Free shipping for many products! Directions: From Traverse City drive north on Hwy 37/Peninsula Drive/Center Rd for 18 miles until it ends. Why 45th Parallel Marker, Torch Lake, Michigan USA The 45th parallel is the half way point between the equator and the north pole. Gaylord Michigan . The light was automated in 1933 and an offshore automatic light replacement built in 1938. Interestingly no charges are made to any vessel of any nationality to use the locks which are operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This delightful small town is home to a marker for the 45th parallel in Michigan, and youll want to experience it for yourself. We'll keep you posted on our favorite new gear, cool photosand stories. Alpena is also home to Alpena Community College. Hi Sandra! Was this sign erected at the same time as the US-27 sign in the postcard, or moved here when the car dealership was built? To get a more comprehensive picture of Michigan's state history, as well as that of the U.S. and other unique, overlooked subgenres in regional history, Michigan is fortunate to be home to so many spectacular museums. This northern area is surrounded by the waters of the Great Lakes and offers so much maritime fun and history. The community was briefly renamed Thunder Bay in 1857 before being renamed again to Alpena in 1871. Most of the city was lost in the Great Michigan Fire of 1871. The tracks of older railroads have been removed and the roadbeds are now used by snowmobiles. (The 45th Parallel purists also need to take the ferry from Leland to South Manitou Island, which wasnt yet running when I was there.). Attraction: The city has its own elk herd in Elk Park, less than a mile from the 45th Parallel. The median age was 40 years. Such happiness You may also head to Traverse City for many more places to stay. There is a sign on Old 27 just south of town marking the 45th parallel. The elementary schools are Besser, Ella White, Hinks, Lincoln, Sanborn, and Wilson Elementary Schools. We saw all of the Great Lakes, rode on Lake Superior with the Soo Locks Tour, toured a freighter, learned about shipwrecks in the area, and viewed beautiful waterfalls. But you have to drive many more miles than that due to the lakes. The per capita income for the city was $17,476. Sign up to receive specials and news about our latest colors and events! There is so much history and tradition wrapped in locations like these that one could genuinely elevate themselves merely by standing in the spot of so many others before them, whether that day or 10, 20, 30 years ago. The Jordan Valley 45 Chapter is comprised of approximately 80 miles of trail in Northern Michigan that is a part of the 4,800-mile long North Country National Scenic Trail. We loved our visit thereit sounds like you visited many of the same spots that we did. Facebook; Instagram; YouTube; Vimeo; You were brave to cross the bridge on your motorcycle! ACC is a two-year associates program that has partnerships with Spring Arbor University and several other Michigan institutions. Root Beer Falls is stunning and your pictures are so vibrant. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. As the crow flies, its 135 miles across Michigans Lower Peninsula at the parallel. Over 100 million tons of freight pass through the Soo Locks each year carrying cargo of iron ore pellets, coal, wheat and other grains. [32] Other retailers operate in this part of town and on M-32 west of town and south on US-23.[A]. If you hope to see some of the more unique places in Michigan, I recommend viewing the 45th parallel markers and this site or those scattered in the area. In Michigan, the 45th Parallel cuts from the South Manitou Island lighthouse east to Leland, Sutton's Bay, Bellaire, Gaylord, Atlanta and Alpena. The 45th parallel north is a latitude circle that resides at 45 degrees north from the equator. 39.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 17.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. [14] The blaze started in a barn and lasted for two hours, killing at least four people and causing at least $180,000 (equivalent to $4,070,000 in 2021) in damages. To know why its called the 45th, imagine standing in the center of the Earth. The towns Latitudes Bar is a reference to the 45th degree latitude of the city. If we were to become warmer due to climate change, it will make us more susceptible to invasive species.. The panoramic view can be up to 25 square miles on a clear day and overlooks one of the worlds busiest inland shipping channels. Salt water on the 45th Parallel wont be as good in preservation as fresh water on the 45th Parallel.. Im sure we will be back and hope you are able to visit again too! The gender makeup of the city was 47.7% male and 52.3% female. The 45th Parallel, a line of latitude halfway to the Equator and halfway to the North Pole, invisibly beckons map lovers, or those attempting to calibrate their GPS devices. Shipwrecks are also common in the waters around the 45th Parallel and the Great Lakes. Look at a globe, and the parallel is like a hoop around the world connecting tiny Atlanta to sexier members of the 45th club Minneapolis; Yellowstone National Park in Montana; Hokkaido, Japan; and even Inner Mongolia. The Soo Locks have the greatest tonnage moving capacity per day of any lock system on Earth. Two lifeboats from the stricken Edmund Fitzgerald are also on exhibit, two of the very few artifacts recovered after its tragic sinking. There is something about reaching the 45thparallel that makes you want to stop and take a picture. It is the county seat of Montmorency County. Anyone with a good road map or a GPS. Can you drive it today? You were there at the perfect time. Recently the old sign lost a lot of its charm when the vintage lettering on the plaque was replaced by a modern commercially-printed signboard. Shop Now. Reputed to be haunted by a ghost, but I didnt see her. More than 200 sunken ships are in or near Thunder Bay near Alpena. fresh lemon juice. Inside the massive cargo hold is a museum with over 100 exhibits, including four 1200-gallon aquariums stocked with fish from the Great Lakes region. 45th Parallel acknowledgement: The south part of town near McCoy Road is on the 45th Parallel. 45th Parallel Cafe. I would have to agree with the vibrant colors of the UP. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Powered by - Designed with theHueman theme, 363. Right next to the Soo Locks dock, the Valley Camp Ship Museumallows you to tour a Great Lakes steamship. About 10.4% of families and 13.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.5% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. Have you ever visited this small town at the 45th parallel in Michigan? Its true. Example: Yes, I would like to receive emails from RVing with Robin. It was great prep work for his 5-year run as the king of morel pickers in the 1980s,. of Agriculture, Michigan State University Extension Service (soil, history, good general information), Clarke Historical Library, Central Michigan University, Bibliography on Alpena, Michigan, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alpena,_Michigan&oldid=1150475514, Populated places on Lake Huron in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox settlement with unknown parameters, Articles with MusicBrainz area identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. Thanks for stopping by! Lake effect snow is important too, as it insulates vines from extremely cold temperatures. The locks were constructed to bypass St. Marys Rapids, the result of the 21-foot difference in land elevation between Lake Superior and Lake Huron. There are two private schools in Alpena. The next time you see Michigan Ice Wine on the shelf or in a tasting room, dont take it for granted. Lemon peel and sprig of lavender to garnish. (A tiny sign near the beach explains the mistake.). The most recently discovered shipwrecks are the Ohio and Choctaw in 2017. It has a drop of nearly 50 feet and is more than 200 feet across. In Europe the 45th parallel hits the Bay of Biscay coast of France in the west. This tiny yet utterly unique community houses a population of just over 2,000 residents, so it's certainly a true small town. Address: N. West Bay Shore Drive, Suttons Bay, MI Directions: The only Michigan downtown plopped exactly on the 45th Parallel is Atlanta, the county seat of Montmorency County, population 1,229. Sadly, the marker most people see on their way Up North along Interstate 75 at Gaylord is wretchedly unsuited to photos. For the sake of clarity and awareness, the sign is not meant to be entirely accurate but rather insightful. If you're doing something cool, clever or creative on our latitude, we'd love to hear about it. If we were farther south, we would have more cintarc species, like bass and bluegills and catfish, Fielder said. Reach your hand half way between those two points, and thats the 45th degree of latitude north. Alpena County was originally set off from Michilimackinac County as Anamickee County founded in 1840, which in 1843 was changed to Alpena, a pseudo-Native American word a neologism coined by Henry Schoolcraft, meaning something like "a good partridge country. I never thought about how Michigan (upper) must be accessed in unconventional ways. [18] The city is on the shore of Lake Huron's Thunder Bay, with Alpena Township surrounding it on land. Attraction: Just northwest of town is the Forty-Five North Vineyard and Winery, which sits exactly on the parallel: Experience the Latitude, its ads proclaim, Located distinctly on the 45th Parallel (8580 East Horn Road, fortyfivenorth.com, 231-271-1188). Persons interested in the position of county commissioner for District No. The hotel, built in 1887 of Michigan white pine, has a 660-foot veranda, a Sunday buffet table very nearly as long and charming Jamaican waiters. Where they are, well, thats for you to find out. Also, theres a 45th Parallel wood sign on Hayes-Tower Road west of town. Ive seen a lot of things change, from tourism to a certain kind of tourism, a different variety and more people, Reed said. Reducing Carbon Emissions! Alpena High School has hosted several Solo & Ensemble events. The giant lake tempers the air along shoreline regions, protecting fall crops from harsh, early frosts, and preventing spring crops from blooming too early. Other unique places around the world include Mongolia, Canada, Bosnia, Croatia, and even the center of Ruma, which is in Serbia. We had been to the lower portion of the state on a previous trip but had never been far north to see the Yoopers (derived from UP-ers). Jacob Reed, a member of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and resident since 1995, has seen some of that growth firsthand. Be notified when a new unfamiliar destination is added. A few more notable and/or unique stops on the official Michigan Historical Markers Trail include (listed by marker name): Travelers can also find Michigan historical markers in other states as they relate back to state history. #rvtravel #vacations #amazingplaces The population density was 1,227.5 inhabitants per square mile (473.9/km2). 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