arrived too late to tour it. So, we decided to take the lakewalk to a little wagon that sold Gram's pasties. But on the way we talked to a couple of locals and each praised the benefits of living in this small town...safe for children especially. One preferred Gram's pasties, the other preferred Dobber's pasties. So, we decided to check them out...we bought one of Gram's pasties...a pizza one. Not one we would buy again. Then we took a taxi to Dobber's and bought 2 frozen ones there which are still in the freezer, so we don't have a verdict on those yet. While we were in Dobber's, we noticed the Trenary toast which both of remember our parents and grandparents having with their coffee, so of course we had to buy a bag of that ! It is good with coffee !
We left Escanaba early Sunday morning to go to Fayette. We would cross Little Bay de Noc and Big Bay de Noc in northern Lake Michigan. Again, despite the intermittent rain, the ride was a nice one (a nice ride is one that's not too bumpy), but we stayed dry in the bridge.
Rounding the buoy, we entered the channel to the Snail Shell Harbor which is a part of Fayette Historic Park. The company town was founded in 1867 to produce iron ore. The company owned the store and employed the doctor, vet, etc. Those charges were deducted from the workers' wages. When the smelting production stopped in 1891, the town was abandoned. The state DNR began a preservation of the remaining 22 shells of the buildings, with restoration of some. Entering, you can see the remains of the blast furnaces and the limestone bluffs surrounding the harbor.
We took the walking tour of the town...all of the buildings are open with informational displays in each explaining the construction, lifestyle, etc of the time. These first houses were homes to employees of the plant, the white house was the home to the superintendent and the doctor's home was still in the renovation stage. Note the stairs, which would suggest if the patient was seen at the doctor's home he had to be able enough to manage those !
The setting was beautiful with views of the lake on three sides of the town and trails through the woods. The following three pictures are of some more of the town buildings--music hall, company store--and the view of the harbor from the town site.
At the top of the hill was a visitor center with a large display of how the town looked when it was at its prime.
This was a very pleasant stop and we enjoyed visiting with the other boat people who were docked along side.
