frequented as a kid, and White Pigeon, Mi. Awesome video!
Sauk trail went through the town I grew up in in the 60s park forest IL . Our school bus driver was an old timer that would tell stories about Al Capone and his gang using suak trail to run liquor during prohibition in all bodies out into the woods for disposal .
Great video! I was born and raised in the city of Wayne as well as both of my parents and their siblings. It was great to see the historic State Wayne Theater included in your video. I have traveled along US12 many, many times throughout my life. We used to take trips along US12 out to the Irish Hills during the summer when I was young. We also drove US12/Michigan Ave to Detroit for Tiger's games at Old Tiger Stadium at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. US12 is also a great route for motorcycle trips, I take a ride out to Coldwater and back every fall during the color change. Throughout my life, I have lived in several different communities directly on US12, and I really enjoyed learning things about the places I have simply just driven past so many times.
I was born and raised in Michigan and still live here. I never knew this info. Thank you for doing your homework and sharing with us! This was an excellent video!
I bored my entire family (wife kids) because we were downriver and I took them to see the last physical remnants of the highway. There was some wooden planks and ALOT of complaints!😂
I remember fields of sunflowers, on the way to camp in the Irish Hills. Thats when I learned that plants move/ turn towards the sun! With an adult daughter & friends, we drove from just North of Chicago (@ a Renaissance Festival in Wisconsin) and drove U.S 12 all of the way back to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, 1 mile west of Lake St. Claire...between Lake Huron & Lake Erie.
We just did this trip today after watching your video! We live just South of Kalamazoo, so we started in White Pigeon. What a fun day trip! We added a stop to the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. So much to see in Detroit! Thank You!
Exceptional Michigan history channel! It’s a class act! Sad that more people don’t subscribe to it. It’s definitely worthy! I was born and raised in Michigan, but I haven’t lived there since 1988.
Love it! I've been doing a lot of running around the five county toe of Southwest Michigan (Cass, St. Joseph, Berrien, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo Counties) as part of the Lions Club Project Kidsight which does free vision screening in schools, and there are so many small towns that have so many cool stories that a lot of people don't know about. You could do a whole series just on those five counties. I was in Nottawa a month ago and they have a stone schoolhouse that they are in the process of restoring. I mentioned your channel to the principal of the Nottawa school and he thought it'd be real neat if you could come next year when we do Kidsight and do an episode on Nottawa and the school. Anyway, so many stories. Vandalia, Underground Railroad, Cassopolis, the invention of cat litter. The hymn the Old Rugged Cross was written somewhere around Pokagon. By the way you mentioned at the end that US 12 was originally US 112. That change came about in the early 1960's when I-94 was completed. The original US 12 also is significant as it was the Territorial Road linking Detroit and Chicago. It's also known in Southwest Michigan as Red Arrow Highway. Many of the stories you tell about the Sauk Trail could also apply to Red Arrow Highway. I actually prefer driving it to I-94. Anyway I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for covering Fort St. Joseph. Did you know that they have a summer archaeology camp for those who want to get down and dirty digging for artifacts?
Thank you. I go to Hog Creek Antique Barn on US 12 frequently. Also go to Coldwater. I lived in the Irish Hills for 43 years. Since my husband passed away I sold our home and moved to Adrian. Lots of history. 🙂
Great work-thank you! You spurred me to check for the book Michigan’s US-12 Heritage trail, and I’m going to borrow a copy from my local library. I’m familiar with the road from approximately Ann Arbor/Saline through Coldwater. I drive by the entrance to Salt Springs Park at least twice a week, but had never stopped-now I definitely will!
I love your channel. I happen to be walking down on the riverfront one Thursday (?) evening, about a month ago. I saw you two. Please keep creating these interesting and informative episodes!
Apparently the Buffalo made it when they traveled into the more forested areas in winter. It was used so much the trail was compressed a foot deeper than the surrounding ground.
I only heard this once but supposedly there was a major salt lick near Buffalo NY creating a similar "trail". Hence the name Buffalo (which I always had questions about). All these things are eons old so they are of interest to me.
Excellent video! Loved the history of this old trail and thr little towns it passed through. Thank you do much for showing us this beautiful piece of history!
Thanks for another great video of Michigan's history, you two do great coverage of many of the old landmarks and historic sites that most of us never knew of!
As a fellow michigander I am thoroughly impressed with the insight and thought that you guys put into the history of our state thank you so much for showing the good side of the great state of Michigan
I’m an old lady now but my grandpa took me on a road trip to Michigan from Indiana! To follow the way he went to Michigan as a child by horse, and wagon. We followed as close to trails. Not everyone knows the roads we still use are Indian trails! But we did. Will man Road in Indiana is still used and it is a trail!
I’m enjoying this program because it has to do with the area I grew up. I’m from Coldwater. This was the old US 112 when I was a kid. US 12 went through Marshal until I69 was built and then the name changed. I’m glad you are enjoying this. BECAUSE I AM!
Very interesting. I'm a retired nomad with my home base in South Bend, within sight of the Michigan state line. I have lived in White Pigeon, (much more interesting history there) Niles, have friends in Buchanan, Very interested in the Moccasin Bluff history. Fort St Joseph boat ramp is my daily hangout. I'm very familiar with the history. I've read the biography of Fr. Allouez - a remarkable man. - the movie 'Blackrobe' pretty well parallels his life.
State Wayne theater is like 1/2 mile from my house! I was there for the unveiling of the mural to play snare drum with other members of the marching band! Cool to see you guys so close by.
8:10 Bills Hot Dogs stand. My Grandpa would take us there after working in his yard in the summer. A few chili dogs and a cold Root Beer always hit the spot.
By the time you got to Saline, you literally passed my childhood house on Michigan Ave (us-12). This video is awesome! I had no idea I lived on such a historic road. I hope you stopped at Bills Hotdog stand! You showed it ❤
You missed the Old Tavern Inn located north of Niles, it was on the original trail. Old Tavern Inn is a small restaurant that is recognized by the State of Michigan as being the oldest business in Michigan still operating in its original building. It was founded in 1835
BTW, the western terminus of historic US-12 is downtown Aberdeen, WA (The Lumber Capital of the World). Another US highway, US-10 starts on Woodward Ave in downtown Detroit, crosses Lake Michigan on the Badger and currently ends in Cle Elum, WA where I-90 now picks up the old route into Seattle. So Detroit was the eastern terminus of 2 major northern routes to Washington. Although I live in beautiful Olympia, WA, I think often of the wonderful life growing up on the shore of Lake Erie south of Monroe. Michigan is still in my heart.
I've always loved rt 12. Grew up by it in Indiana. I drove it from nw Indiana to Pacific coast in Aberdeen. This video reminds me I have to finish up to Detroit one day. Should be a good road trip. This is interesting info on that old path! Thanks
I grew up 2 miles east of downtown White Pigeon. Mom and Dad bought our farm at a corner called Robinson's Corner. They lived the first years in the old stagecoach stop there. That building was torn down sometime after 1960. Pines grew along US 12 in front of the stop. A wind storm took out most of those trees in the early '80s. Two of those trees still stand today. One had a hitching ring to tie horses to. East of our farm is an old roadside park the state put in years ago.
The last syllable conforms to European pronunciation, so it would make sense that the first syllable would have a European pronunciation as in "sah" instead of "say".
Someone once pronounced my daughter's name Char"lot" instead of Charlotte because the town in Michigan with the same spelling pronounces themselves with a "lot". ;-)
I grew up in that area in Homer just north of Jonesville on M-99. I drove down US 12 past a lot of these places from Coldwater to the Irish Hills twice a day for 5 years then to Sturgis for years afterward. You really did a good job showing the interesting parts of the Highway. I didn't hear you mention this, but every year they do a US 12 yard sale during one weekend. You can find hundreds of yard sales along this route.
Michigan is awesome !! I was born in Benton Harbor,Michigan in 1952 and lived my first 12 years there. I have an uncle who lived in Niles, Michigan. Great job on the video and you made it a fun trip. Liked and subscribed. Thank you for bringing back some great and yes, old, memories.
What an awesome video! Thank you for making it. Learned a lot about so many places I've passed through over the years and about places right in my backyard. Well done and very informative!
Praise be to the algorithm for putting this on my feed.
I was born in Detroit, grew up in Redford Township, moved to Ypsilanti when I was 20 and got married and moved to superior township near ypsi for 6 years. Then my wife and I moved to Manitou Beach/Devils Lake near Irish Hills, Brooklyn, Cambridge Junction, Jonesville, North Adams, Addison, Allen, Coldwater, and more. We have live here for 45 year. I'm 75 and my wife is 73. We have been married for 52 years. I just realized that, thanks to your video, our lives have played out along the Sauk Trail! Thank you for the wonderful video.
Nice.
Nice.
In the 50s the glove box door was the "eating surface", and cup holders were shallow depressions stamped into the back of said door.
Exactly. Still in vehicles in the 70s!
I had forgotten that. What a handy use of space before so many cars had consoles.
I remember that
We have a old state police post in CadillacMichigan the police used this post up until about 20 years ago the is privately owned now a business owns it
I remember!!!
OH, WOW, a Michigan History Channel. I've died and gone to heaven. Thanks, subbed.
Lived in Detroit my entire life… 65 years - never knew most of what you shared… THANK YOU,😊
Thank you for the memories. I lived around Jerome. In the 70's we watched a wagon train that was following the trail. All of the classes at the Jerome school got to see it. They stopped in Moscow and my mom and my aunt took part of the wagon train.
When I was a kid growing up in the South Bend area, the Michigan "welcome centers" were the liquor stores across the state line where you could play the lottery and buy beer on Sunday, both of which you couldn't do in Indiana in the 1980's. Now the welcome center is the cannabis shop but we're still crossing that line for something that's illegal in Indiana.
Flashing light going into Niles
I'm from Benton Harbor
Thank you for doing this journey and logging this history. I have a little to add to it. Michigan was explored and first settled by the French from Quebec (Quebecois). My fifth great-grandfather was delivering supplies and picking up furs in 1756. His on, my fourth great-grandfather settled near Detroit (Swan Creek) and built a church there. grandfather (1901-1974) was a chiropractic pioneer and Henry Ford's only doctor for years. Through a tip from Ford, my grandfather bought Bundy Hill on Hiwy 12 near Jerome (south of Jackson), which was the highest point in southern Michigan. 11:46 - (This photo you flash is Bundy Hill). There was a tower on it and even a small zoo and a restaurant with a gas station. My dad ran the gas station. My grandfather turned the restaurant in the photo into his home and office and built another restaurant out of the lumber from the tower. My grandmother ran a smorgasbord there called "The Olso Inn" during the 1940s and my father and later my uncle practiced there for many years. The restaurant was very popular. My grandfather sold Bundy Hill itself to a gravel company and I understand that it was used to repave the Chigaco-Detoit Highway, as it was called then. My father moved the family to California in 1952 and I grew up there. Among other things, I now know why my cousin was addicted to Coney Island Hotdogs!
I grew up near Bundy Hill. Thanks for the history lesson.
Such a cool read! Thanks for sharing! 🩵
Interesting! Bundy Hill is a privately owned off road park today in the remnants of that gravel pit you spoke of.
@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 such an awesome story!! Thank you!!
Damn, you got money. I know a guy who is several generations French, here in Michigan. I forget exactly what he said, but it was that most of them went down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
I went to Sauk Trail Public School in Park Forest IL when I was a boy. I did not know that there was a real Sauk Trail between Detroit and the west for so many years, and with such a rich history. Thank you.
I attended Dogwood elementary , Westwood junior high and rich east high school . Dogwood elementary burned down rich east was closed due to dwindling attendance the only one left is Westwood junior high . Lived there in the 60s and early 70s it was a great place to grow up . I remember many days with my friends playing in the forest preserve .
It's a real shame this was not taught 2 u when u were in attendence
@ we did too!
Chuck and Poppins, you have outdone yourselves on this one. FASCINATING! is all I can say. Thank you both so much for your dedication to our history and detail of that history.
Being a former Michigander, living out in Cali, it warms my heart to see your series. I can almost smell the country side you pass through ( worked on Mackinac island the summer of 1976 as a teenager) and this brings back such memories you can't even believe. Thank you so much, only wish these were even LONGER, as your reporting brings so much joy, almost sad when they end. See you on the next adventure.
Let me ask ya something... Is there anywhere in California you can find a decent pasty? Do they even have pastys out californee way?
I am a lifelong Niles resident. I drive on US-12 every day. This gives me so much more perspective on my local history in conjunction with what my grandfather used to teach me. Thanks for the info!! ❤❤❤
Great video. My wife is from South Bend, IN. We now live in Garden City, MI. Every time we drive to South Bend we always try and stop at a new place on Michigan Ave (US-12). This video just gave us new places to stop on our journey.
I was born and raised in Garden City. Moved out in late 60s.
This video just popped up on my feed and I’m glad it did. You obviously did a lot of research in order to make this video. I’m 74 years old and can remember historical spots of local interest that eventuallly just faded away by being overgrown with vegetation or just plowed up. Remember being told of towns that had thousands of people during the Mormon era that are now just fields of crops. Thanks on preserving history thru your videos.
I've learned more Michigan history on this channel the the 26 years I spent growing up there. Can't wait for the next video.
Damn! I have driven a lot of miles on US 12 and hardly knew ANY of this! Thanks!
Same here , miles and miles every day burying fiber optic lines. Very interesting!
Wasn't going to watch this in its entirety but did. Had no idea of how much history is on one road in Michigan. Very good history lesson and well put together video. Subbed.
we spent our summer driving across most of the U.S. From Alberta Canada And by far had the best times in Michigan,and we have seen over 1000 dollar generals. What gives.? you guys are great.
Thanks for stopping by Salt Springs Park and glad you enjoyed our local history!
Ok, I was going to point out the mis-pronunciation of 'sun-lean'--that the city's name is pronounced differently than the word for a salt and water solution--but if you're being nice about it, I'll follow your lead.
I used to work in downtown Detroit and never knew any of this. I have walked exactly where you were filming.
Too cool.
2 coney's w/mustard an' onions and a pop (Vernor's!), thank you.
Now, let's head to the Michigan Welcome Center!
Detroit is fun. Who knew? Nice people. Nice-looking buildings. Lots of history and art. Professional sports. Good food. Lots of high tech stuff. Went there for other business and went with dread, but was surprised by what a cool place it was.
Agreed. Detroit (and Cleveland) are places that get a bum rap from the media, much of it left over from the years when both were truly bad. Cleveland is ahead of the game, having long ago rebuilt itself into a diverse city with lots of amenities. Detroit still has a away to go but it heading in the right direction. At its core are a bunch of great community organizations and creative people and entrepreneurs who love the place. In many respects, these two cities are now more livable than the supposed "cool" cities like those the West Coast and the Sun Belt. Costs are much lower, crime is down, people are low-key and welcoming.
@@janoswimpffen7305 Yes, Cleveland is the same way. You can find decent communities to live in there that feel neighborhood and affordable. They have good transit. The art museum and medical there is tops in the world. There are good pro-teams there baseball and football. The Rock Hall of Frame brings a lot of top groups. Good schools and good universities. Plus there are great people and great restaurants. Both places you can make a life there that is INTERESTING. The older I get the more I like the Midwest cities and the people in them. The rest of the country has no idea.
@@eottoe2001 "The rest of the country has no idea." HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY 😆
Detroit and cleveland are dumps and still will be.
I knew and Know because I grew up there...US Highway 12 Michigan Avenue! 😮
Your reporting about Saline Michigan reminds of the incongruity of the Great Lakes (freshwater) and salt. About 200 miles east of Detroit in Fairport Harbor Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, about 2000 feet down is the Morton Salt mine that produces 12,000 tons of salt a day. I really enjoyed your video and the vicarious road trip.
There is an old story about the early Sauk trail. It was so muddy. A man saw a hat in the middle of the road. He got a long stick and picked up the hat. Under it was a head!
He said "Do you need help?"
The man said "No thanks, I have a good horse under me."
Ha! I've never heard that story.
😂
My mom (and Grandparents) grew up on US12 in Clinton Michigan. I think their family was one of the original settlers there. My grandfather had one of the original gas stations west of town on US12. I remember going to it in the 1960's before he retired and closed/sold it. That gas station was a tiny place about the size of a small bedroom and had either one or two pumps. There was an open grease pit next to the building where he could service the vehicles from underneath. The building is still there but it isn't a gas station and you couldn't tell by looking at it that it has some history to it.
I live in Florida now, but I grew up in Monroe County Michigan about 45 minutes away and we used to go to Clinton regularly for visiting my grandparents. Mom, Dad (from Grand Rapids) and my grandparents are long gone, but they are all buried in Clinton. We go every few years to clean the tombstones and pay our respects.
BTW I have an old high school buddy who lives in Saline. Interesting history about the salt springs. I didn't know that. I also didn't know it was the "Sauk Trail". Thanks for the history and memories.
Because Michigan ave was designed for horses, there is a city every 10 miles as horses need a break every ten miles
Learn something everyday. Now tht you mentioned, I followed 12/michigan ave. On my google maps to Chicago because my friends & family didn’t believe me tht it stretched from here to the chi. I noticed cities every so often. 👍🏾
Out west, cities are every 30 miles or so, because that's the distance the old steam trains were able to go before needing water. The railroad brought in stops at often uninhabited areas with no value other than the well that was dug for it, some of these stops turned into towns, which eventually led to them being connected by highways and interstates. Other stops faded into obscurity, and can only be found by looking at big gaps between towns and narrowing down their location. The remnants of wood or adobe structures can sometimes be seen, and in rare cases, the well can be found and explored. They were rather large wells with steps going down to the water table and reinforced like a mine would be, and they did this so they could keep tabs on the water level and maintain the leathers (pump seals) for the windmill. Workers would take breaks down there during the summer, as it was a nice 70F down there in the middle of 110F summers.
You guys do such a great job and make me proud to be a Michigander. I appreciate you guys so much!
As someone who grew up in Windsor, Ontario, directly south of Detroit, Michigan, we always knew of the Great Sauk Trail.
Part of an ancient network of Indian paths, the Great Sauk Trail, as it came to be known, extended from Rock Island in present-day Illinois to the Detroit River. It played a significant role in the communications between the native peoples in the Upper Mississippi Valley and the British in this region, particularly during the period of Anglo-American rivalry following the American Revolution. For four decades pro-British tribes such as the Sauk and the Fox made annual pilgrimages along the trail to Fort Malden. Here they met with officials of the British Indian Department and participated in gift-giving ceremonies reaffirming their alliance. When these exchanges were terminated by the British in the late 1830's, the Great Sauk trail gradually fell into disuse.
I was born and raised in Rock Island, and now live in Ann Arbor, guess the Sauk Trail is my destiny!
Thanks!
Thanks!
Thank you for recognizing my grandfather's role in bringing the venerable Coney Island hot dog to the state of Michigan.
Great video. Thanks for sharing.
Another great video Chuck and Poppins! As a native Michigander I just can't get enough of Michigan history!
Thanks Steve!
I grew up on the old Sauk Trail, just outside of Jonesville. Thanks for highlighting this part of our history!
Great video, proud of my family’s history along US12, from White Pigeon, Mottville, Union and Edwardsburg… we lived along this famous trail for over 200 years.. Have a great day
I’ve spent most my life in Sturgis so I know what you mean.
Yes! I was a Boy Scout in the Sauk Trail district! My Dad was born in the Irish Hills.
I grew up about a mile north of US 12 in the southwest corner of Michigan. Kind of fun to see a video about it.
Highway 12 was moved south back in the 1960s after the completion of I-94. In many parts of Michigan, the original Highway 12 is known as Michigan Avenue or Old 12.
That explains a question I always wondered about.
Goes from Chelsea to Jackson . In Jackson it's called Michigan avenue in Chelsea it's Old US 12
Thanks! Keep these videos coming. You make me homesick for my state of Michigan even though I only live 12 miles away from the state line and part of the Saulk trail is nearby running towards Chicago. I found Niles Michigan a really interesting place to visit a number of years ago - it’s history would amaze anybody The two of you make history come alive in a way that is so approachable thank you again.
Thanks Denny!!
The state police building brings back memories of my Michigan childhood. They were all exactly like that.
I transplanted from Flint, Michigan to Alaska 23 years ago. I always love seeing these wonderful gems pop up on my feed that take me back to my original home state to learn something new. I'll be taking an extended road trip close to the end of the year down to the states, and will look at US12 from a different perspective when I get there. Thanks for the informative journey!
The Sauk trail continues west and south from Chicago to the Mississippi River. Sauk trail state park is south of Annawan Il (I80)
Thank you for taking us along on this trip. Much appreciated!!!
i'm from southwestern lower michigan- Burr Oak, which is just a few miles north off US-12 between Sturgis and Bronson... Halfway Road will get you there. i still have relatives all over that area.
i grew up in that region, shown in your video generally from 20:00-26:00... i lived in White Pigeon in 1989-91, i recognized the railroad crossing in the video between Sturgis & White Pigeon, and the bridges near Mottville; we went to the Mottville Speedway in the late 70s... White Pigeon used to have an A&W drive-in back in the day... and i've been to the Capri, last time was summer '85...
nice video
My sister lives on Halfway rd. We grew up in Bronson. I lived in Sturgis for a while, and also recognized the tracks crossing 12 west of Sturgis.
My great-grandfather owned a hotel in Jonesville, once a very busy town along the Chicago Road, and the hotel had a speakeasy in the basement during prohibition.
There is a state Trooper post in Jonesville, as well.
I've driven thru Jonesville many times, it's just east of Coldwater.
Grew up in Bronson, Mi. Moved to Sturgis, Mi. Currently live in Coldwater, Mi. My life has been spent on the Sauk Trail mainly between the Irish Hills, Mi area, where we frequented as a kid, and White Pigeon, Mi. Awesome video!
Another. Bronson person here!
Sauk trail went through the town I grew up in in the 60s park forest IL . Our school bus driver was an old timer that would tell stories about Al Capone and his gang using suak trail to run liquor during prohibition in all bodies out into the woods for disposal .
Ended at SF, serving his nation
Alcatraz of course
The Capri Drive-In is a gem. I highly recommend going with a carload of people. Good food, great times!
Been there many times.😅
Wonderful and inspiring storytelling of the history for a road. Loved all the researched details. The RUclips recommendations brought me here.
Great video! I was born and raised in the city of Wayne as well as both of my parents and their siblings. It was great to see the historic State Wayne Theater included in your video. I have traveled along US12 many, many times throughout my life. We used to take trips along US12 out to the Irish Hills during the summer when I was young. We also drove US12/Michigan Ave to Detroit for Tiger's games at Old Tiger Stadium at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. US12 is also a great route for motorcycle trips, I take a ride out to Coldwater and back every fall during the color change. Throughout my life, I have lived in several different communities directly on US12, and I really enjoyed learning things about the places I have simply just driven past so many times.
Thank you for sharing this information. I am a Michigander and didn’t know about half of this.
I was born and raised in Michigan and still live here. I never knew this info. Thank you for doing your homework and sharing with us! This was an excellent video!
I bored my entire family (wife kids) because we were downriver and I took them to see the last physical remnants of the highway. There was some wooden planks and ALOT of complaints!😂
Let them complain, you were doing important things 💁
My dad took us on week-end to all kinds of places in Indiana. Most people miss so much!!
You guys are fantastic. Thank you for doing this. I learned a lot! The Sauk Trail is now on my to-do list of weekend trips in Lower Michigan.
You just chose few. There is so much more. Thank you for memories.
So interesting I’m glad I watched this video nowadays you don’t even know that there is real history right around the corner thank you for this
So much history in such a short video! Thank you both - you are excellent presenters.
I love Michigan
I remember fields of sunflowers, on the way to camp in the Irish Hills. Thats when I learned that plants move/ turn towards the sun! With an adult daughter & friends, we drove from just North of Chicago (@ a Renaissance Festival in Wisconsin) and drove U.S 12 all of the way back to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, 1 mile west of Lake St. Claire...between Lake Huron & Lake Erie.
Always appreciate your videos. Nothing better than a frosty mug at an actual A&W Root beer.
We just did this trip today after watching your video! We live just South of Kalamazoo, so we started in White Pigeon. What a fun day trip! We added a stop to the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. So much to see in Detroit! Thank You!
Very Awesome! We've visited the Polish Art Center in Cedar often - great place!
What's say: we all vote??
Citizens of USA of course
thanks for the history lessen , at 74 I thought I knew Michigan history, still learning😊
WOOHOO at 54 in California, I know almost nothing of that area, but fascinating to hear it now!!!👏👏
Let’s hope it didn’t lessen you.
I lived most of my life in the Irish Hills. Very cool to see again
Hey guys, this is beautiful. Thank you for doing this. Really appreciate it.
Well now, now i know. Fascinating, thank you.
🍻
Exceptional Michigan history channel! It’s a class act! Sad that more people don’t subscribe to it. It’s definitely worthy! I was born and raised in Michigan, but I haven’t lived there since 1988.
Ty,for example
I love the Michigan History stuff! I took a class on this at EMU. Great to see how things look nowadays!
Love it! I've been doing a lot of running around the five county toe of Southwest Michigan (Cass, St. Joseph, Berrien, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo Counties) as part of the Lions Club Project Kidsight which does free vision screening in schools, and there are so many small towns that have so many cool stories that a lot of people don't know about. You could do a whole series just on those five counties. I was in Nottawa a month ago and they have a stone schoolhouse that they are in the process of restoring. I mentioned your channel to the principal of the Nottawa school and he thought it'd be real neat if you could come next year when we do Kidsight and do an episode on Nottawa and the school. Anyway, so many stories. Vandalia, Underground Railroad, Cassopolis, the invention of cat litter. The hymn the Old Rugged Cross was written somewhere around Pokagon.
By the way you mentioned at the end that US 12 was originally US 112. That change came about in the early 1960's when I-94 was completed. The original US 12 also is significant as it was the Territorial Road linking Detroit and Chicago. It's also known in Southwest Michigan as Red Arrow Highway. Many of the stories you tell about the Sauk Trail could also apply to Red Arrow Highway. I actually prefer driving it to I-94. Anyway I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for covering Fort St. Joseph. Did you know that they have a summer archaeology camp for those who want to get down and dirty digging for artifacts?
You guys are awesome thanks for the true history of Michigan
Thank you. I go to Hog Creek Antique Barn on US 12 frequently. Also go to Coldwater. I lived in the Irish Hills for 43 years. Since my husband passed away I sold our home and moved to Adrian. Lots of history. 🙂
@@user-yn7on7ou8n 89 Wildcat here. Any connection to the class year? I miss Bear's Lair
Go Bulldogs!
@@robynsnest8668 09 wildcat here 👍
Great work-thank you! You spurred me to check for the book Michigan’s US-12 Heritage trail, and I’m going to borrow a copy from my local library.
I’m familiar with the road from approximately Ann Arbor/Saline through Coldwater. I drive by the entrance to Salt Springs Park at least twice a week, but had never stopped-now I definitely will!
I live about 5 miles South of this trail, now US 12.
I love your channel. I happen to be walking down on the riverfront one Thursday (?) evening, about a month ago. I saw you two. Please keep creating these interesting and informative episodes!
Apparently the Buffalo made it when they traveled into the more forested areas in winter. It was used so much the trail was compressed a foot deeper than the surrounding ground.
I only heard this once but supposedly there was a major salt lick near Buffalo NY creating a similar "trail". Hence the name Buffalo (which I always had questions about). All these things are eons old so they are of interest to me.
Thank you for sharing this. It was very interesting to me because I live in Clinton, Michigan which of course is on US 12.
Excellent video! Loved the history of this old trail and thr little towns it passed through. Thank you do much for showing us this beautiful piece of history!
Thanks for another great video of Michigan's history, you two do great coverage of many of the old landmarks and historic sites that most of us never knew of!
Thank you for this. I’m 73 a native of Michigan and I find this so interesting
Going to A&W and getting a Rootbeer Float brought to your window was a treat for me as a kid in the early ‘70s.
Buchanan, MI, had a Dog ‘n’ Suds across the road from the A&W! Heaven.
As a fellow michigander I am thoroughly impressed with the insight and thought that you guys put into the history of our state thank you so much for showing the good side of the great state of Michigan
I’m an old lady now but my grandpa took me on a road trip to Michigan from Indiana! To follow the way he went to Michigan as a child by horse, and wagon. We followed as close to trails. Not everyone knows the roads we still use are Indian trails! But we did. Will man Road in Indiana is still used and it is a trail!
I’m enjoying this program because it has to do with the area I grew up. I’m from Coldwater. This was the old US 112 when I was a kid. US 12 went through Marshal until I69 was built and then the name changed. I’m glad you are enjoying this. BECAUSE I AM!
I live not far from downtown Detroit. I LOOOOVE AMERICAN CONEY ISLAND. Its my favorite coney spot in the city.
Very interesting.
I'm a retired nomad with my home base in South Bend, within sight of the Michigan state line.
I have lived in White Pigeon, (much more interesting history there)
Niles, have friends in Buchanan, Very interested in the Moccasin Bluff history.
Fort St Joseph boat ramp is my daily hangout.
I'm very familiar with the history.
I've read the biography of Fr. Allouez - a remarkable man. -
the movie 'Blackrobe' pretty well parallels his life.
State Wayne theater is like 1/2 mile from my house! I was there for the unveiling of the mural to play snare drum with other members of the marching band! Cool to see you guys so close by.
First time I have seen your channel. I have lived in MI all my life so you’re channel is very interesting to me. Thanks.
8:10 Bills Hot Dogs stand. My Grandpa would take us there after working in his yard in the summer. A few chili dogs and a cold Root Beer always hit the spot.
Good video. Born and raised in Detroit. I am in love with its history
By the time you got to Saline, you literally passed my childhood house on Michigan Ave (us-12). This video is awesome! I had no idea I lived on such a historic road. I hope you stopped at Bills Hotdog stand! You showed it ❤
Been trying to find a good channel like this with well researched history, thank you for your efforts. Subscribed!
Great presentation, thank you both for all the effort.
Oh you left out the Coney War between Lafayette and American Coney Island. Thank you for sharing the awesome information. Thank you
You missed the Old Tavern Inn located north of Niles, it was on the original trail. Old Tavern Inn is a small restaurant that is recognized by the State of Michigan as being the oldest business in Michigan still operating in its original building. It was founded in 1835
BTW, the western terminus of historic US-12 is downtown Aberdeen, WA (The Lumber Capital of the World).
Another US highway, US-10 starts on Woodward Ave in downtown Detroit, crosses Lake Michigan on the Badger and currently ends in Cle Elum, WA where I-90 now picks up the old route into Seattle.
So Detroit was the eastern terminus of 2 major northern routes to Washington.
Although I live in beautiful Olympia, WA, I think often of the wonderful life growing up on the shore of Lake Erie south of Monroe. Michigan is still in my heart.
Born in Monroe as well. Lived on Lake Erie at Detroit Beach, on the Northside of Monroe.
The state wayne theater had a glow in the dark dragon inside.
I've always loved rt 12. Grew up by it in Indiana. I drove it from nw Indiana to Pacific coast in Aberdeen. This video reminds me I have to finish up to Detroit one day. Should be a good road trip. This is interesting info on that old path! Thanks
I grew up 2 miles east of downtown White Pigeon. Mom and Dad bought our farm at a corner called Robinson's Corner. They lived the first years in the old stagecoach stop there. That building was torn down sometime after 1960. Pines grew along US 12 in front of the stop. A wind storm took out most of those trees in the early '80s. Two of those trees still stand today. One had a hitching ring to tie horses to. East of our farm is an old roadside park the state put in years ago.
Very interesting video! Glad it showed up on my feed. I can forsee a binge of Restless Viking vids for me tonight!
You keep saying Say lean. We say SuLean. Or S’ lean For Saline Michigan. Love your video. Thanks for doing the research
Is Saline Michigan salty?
> 10:06 <
I would think to say " say-lean". Thanks for the local pronunciation.
The last syllable conforms to European pronunciation, so it would make sense that the first syllable would have a European pronunciation as in "sah" instead of "say".
Next time I talk about someone or a pet getting saline solution, I'm going to pronounce it "S'Lean" just to get the nurse's reaction 😂
😂🤣
Someone once pronounced my daughter's name Char"lot" instead of Charlotte because the town in Michigan with the same spelling pronounces themselves with a "lot". ;-)
I grew up in that area in Homer just north of Jonesville on M-99. I drove down US 12 past a lot of these places from Coldwater to the Irish Hills twice a day for 5 years then to Sturgis for years afterward. You really did a good job showing the interesting parts of the Highway. I didn't hear you mention this, but every year they do a US 12 yard sale during one weekend. You can find hundreds of yard sales along this route.
Michigan is awesome !!
I was born in Benton Harbor,Michigan in 1952 and lived my first 12 years there.
I have an uncle who lived in Niles, Michigan.
Great job on the video and you made it a fun trip.
Liked and subscribed.
Thank you for bringing back some great and yes, old, memories.
The southwest is so beautiful. Lived here my whole life, can't leave.
What an awesome video! Thank you for making it. Learned a lot about so many places I've passed through over the years and about places right in my backyard. Well done and very informative!