March 2016 – Page 2 – Pure Saginaw

A Beautiful Foggy March Monday Morning In Saginaw

Posted on March 14, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

Another Beautiful Day Here in Saginaw. Yeah I know it’s a little foggy, but it’s also calm and the snow has melted, and it won’t be long and the grass will be green and the trees will have leaves.

I know I don’t say it enough, but thank you for subscribing and following me. I really love posting photos and sharing stories about Saginaw, and it’s even more fun that you are with me too. Thank you to everyone who got shirts and stickers. I don’t make a whole lot of money from them but it helps me with expenses to do this website. I have to admit I get really exited when I see a sticker I made on the back of someones car. I have yet to see someone wearing one of my shirts in Saginaw, but I hope I will someday, that would be awesome.

If you want a shirt or sticker you can get them HERE

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Fish and Fries For Friday, or any Day, at Huron Fish Co.

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

I worked in old town a long time ago and I remember when Huron Fish Co. opened. I would get the best fish sandwich from them for lunch, and at close to the same price as a “Value Meal” at those fast food places. I saw on their website it says they have been open for over 25 years, so yeah, I guess it was a while ago when I worked in old town, but I sill love the fish they have at Huron Fish Co. I especially like the fish and fries (and yes it’s fish and fries and not fish and chips) they sell fresh fish and seafood but also cooked fish and seafood for take out.

The building is on the corner of Gratiot and Michigan, yeah you know, where that odd intersection is, where Gratiot, Michigan, and Mackinaw all come together. On a side note, I remember going here before it was the fish store and my dad buying my first bike, it was candy apple red, but I digress.

I recommend calling in your order especially during lent. they get really busy so call in early, you can find a menu on their website HERE

Don’t Forget, this Saturday I will be at Kempton Elementary’s spring bazaar on March 11th selling t-shirts, I hope you will stop by and say hi. If you can’t make it to the bazaar, you can also order shirts HERE

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Pure Saginaw T-Shirts and Hoodies Now on Sale

Posted on March 11, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

Pure Saginaw shirts are finally here and in stock. right now they are on sale and for $19 plus shipping for a T-shirt. I hope you will check them out, I ain’t making a whole lot of money from them, and I hope I won’t be stuck with a big box of shirts. you can order them HERE

The Ghost Town of Melbourne, from Sawmills to Nudist Colony

Posted on March 10, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

1916 Map of Saginaw County showing the Melborn Station north of Zilwaukee

The town of Melbourne was founded by Wellington R. Burt in 1867 along the Saginaw River with a station on the Saginaw and Mackinac railroad line that ran between Saginaw and Bay City. Burt had recently visited Australia and liked the city of Melbourne and named the town after the city. According to some old maps I found, the town was in the area where the farm field and houses are on Melbourne road a few miles north of the concrete plant. The Sawmill at Melbourne was said to be the largest sawmill in the world at the time. I am not sure if that is true but there were several saw mills in the town besides Burt’s, along with a shingle mill, a barrel works and a salt processing plant. There were about 50 houses and some barracks for the unmaried workers, a library and a school for the workers children. In 1877 the town suffered from a devastating fire, but it did not completely wiped the town off the face of the earth, like some reports I have found, I think at that point Wellington Burt did not want to rebuild his sawmill . After the fire David Whitney Jr. of Detroit and Henry Batchelor of Bay City built a sawmill in Melbourne, along with a salt works and barrel plant. The sawmill produced over 30,000,000 feel of lumber a year up until the fire in 1894 and they made the decision not to rebuild the mill, by then the lumber industry was slowing down with much of the white pine trees in the Saginaw Valley gone.

An old shack on Melbourne Road near where the town of Melborne was. It was not part of the town but its in that area of the county

George “kid” Lavigne’s Parents moved from Bay City to Melbourne in 1880 where his father worked at Whitney and Bactchelor, and in his youth George worked as a cooper making barrels to ship salt. Lavigne, also known as “ The Saginaw Kid “was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1998. More about the “Kid” HERE

After the fire of 1894, the company sold the houses for a few dollars, to anyone who wanted to move them to Zilwaukee. In the early 1900s an amusement park named Melbourne Park was built, but went out of business a few years later. The park was used as a nudist colony for a short time after that. Nothing remains of the town of Melbourne today, but who knows, maybe someone in Zilwaukee is living in George “kid” Lavigne’s old house.

I want to thank Tom Trombly at the Castle Museum for helping me with my research.

don’t forget to enter to win a “Made In Saginaw” shirt I am giving away HERE

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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The Old Church on Burt Road

Posted on March 9, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

I love this old church on Burt Road, I know nothing about it’s history. I can only imagine the people that were married and baptized here, or the Christmas and Easter celebrations. Sadly, now it’s lonely and forgotten standing silently as time moves on and it continues to grow older.

Thank you to everyone for following me, and especially to those of you that have subscribed to my website, it really means a lot to me, since facebook does not show you everything I post in your news feed.

Oh, and don’t forget to enter to win a “Made In Saginaw” shirt I am giving away HERE

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Coal Mine No. 8 – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on March 7, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

Coal was discovered in the St. Charles area in 1896. On this site in 1917 the Robert Gage Coal Company sunk a shaft 200 feet beneath the surface. The main entry off the shaft was about three miles long. At times, the mine employed as many as four hundred men, who worked in pairs. In 1919 a miner earned sixty to seventy cents per ton. After undercutting and blasting coal from seams 22 to 64 inches thick, miners shoveled it into cars that were pulled by mules and electric motors to the cage, where it was lifted up the shaft to the tipple. It was then sorted, weighed and loaded into railroad cars. The highest grade of bituminous coal in Michigan was mined here until 1931, when the shift to other fuels and competition from higher grade coal in other states made it necessary to close.

Photo of workers at Mine No 8, photo courtesy of Harley Outdoor Education Center

To view the mine contact Hartley Outdoor Education Center, because Hartley is and education center they usually have students visiting and you need to check in with them at the office before you can have access to property. Contact info can be found HERE

Remnants of the tipper used to tip coal out of the coal cars coming out of the mine

remnants of the processing plant used to clean and sort the coal

It would mean a lot to me if you Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Chesaning’s Stewart House – Michigan Historical Marker

Posted on March 5, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

Leamington and Madeline Stewart built this Queen Anne house in 1895 – 1897. The design was based on Design No. 53 in George F. Barber’s The Cottage Souvenir No. 2, a pattern book published in 1891. Barber advertised the house’s cost at $5,250. Pattern books were popular in the late 1800s as a way to obtain contemporary house plans at bargain prices. An Ontario native, Stewart practiced medicine in Chesaning until his death in 1933.

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Made In Saginaw T Shirt Giveaway

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

Congratulations to Nancy Sanderson, she is the winner of the Made In Saginaw Shirt

I am giving away a “Made In Saginaw” T-Shirt to one of my lucky subscribers. Thank You for subscribing to my website, I appreciate the support and I hope you enjoy what I post. enter your name and email in the box below for your chance to win a shirt ( size Large) please note I will verify the winning email address with my list of subscribers,

The winner will be chosen at random by the Contest Hopper app on Sunday night March 20th and will be notified by email. I will ship the lucky winner their shirt to any U.S. address.

I hope you will enter, and it would mean a lot to me if you share this giveaway with your friends.

[contesthopper contest=”3072″]

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Rail Trail through Saginaw’s Winter Wonderland

Posted on March 4, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

The Rail Trail this morning had a magical winter wonderland look with the frosted trees along the sides. I had to stop and take a pic. I must admit, I got the pic from the road where the trail crossed, since I was not about to trudge thru the snow in 14 degree weather, although I probably should have gotten my fat lazy rear end out to get some exercise.

I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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Pure Saginaw Apparel Coming Soon

Posted on March 3, 2016 by Mike Sonnenberg

I wanted to get some Pure Saginaw shirts for myself, so I had the Work Wear store print them up. I also had them print up a few extras, if anyone wants some. They will be available in a few weeks for purchase on my website. I ordered only a couple of each size so if you want one, they will probably sell out fast. I suggest you subscribe to my website so you get an email update when they are available.
I hope you will Subscribe to Pure Saginaw

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