Alpena
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Daniel and Sarah Carter

Sarah Carter, Alpena’s First Female Pioneer 

Posted on March 7th, 2024
Mrs. Sarah Carter was a remarkable woman. As Alpena’s first woman settler, she was a true pioneer. She and her family trekked far from civilization into the vast, remote wilderness of northeast Michigan. Sarah and Daniel Carter, and their daughter Mary Lavina, became Alpena’s first…
Posen Potato Festival sign

A Peek Inside the Posen Potato Festival

Posted on September 7th, 2022
Local Experience Writer Lara King gives readers an inside look at a familiar favorite in Northeast Michigan. Alpena’s neighbor to the Northwest, Posen, has been celebrating the local potato harvest in Northeast Michigan for 68 years. Generations of families have grown up learning how to dance th
Little Red Lighthouse. Photo by Judy Hart.

Our Backstory: A Historic Look at the Port City of Alpena

Posted on December 16th, 2021
The historic port city of Alpena is nestled between a vast emerald forest and a clear blue bay.  Fishing and Lumbering  Founded in 1871, Alpena began as an early commercial fishing port and soon grew to be one of the nation’s most profitable lumber harvesting locations. Lumber camps dotted th…

Street Talk: The Story Behind Alpena’s City Streets

Posted on January 11th, 2019
We’ve told you about some of the namesakes surrounding Alpena history in our previous blogs, “Alpena: What’s in a Name?”, and “The Names, the Myths and the Legends of the Sanctuary of the Great Lakes”, but have you ever wondered about Alpena’s stree
Little Red against the backdrop of winter on Lake Huron; photo courtesy of Infinity Graphic Design

Homage to the Alpena Light

Posted on December 13th, 2018
Also known as “Little Red” and “Sputnik”, the Alpena Light has been a shining beacon through the storm for over 100 years now. Here is a little History 101 of Alpena’s one and only lighthouse within the city limits: Let’s take it way, way back to 1875. The early…

Exploring Alpena History with Kids this Holiday Season

Posted on November 30th, 2017
In less than a month it will be Christmas break for the kiddos. Which can only mean three things: lazy mornings lounging in pj’s til afternoon, cartoons for days, and the inevitable phrase every parent hears at least once or more during school break “I’m bored”. Cue the Alp…
Alpena Police Station 1938

Alpena Citizens Appeal: Fun Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

Posted on June 22nd, 2017
The Michigan State Police was formed during World War I to serve as a home guard while many men were actively serving their country in the armed forces. Eventually, the duties of the State Police were changed and they became a permanent part of law enforcement in Michigan, totaling 300 men by 1919. On J…

Mich-E-Ke-Wis Park  – The Story of an American Dream

Posted on March 14th, 2017
The late July sun warmed the sand around my feet. While my kids splashed in the shallow shoreline waves near the small sandy beach, I watched a bird intently for nearly 30 minutes. It flittered back and forth through the scrub grass in erratic spurts. The bird’s shrill tweets; a signal that I was…

Besser Museum Brings Alpena “Season of Light”

Posted on December 7th, 2016
Once again, Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan has brought us the beauty of world traditions relating to Christmas. Each year during their “Season of Light” display, Besser Museum offers us a walk through nations around the world to see how different cultures celebrate Chri…

Do you know the history of Alpena’s Second Avenue Bridge?

Posted on December 1st, 2016
In 1862, before Alpena’s first bridge was built across the Thunder Bay River, a ferry boat was the only means of travel between the north and south sections of this rapidly growing Northeast Michigan town. The ferry was a 30 ft. long flat bottom scow that had a long iron pole extending up from the…