Sidnaw - Michigan's Upper Peninsula

<html> <head> <title>Sidnaw - Michigan's Upper Peninsula</title> <meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <META Pragma: No-Cache> <META name="Pragma" No-Cache> <META Cache-control: No-Cache> <META HTTP-EQUIV="expires" CONTENT="Wed, 26 Feb 1997 08:21:57 GMT"> <META name="description" content="Sidnaw profile plus candid recommendations of attractions, restaurants, lodgings, shops, & campgrounds."> <base href="http://hunts-upguide.com/"> <link href="/style.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" /> </head> <body bgcolor="#FFFFFF">  <script type="text/javascript"> var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-16592122-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })(); </script>  <center> <table width="100%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="45%" colspan=2 height=82 bgcolor="#306799" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="left" class="tinyfont"> We welcome your feedback & experiences.<br> <a class="whitelinkunderlined" target="_top" href="http://hunts-upguide.com/cgi-sys/cgiwrap/dehunt/feedback.pl">E-mail us</a> </b> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="63%" height=82 bgcolor="#306799" align="center" valign="top"> <table cellpadding=22 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td align="center"> <img src="/images/online_words.gif" width=386 height=13 alt="The online version of the popular regional travel book""><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=2 alt="---"><br> <nobr><font color="#FFFFFF" size="+2" face="Georgia,Times New Roman,Times"><b>Hunts' Guide to Michigan's UPPER PENINSULA</b></font></nobr><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=500 height=7 alt="---"><br> <img src="/images/candid_words.gif" width=391 height=13 alt="A candid guide to enjoying and understanding the U.P."> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5" rowspan=3>  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=9 height=25 alt="|"></td> <td width="18%" rowspan=3 valign="top"> <table bgcolor="#99CCFF" cellpadding=6 width=160 height=209 style="border: 3px solid #000000; " > <tr> <td valign="top"> <B> JUST OUT!</B> A new edition of <I>Hunts' Mapguide to Michigan's Upper Peninsula</I>. Over 300 entries, all conveniently located on maps and chosen because we think they are the coolest things to do in the U.P. (No ad tie-ins!) Great choices for restaurants, hikes, shops, adventures, museums, boat trips, waterfalls, vistas, road trips, and much more! To learn more click <A HREF="http://www.hunts-upguide.com/up_travel_map.html">UP MAP GUIDE</a> </td> </tr> </table> <br> <p>  <a target="_top" href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/MI/Sidnaw.html?bannertypeclick=bigtemptr"> <img src="http://banners.wunderground.com/weathersticker/bigtemptr_both/language/www/US/MI/Sidnaw.gif" border=0 alt="Click for Sidnaw, Michigan Forecast" height=94 width=185></a> <br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=20 height=3 alt="---"><br>  <center> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 width="100%" height=9> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=790 height=9 alt="---"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="17%">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0> <tr> <td width="100%" valign="top">  <table width="100%" cellpadding=10 cellspacing=0 border=0 bgcolor="#306799"> <tr> <td valign="top" bgcolor="#306799"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b> <a class="sidebar" href="/" target="_top">Home</a><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="5"><br> <a class="sidebar" href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Back to Keweenaw Peninsula</a> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="85" height="20"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="100%"> <table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=0 cellspacing=10 bgcolor="#FFE09B"> <tr> <td align="left"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=100 height=10 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"> <center><font color="#C82F2C"><b>SIDNAW<br>POINTS<BR>OF INTEREST</b></font><br> </center> <font color="#263692" size="-2"> <p> <a name="e1069"><b>Sturgeon River Gorge & Sturgeon Falls.</b></a> View Michigan's deepest, wildest gorge from rim overlooks or a steep trail 3/4 mile down to Sturgeon River Falls, sheared sandstone walls, and crushed trees. Spectacular fall color. Prime trout fishing by campground south of the gorge. Silver Mountain offers a long forest panorama. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sidnaw_sturgeon_river_gorge___sturgeon_falls.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1336"><b>North Country Trail Hike.</b></a> This 4-mile hike on the NCT is a cornucopia of natural delights ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sidnaw_north_country_trail_hike.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <a name="e1335"><b>Silver Mountain.</b></a> One of the finer vistas just south of the Keweenaw Bay awaits those who climb this steep mountain. ... <a href="http://hunts-upguide.com/sidnaw_silver_mountain.html"><font color="#C82F2C">more</font></a> <p> <p>   </font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td>   </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="center">  <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td valign=top width="1%" bgcolor="#F5F5D5">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="9" height=500 alt="|"> </td> <td valign=top width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=0 border=0> <tr> <td valign=top align=center bgcolor="#018650" colspan=2> <center> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"><br> <b><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><a class="whitelink" href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Region: Keweenaw Peninsula</a></font></b><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="100%" height=3 alt="-"><br> <h1>SIDNAW</h1> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width="30" height=8 alt="-"></center></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" width="63%">  <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td align="left">  <font face="Georgia"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <b>Name from the Ojibwa for "small hill by a creek"</b><br><br> <table align="right" cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=200> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/495.gif" width=200 height=266 alt="Sidnaw guardtower" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Little remains of Sidnaw's 1940s German prisoner-of-war camp, a riveting aspect of U.P. lore. Most striking is this tall, rather complex-looking guard tower, the last to survive. A sawmill is still active on the site just west of town.</b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> <br><br>Sidnaw, pronounced "sid NAH," is on M-28, nine miles west of Covington and 20 miles southwest of L'Anse as the crow flies. Today it's known as the logging center of Henry Ford's hardwood empire and the home of a Civilian Conservation Corps camp later used as a World War II work camp for German POWs — with probably the only remaining POW camp guard tower. <br><br>Greater Sidnaw consists of "134 people and 19 bird dogs," according to Duncan Township supervisor Warren Jenkins, who retired from southern Michigan to live, hunt, and fish at his grandparents' old Perch Lake resort. Most residents are retirees, and most with Sidnaw roots. The township, which also includes Kenton, is <b>82% Ottawa National Forest land</b>, with the Sturgeon River and gorge north of M-28 and two popular campgrounds and many lakes to the south.<br> <br>After the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad arrived at Sidnaw and Kenton in 1889, <b>lumbermen Thomas Nestor and Gunlak Bergland</b> subdivided the village and started harvesting its white pine. Blessed with excellent transportation and top-quality lumber, Sidnaw boomed. <br><br>Investor <b>Walter Prickett</b> came to the area. He helped develop <b>electric power</b> by building Prickett Dam on the Sturgeon River just below the gorge and falls. (It's now owned by UPPCO; some recreational land is being off by Naterra Land Company.) He was a lumberman. And he built up a large and apparently profitable <b>dairy and vegetable farm on cutover land</b>. Its produce was shipped by rail — eggs to Chicago is a detail handed down over the decades. Columns of brick and stone can still be spotted, marking the perimeter of his land. The trim brick building with a white porch — it looks a little like a house — was Prickett's general store. Now it's the post office.<br> <br>Sidnaw became <b>Henry Ford's first Upper Peninsula project</b>. His agent, Edward G. Kingsford, was already beginning to purchase the first of Ford's approximately 400,000 acres of timberland. In 1920 Ford built a lumber camp "the likes of which no sober lumberjack had ever dreamed," wrote Ford Bryan in Beyond the Model T: <i>The Other Ventures of Henry Ford</i>. Lumberjacks slept in bunkhouses with steam heat and electric lights. Smoking and drinking were prohibited. (Ford often intervened in his employees' lives to try and lift them up!) The cost of laundering dirty clothes was deducted from their pay of $5 a day. Locals called Ford's Sidnaw lumberjacks <b>"lumber ladies."</b>For more on Ford, look up the village of Alberta in this chapter, and see the introduction.<br> <br>Ford was <b>so proud of his model Sidnaw camp</b> that he showed it off to his good friends Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone on their famous 1924 camping trip. The <b>Grooms-Prickett Airport</b> was developed on Sidnaw's north side. A fine brick school building was created with Ford's help. Both play a role in Sidnaw's future today. <br><br>But first, about the <b>former prison work camp</b> for <b>German prisoners of war</b> in World War II. From 1942 to 1945, the former <b>Civilian Conservation Corps</b> camp just outside Sidnaw housed 251 P.O.Ws and the two officers and 33 enlisted men who guarded them. It and four other Upper Peninsula P.O.W camps aroused great interest within and way beyond the U.P. after John Pepin, reporter for the <i>Marquette Mining Journal</i>, did a series of articles and then teamed up with Jackie Chandonnet to make a <b>riveting film</b>, <i>The Enemy in Our Midst</i>, three hours all told, about the POWs and interactions with their neighbors. It was shown to acclaim on WNMU-TV in Marquette. <br>http://wnmutv.nmu.edu/enemy_inour_midst.htm<br>You can <b>download</b> the 1990 <b>articles about Upper Peninsula P.O.W camps</b> at <a target="_top" href="http://wnmutv.nmu.edu/enemy_inour_midst.htm">wnmutv.nmu.edu/enemy_inour_midst.htm</a>. See the extensive web site and order the DVD at <a target="_top" href="http//www.theenemyinourmidst.com">www.theenemyinourmidst.com</a>. Prisoners had cut wood for the Bonifas lumber company, used for crates to ship arms and materials. Most were draftees, though some were SS soldiers who greeted each other with "Heil Hitler!" After the war was over, some prisoners came back to the United States with their families, so the story goes. <br><br>One of Camp Sidnaw's three guard towers remains — perhaps because of the high-quality local timber used in building it. Today the guard tower, the school building, and the airport are at the center of things happening in Sidnaw.<br><br>The Enemy in Our Midst was seen far and wide, by people interested World War II on the home front, and U.S.-German POW relations. It appears that <b>Camp Sidnaw's tower</b> may be the only one standing anywhere. <br><center> <table cellpadding=3 cellspacing=0 border=0 width=420> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-1"><b>...continued below...</b></font> <br clear="all"> <hr> <center> <script type="text/javascript"> </script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </center> <hr> <tr> <td> <img src="http://hunts-upguide.com/photos/496.gif" width=420 height=275 alt="Sidnaw logyard" border=0> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" size="-2"> <b>Sidnaw has long been a logging center. This logyard west of town sometimes has 5,000-cord stacks.</b> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </center><p> In the 1930s Sidnaw had a <B>Civilian Conservation Corps camp</B> that became a <B>work camp for German prisoners of war </B>during World War II. <br><br>Meanwhile, the <b>airport has been purchased</b> by Brad Frederick, a pilot from the Grand Rapids area. Since 2006, a festive <b>Labor Day Fly-In</b> has been held on the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It features <b>rebuilt WWII planes</b> flying from as far as Texas, combined with a crafts show. Each year more people come by plane and auto — rising gas prices notwithstanding. <br><br>Brad showed a film of Sidnaw to other Grand Rapids pilots, and took fellow pilot Jim Steketee up to see it. After "falling in love" with the area, he decided to <b>buy the school</b> and turn it into <b>condos</b> — for downstate pilots who'd like a quick getaway, with ORV access to fishing and hunting. <br><br>The newly formed <b>South Houghton County Airport & Heritage Association</b> is gathering artifacts and information, and creating a <b>museum and community center</b> in the deconsecrated 1935 Catholic church. The society is moving the guard tower — the only solution, given land ownership issues — to a corner of the airport, with a plaque. It's hoped that the museum and model condos will be ready for the 2008 Labor Day Fly-In. <br><br>Information on these events and many other local affairs can be had at the<b> SIDNAW MINI-MART</b> (906) 355-2257 on 3740 M-28 on the east edge of town, offering ice cream cones in summer. It's open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. but may close Sunday and Monday in slow times. Proprietors <b>Tommy Thompson, the "mayor" of Sidnaw</b> and his wife, Bev, are in the center of things. Tommy's sister, Dorothy Beck, is the historical society's curator, and she would love archival assistance (a great summer internship) and information about the <b>go-getting Walter Prickett</b> and other aspects of Sidnaw history. <br><br>Despite all the changes, a freight train still runs through Sidnaw, hauling forest products between Ontonagon and Amasa. <i>— August, 2010</i> <p align="right"><a href="keweenaw_peninsula.html" target="_top">Back to Keweenaw Peninsula</a></p> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> <td width="37%" valign="top"> <table width="100%" cellspacing=0 cellpadding=8 border=0> <tr> <td height="4" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=1 alt="-"></td> </tr> <tr> <td valign="top" align="center" bgcolor="#C7302D" width="37%">  <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica" color="#FFFFFF"> <b> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <font size="-1"> SIDNAW<br> RESTAURANTS,<br> LODGINGS<br> & CAMPGROUNDS </font> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=6 alt="-"><br> <font size="-2">These are our choices, not ads.</font><br> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> </b> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td valign=top bgcolor="#FFE09B" width="37%">  <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SIDNAW<br>RESTAURANTS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#CDCCAD" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SIDNAW<br>LODGINGS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> </font> </font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td bgcolor="#B6DBA4" valign="top"> <font face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica"> <img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=9 alt="-"><br> <center><font size="-1" color="#C82F2C"><b>SIDNAW<br>CAMPGROUNDS</b></font></center> <br> <font size="-2"> See also: L'Anse, Baraga, Michigamme. The Ottawa National Forest has temporarily closed its Teepee Lake Campground.<br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=8 alt="-"><br> <a name="e1070"><b>Sturgeon River Campground</b></a><br> (906) 852-3501; not reservable <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> This is the only developed campground near the Sturgeon River Wilderness Area on the way to the <B>Sturgeon River Gorge</B>. It's part of the Ottawa National Forest; <a target="_top" href="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa">www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa</a> . Most of the nine rustic, nonreservable campsites have excellent locations, flat and private, along the Sturgeon River in an area of young trees. The campground may fill on July 4 and on nice summer weekends, but otherwise it should have space. Trailers over 14' aren't recommended here because of difficulties caused by the curving access road. <br><br>Call about road construction from M-28. It may be necessary to reach it from M-38 near Baraga. <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>6 miles north from M-28 on FH 2200. Open from mid May thru late Nov. $10/night. Wheelchair access: call. Dogs permitted on leash. <i>—June, 2008. </i> <p> <a name="e1071"><b>Norway Lake Campground</b></a><br> (906) 352-3501; not reservable <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> Travelers heading to or from the Porkies on M-28 might find this pleasant, 28-site rustic campground (no showers, vault toilets) handy. It's part of the <B>Ottawa National Forest</B>; <a target="_top" href="http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa">www.fs.fed.us/r9/ottawa</a> . Space is usually available, though it fills on July 4 and occasional nice summer weekends. Norway Lake is a very small lake with a beach and boat launch. It is a <B>destination family campground</B> far away from the sounds of civilization. The <B>Deer Marsh Interpretive Trail</B> makes a three-mile loop from the campground, explaining about wildlife and wetlands along the way. Some of it is boardwalk. Wheelchairs can use it with some assistance if it's not too soft and wet. The <B>pavilion with fireplace</B> is used for family reunions. The shady campground <B>can handle larger RVs.</B> <br><img src="images/1x1.gif" width=15 height=5 alt="-"><br> <i>8 miles south of Sidnaw. On a map, it's where Houghton, Baraga, and Iron counties come together. Go 6 miles on Sidnaw South Rd., turn east on Norway Lake Rd. $10/night. Open from late May thru Nov. Wheelchair access: call. Dogs permitted on leash. <i> — June, 2008</i></i> <p> </font> </font> </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> </tr> <tr> <td colspan=5 align="center">  <br> <center> <font size="+1" color="#454545" face="Verdana,Arial,Helvetica">Copyright © 2010 Midwestern Guides</font> </center> </td> </tr> </table> </center> </body> </html>