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…

Road to Chippewa Hills Pathway by Steve Jakubcin

15 Things We Are Thankful For in Alpena, Sanctuary of the Great Lakes

Posted on November 24th, 2021

With Thanksgiving approaching on Thursday, this is the perfect time to reflect on our lives over the past year and be grateful for what we have, what obstacles we have overcome, and for what the future may bring us. This Thanksgiving we wanted to share everything we are grateful for that Alpena has t…

The Gales of November in Shipwreck Alley

Posted on November 10th, 2021

November is Shipwreck Month and here in Alpena: Sanctuary of the Great Lakes, there is no shortage. Alpena is home to Thunder Bay, which is known as “shipwreck alley.” It is the resting spot for over 200 shipwrecks, many of them which sunk during the month of November. In fact, it is quite common th…

A Peek Inside the Posen Potato Festival

Posted on September 9th, 2021

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 67 years. Generations of families have grown up learning how to dance …

Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse & Saving Station

Posted on April 13th, 2021

Lighthouses are a major part of Alpena’s history with shipping and logging industries, today for #ThrowbackThursday, the spotlight is on Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse. Thunder Bay Island Lighthouse was built in 1832 on Thunder Bay Island, about ten miles east of Alpena, Michigan. Congre…

Everyone Is Irish On St. Patrick’s Day!

Posted on March 15th, 2021

On March 17th, everyone is Irish! This week we will celebrate the annual tradition of St. Patrick’s Day and our Irish heritage by wearing green, drinking green beer, and eating corned beef and cabbage. But where did this all come from? The traditional Irish St. Patrick’s day feast consisted of p…

Celebrating Anna Garrity on Women’s Day

Posted on March 5th, 2021

In honor of Women’s Day, we celebrate Anna Garrity, one of the first female lighthouse keepers on the Great Lakes. Anna was born at the New Presque Isle Lighthouse on March 29, 1872, and was the daughter of Irish immigrants, Patrick Garrity Senior and Mary Chambers. Patrick operated the Old Presqu…

Stories of Yesteryear: Remembering Alpena’s Winter Carnival

Posted on January 8th, 2021

The winter weather has us reminiscing on days gone by. Back between the early 1930s to the 1960s when Alpena hosted a winter carnival during the snowiest time of the year. Alpena’s first winter carnival queen, Mary Meharg 1935. Photo courtesy of the Alpena County George N. Fletcher Library…

Top Haunted Places and Urban Legends of Alpena

Posted on October 20th, 2020

A bump in the night, a whisper in your ear. Is it your imagination? Perhaps it’s the wind. Or maybe, just maybe, it’s something else. Hauntings, urban legends, and Native American folklore are cultural experiences that can be found all over the world. Alpena is no exception with a rich histo…

The Presque Isle Lodge – Defining the Destination Since 1920

Posted on August 3rd, 2020

Nestled on the coast of beautiful Grand Lake halfway between Alpena and Rogers City, Presque Isle Lodge provides a peaceful escape from the stressors and hustle of big city living. The History… The Lodge was built in 1920 by Newell A. Eddy Jr., when the construction of what would become US-23 o…