Not really. Screw the Algorithm, People can do much much better without the watchfull eye of big brother. Just a decent search function free from outside interference is all that is required. Anything else should be on a optional basis. Give control to the People, not the bureaucrat on a power trip.
I was born in Detroit, grew up in Redford Township, moved to Ypsilanti when I was 20 and got married and moved to superior township near ypsi for 6 years. Then my wife and I moved to Manitou Beach/Devils Lake near Irish Hills, Brooklyn, Cambridge Junction, Jonesville, North Adams, Addison, Allen, Coldwater, and more. We have live here for 45 year. I'm 75 and my wife is 73. We have been married for 52 years. I just realized that, thanks to your video, our lives have played out along the Sauk Trail! Thank you for the wonderful video.
We have a old state police post in CadillacMichigan the police used this post up until about 20 years ago the is privately owned now a business owns it
Detroit is fun. Who knew? Nice people. Nice-looking buildings. Lots of history and art. Professional sports. Good food. Lots of high tech stuff. Went there for other business and went with dread, but was surprised by what a cool place it was.
Agreed. Detroit (and Cleveland) are places that get a bum rap from the media, much of it left over from the years when both were truly bad. Cleveland is ahead of the game, having long ago rebuilt itself into a diverse city with lots of amenities. Detroit still has a away to go but it heading in the right direction. At its core are a bunch of great community organizations and creative people and entrepreneurs who love the place. In many respects, these two cities are now more livable than the supposed "cool" cities like those the West Coast and the Sun Belt. Costs are much lower, crime is down, people are low-key and welcoming.
@@janoswimpffen7305 Yes, Cleveland is the same way. You can find decent communities to live in there that feel neighborhood and affordable. They have good transit. The art museum and medical there is tops in the world. There are good pro-teams there baseball and football. The Rock Hall of Frame brings a lot of top groups. Good schools and good universities. Plus there are great people and great restaurants. Both places you can make a life there that is INTERESTING. The older I get the more I like the Midwest cities and the people in them. The rest of the country has no idea.
I went to Sauk Trail Public School in Park Forest IL when I was a boy. I did not know that there was a real Sauk Trail between Detroit and the west for so many years, and with such a rich history. Thank you.
I attended Dogwood elementary , Westwood junior high and rich east high school . Dogwood elementary burned down rich east was closed due to dwindling attendance the only one left is Westwood junior high . Lived there in the 60s and early 70s it was a great place to grow up . I remember many days with my friends playing in the forest preserve .
Learn something everyday. Now tht you mentioned, I followed 12/michigan ave. On my google maps to Chicago because my friends & family didn’t believe me tht it stretched from here to the chi. I noticed cities every so often. 👍🏾
Out west, cities are every 30 miles or so, because that's the distance the old steam trains were able to go before needing water. The railroad brought in stops at often uninhabited areas with no value other than the well that was dug for it, some of these stops turned into towns, which eventually led to them being connected by highways and interstates. Other stops faded into obscurity, and can only be found by looking at big gaps between towns and narrowing down their location. The remnants of wood or adobe structures can sometimes be seen, and in rare cases, the well can be found and explored. They were rather large wells with steps going down to the water table and reinforced like a mine would be, and they did this so they could keep tabs on the water level and maintain the leathers (pump seals) for the windmill. Workers would take breaks down there during the summer, as it was a nice 70F down there in the middle of 110F summers.
Thank you for doing this journey and logging this history. I have a little to add to it. Michigan was explored and first settled by the French from Quebec (Quebecois). My fifth great-grandfather was delivering supplies and picking up furs in 1756. His on, my fourth great-grandfather settled near Detroit (Swan Creek) and built a church there. grandfather (1901-1974) was a chiropractic pioneer and Henry Ford's only doctor for years. Through a tip from Ford, my grandfather bought Bundy Hill on Hiwy 12 near Jerome (south of Jackson), which was the highest point in southern Michigan. 11:46 - (This photo you flash is Bundy Hill). There was a tower on it and even a small zoo and a restaurant with a gas station. My dad ran the gas station. My grandfather turned the restaurant in the photo into his home and office and built another restaurant out of the lumber from the tower. My grandmother ran a smorgasbord there called "The Olso Inn" during the 1940s and my father and later my uncle practiced there for many years. The restaurant was very popular. My grandfather sold Bundy Hill itself to a gravel company and I understand that it was used to repave the Chigaco-Detoit Highway, as it was called then. My father moved the family to California in 1952 and I grew up there. Among other things, I now know why my cousin was addicted to Coney Island Hotdogs!
Damn, you got money. I know a guy who is several generations French, here in Michigan. I forget exactly what he said, but it was that most of them went down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
Chuck and Poppins, you have outdone yourselves on this one. FASCINATING! is all I can say. Thank you both so much for your dedication to our history and detail of that history.
There is an old story about the early Sauk trail. It was so muddy. A man saw a hat in the middle of the road. He got a long stick and picked up the hat. Under it was a head! He said "Do you need help?" The man said "No thanks, I have a good horse under me."
Being a former Michigander, living out in Cali, it warms my heart to see your series. I can almost smell the country side you pass through ( worked on Mackinac island the summer of 1976 as a teenager) and this brings back such memories you can't even believe. Thank you so much, only wish these were even LONGER, as your reporting brings so much joy, almost sad when they end. See you on the next adventure.
Ok, I was going to point out the mis-pronunciation of 'sun-lean'--that the city's name is pronounced differently than the word for a salt and water solution--but if you're being nice about it, I'll follow your lead.
You missed the Old Tavern Inn located north of Niles, it was on the original trail. Old Tavern Inn is a small restaurant that is recognized by the State of Michigan as being the oldest business in Michigan still operating in its original building. It was founded in 1835
This video just popped up on my feed and I’m glad it did. You obviously did a lot of research in order to make this video. I’m 74 years old and can remember historical spots of local interest that eventuallly just faded away by being overgrown with vegetation or just plowed up. Remember being told of towns that had thousands of people during the Mormon era that are now just fields of crops. Thanks on preserving history thru your videos.
Wasn't going to watch this in its entirety but did. Had no idea of how much history is on one road in Michigan. Very good history lesson and well put together video. Subbed.
Thanks! Keep these videos coming. You make me homesick for my state of Michigan even though I only live 12 miles away from the state line and part of the Saulk trail is nearby running towards Chicago. I found Niles Michigan a really interesting place to visit a number of years ago - it’s history would amaze anybody The two of you make history come alive in a way that is so approachable thank you again.
we spent our summer driving across most of the U.S. From Alberta Canada And by far had the best times in Michigan,and we have seen over 1000 dollar generals. What gives.? you guys are great.
I am a lifelong Niles resident. I drive on US-12 every day. This gives me so much more perspective on my local history in conjunction with what my grandfather used to teach me. Thanks for the info!! ❤❤❤
Thank you. I go to Hog Creek Antique Barn on US 12 frequently. Also go to Coldwater. I lived in the Irish Hills for 43 years. Since my husband passed away I sold our home and moved to Adrian. Lots of history. 🙂
When I was a kid growing up in the South Bend area, the Michigan "welcome centers" were the liquor stores across the state line where you could play the lottery and buy beer on Sunday, both of which you couldn't do in Indiana in the 1980's. Now the welcome center is the cannabis shop but we're still crossing that line for something that's illegal in Indiana.
Great video, proud of my family’s history along US12, from White Pigeon, Mottville, Union and Edwardsburg… we lived along this famous trail for over 200 years.. Have a great day
Love it! I've been doing a lot of running around the five county toe of Southwest Michigan (Cass, St. Joseph, Berrien, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo Counties) as part of the Lions Club Project Kidsight which does free vision screening in schools, and there are so many small towns that have so many cool stories that a lot of people don't know about. You could do a whole series just on those five counties. I was in Nottawa a month ago and they have a stone schoolhouse that they are in the process of restoring. I mentioned your channel to the principal of the Nottawa school and he thought it'd be real neat if you could come next year when we do Kidsight and do an episode on Nottawa and the school. Anyway, so many stories. Vandalia, Underground Railroad, Cassopolis, the invention of cat litter. The hymn the Old Rugged Cross was written somewhere around Pokagon. By the way you mentioned at the end that US 12 was originally US 112. That change came about in the early 1960's when I-94 was completed. The original US 12 also is significant as it was the Territorial Road linking Detroit and Chicago. It's also known in Southwest Michigan as Red Arrow Highway. Many of the stories you tell about the Sauk Trail could also apply to Red Arrow Highway. I actually prefer driving it to I-94. Anyway I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for covering Fort St. Joseph. Did you know that they have a summer archaeology camp for those who want to get down and dirty digging for artifacts?
Great video! I was born and raised in the city of Wayne as well as both of my parents and their siblings. It was great to see the historic State Wayne Theater included in your video. I have traveled along US12 many, many times throughout my life. We used to take trips along US12 out to the Irish Hills during the summer when I was young. We also drove US12/Michigan Ave to Detroit for Tiger's games at Old Tiger Stadium at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. US12 is also a great route for motorcycle trips, I take a ride out to Coldwater and back every fall during the color change. Throughout my life, I have lived in several different communities directly on US12, and I really enjoyed learning things about the places I have simply just driven past so many times.
Thanks for another great video of Michigan's history, you two do great coverage of many of the old landmarks and historic sites that most of us never knew of!
I bored my entire family (wife kids) because we were downriver and I took them to see the last physical remnants of the highway. There was some wooden planks and ALOT of complaints!😂
I was born and raised in Michigan and still live here. I never knew this info. Thank you for doing your homework and sharing with us! This was an excellent video!
The last syllable conforms to European pronunciation, so it would make sense that the first syllable would have a European pronunciation as in "sah" instead of "say".
Someone once pronounced my daughter's name Char"lot" instead of Charlotte because the town in Michigan with the same spelling pronounces themselves with a "lot". ;-)
As a fellow michigander I am thoroughly impressed with the insight and thought that you guys put into the history of our state thank you so much for showing the good side of the great state of Michigan
Excellent video! Loved the history of this old trail and thr little towns it passed through. Thank you do much for showing us this beautiful piece of history!
I get Michigan fever every time I watch a Restless Viking video lol. I've been waiting for you guys to do the Sauk Trail! You guys always do such a good job! Thanks for showing me some things I didn't know, hope you guys had a lot of fun cruising 12!
Awesome content! My grandma came over on Ellis Island and started a Greek restaurant in Detroit across from the university. Awesome little bit at the start getting coney dogs with the history! You deserve a lot of subs. Love it
Your reporting about Saline Michigan reminds of the incongruity of the Great Lakes (freshwater) and salt. About 200 miles east of Detroit in Fairport Harbor Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, about 2000 feet down is the Morton Salt mine that produces 12,000 tons of salt a day. I really enjoyed your video and the vicarious road trip.
We just did this trip today after watching your video! We live just South of Kalamazoo, so we started in White Pigeon. What a fun day trip! We added a stop to the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. So much to see in Detroit! Thank You!
My paternal grandmother was born in Moscow, Michigan on the Old Sauk Trail in 1879. Her parents had a store there and they lived above it. Love your channel.
I transplanted from Flint, Michigan to Alaska 23 years ago. I always love seeing these wonderful gems pop up on my feed that take me back to my original home state to learn something new. I'll be taking an extended road trip close to the end of the year down to the states, and will look at US12 from a different perspective when I get there. Thanks for the informative journey!
Apparently the Buffalo made it when they traveled into the more forested areas in winter. It was used so much the trail was compressed a foot deeper than the surrounding ground.
I only heard this once but supposedly there was a major salt lick near Buffalo NY creating a similar "trail". Hence the name Buffalo (which I always had questions about). All these things are eons old so they are of interest to me.
Detroit native here: Your first stop (American) should have been at Lafayette (next door).........really enjoyed this post.............thanks for sharing.
Michigan is awesome !! I was born in Benton Harbor,Michigan in 1952 and lived my first 12 years there. I have an uncle who lived in Niles, Michigan. Great job on the video and you made it a fun trip. Liked and subscribed. Thank you for bringing back some great and yes, old, memories.
We know from research by the University of Michigan and paleontologist Dr. Daniel Fisher that Mastodons migrated from the Huron River watershed down to Fort Wayne Indiana at the head water's of Maumee River seasonally. The higher elevations along the old US 12 would have made a direct route for these great beasts to migrate. During post glacial time native Americans used this natural game trail by way to wander between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. The trail was officially surveyed in 1825, and several native American villages were noted. Growing up in Michigan in the late 1940s and finally driving automobiles in the early 1960s, I traveled along old US 12 many times. I especially enjoyed visiting Wamplers Lake and many of the old roadside attractions that once cluttered the old Sauk Trail as it was once known. I loved visiting the old Brick Walker Tavern from 1854 at Cambridge Junction for many decades. We used to shop at antiquitie stores in Allen and drive to Coldwater for dining. I often thought about how many people used this historic path way over the many millennia. I'm glad to see a video about the history of this amazing thoroughfare!❤
I've always loved rt 12. Grew up by it in Indiana. I drove it from nw Indiana to Pacific coast in Aberdeen. This video reminds me I have to finish up to Detroit one day. Should be a good road trip. This is interesting info on that old path! Thanks
Grew up in Bronson, Mi. Moved to Sturgis, Mi. Currently live in Coldwater, Mi. My life has been spent on the Sauk Trail mainly between the Irish Hills, Mi area, where we frequented as a kid, and White Pigeon, Mi. Awesome video!
I’m from Elkhart but went to WP my junior year. I lived on Indiana lake, in Union, at that time. Graduated ‘01 so would have been 99 ish. I still go out there every now and then for various deliveries from Elkhart.
awesome, i live in coldwater and we love shorts,the capri and our old cemetery,i never knew about "old sam" I swear, ive learned more on this channel than all my years in in school,great history lesson,thanks!
I love your channel. I happen to be walking down on the riverfront one Thursday (?) evening, about a month ago. I saw you two. Please keep creating these interesting and informative episodes!
I’m enjoying this program because it has to do with the area I grew up. I’m from Coldwater. This was the old US 112 when I was a kid. US 12 went through Marshal until I69 was built and then the name changed. I’m glad you are enjoying this. BECAUSE I AM!
Appreciate all the research with a wonderful display of Michigan’s history Drove this route hundreds of times to the years never heard the history story as you have told. Thank you.
Exceptional Michigan history channel! It’s a class act! Sad that more people don’t subscribe to it. It’s definitely worthy! I was born and raised in Michigan, but I haven’t lived there since 1988.
Life Long Niles native here and I enjoyed your well researched video! We live just North of US 12 on the East side of Niles. Much more local history in Niles from our Fort Saint Joseph Museum (former Mansion and City Hall) to the childhood home of Humorist Author Ring Lardner, Arron Montgomery Ward, John and Horace Dodge, and 60's musician Tommy James. We also have one of the oldest paper mills in Michigan (French Paper Mill). We truly enjoy your Michigan travels and history lessons!
I remember fields of sunflowers, on the way to camp in the Irish Hills. Thats when I learned that plants move/ turn towards the sun! With an adult daughter & friends, we drove from just North of Chicago (@ a Renaissance Festival in Wisconsin) and drove U.S 12 all of the way back to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, 1 mile west of Lake St. Claire...between Lake Huron & Lake Erie.
Praise be to the algorithm for putting this on my feed.
Not really.
Screw the Algorithm, People can do much much better without the watchfull eye of big brother. Just a decent search function free from outside interference is all that is required. Anything else should be on a optional basis. Give control to the People, not the bureaucrat on a power trip.
I was born in Detroit, grew up in Redford Township, moved to Ypsilanti when I was 20 and got married and moved to superior township near ypsi for 6 years. Then my wife and I moved to Manitou Beach/Devils Lake near Irish Hills, Brooklyn, Cambridge Junction, Jonesville, North Adams, Addison, Allen, Coldwater, and more. We have live here for 45 year. I'm 75 and my wife is 73. We have been married for 52 years. I just realized that, thanks to your video, our lives have played out along the Sauk Trail! Thank you for the wonderful video.
Nice.
Nice.
In the 50s the glove box door was the "eating surface", and cup holders were shallow depressions stamped into the back of said door.
Exactly. Still in vehicles in the 70s!
I had forgotten that. What a handy use of space before so many cars had consoles.
I remember that
We have a old state police post in CadillacMichigan the police used this post up until about 20 years ago the is privately owned now a business owns it
I remember!!!
Detroit is fun. Who knew? Nice people. Nice-looking buildings. Lots of history and art. Professional sports. Good food. Lots of high tech stuff. Went there for other business and went with dread, but was surprised by what a cool place it was.
Agreed. Detroit (and Cleveland) are places that get a bum rap from the media, much of it left over from the years when both were truly bad. Cleveland is ahead of the game, having long ago rebuilt itself into a diverse city with lots of amenities. Detroit still has a away to go but it heading in the right direction. At its core are a bunch of great community organizations and creative people and entrepreneurs who love the place. In many respects, these two cities are now more livable than the supposed "cool" cities like those the West Coast and the Sun Belt. Costs are much lower, crime is down, people are low-key and welcoming.
@@janoswimpffen7305 Yes, Cleveland is the same way. You can find decent communities to live in there that feel neighborhood and affordable. They have good transit. The art museum and medical there is tops in the world. There are good pro-teams there baseball and football. The Rock Hall of Frame brings a lot of top groups. Good schools and good universities. Plus there are great people and great restaurants. Both places you can make a life there that is INTERESTING. The older I get the more I like the Midwest cities and the people in them. The rest of the country has no idea.
@@eottoe2001 "The rest of the country has no idea." HOPE IT STAYS THAT WAY 😆
Detroit and cleveland are dumps and still will be.
I knew and Know because I grew up there...US Highway 12 Michigan Avenue! 😮
I went to Sauk Trail Public School in Park Forest IL when I was a boy. I did not know that there was a real Sauk Trail between Detroit and the west for so many years, and with such a rich history. Thank you.
I attended Dogwood elementary , Westwood junior high and rich east high school . Dogwood elementary burned down rich east was closed due to dwindling attendance the only one left is Westwood junior high . Lived there in the 60s and early 70s it was a great place to grow up . I remember many days with my friends playing in the forest preserve .
It's a real shame this was not taught 2 u when u were in attendence
@ we did too!
You weren't taught the meaning of the name of the school you attended? Your history teacher, your civics teacher, no one ever covered it?
Not the same thing. Sauk trail in Park Forest is not US 12. Check the internet about it ❤
Because Michigan ave was designed for horses, there is a city every 10 miles as horses need a break every ten miles
Learn something everyday. Now tht you mentioned, I followed 12/michigan ave. On my google maps to Chicago because my friends & family didn’t believe me tht it stretched from here to the chi. I noticed cities every so often. 👍🏾
Out west, cities are every 30 miles or so, because that's the distance the old steam trains were able to go before needing water. The railroad brought in stops at often uninhabited areas with no value other than the well that was dug for it, some of these stops turned into towns, which eventually led to them being connected by highways and interstates. Other stops faded into obscurity, and can only be found by looking at big gaps between towns and narrowing down their location. The remnants of wood or adobe structures can sometimes be seen, and in rare cases, the well can be found and explored. They were rather large wells with steps going down to the water table and reinforced like a mine would be, and they did this so they could keep tabs on the water level and maintain the leathers (pump seals) for the windmill. Workers would take breaks down there during the summer, as it was a nice 70F down there in the middle of 110F summers.
Lived in Detroit my entire life… 65 years - never knew most of what you shared… THANK YOU,😊
Same with me. 64 and didn’t know it. Something to do this summer.
Thank you for doing this journey and logging this history. I have a little to add to it. Michigan was explored and first settled by the French from Quebec (Quebecois). My fifth great-grandfather was delivering supplies and picking up furs in 1756. His on, my fourth great-grandfather settled near Detroit (Swan Creek) and built a church there. grandfather (1901-1974) was a chiropractic pioneer and Henry Ford's only doctor for years. Through a tip from Ford, my grandfather bought Bundy Hill on Hiwy 12 near Jerome (south of Jackson), which was the highest point in southern Michigan. 11:46 - (This photo you flash is Bundy Hill). There was a tower on it and even a small zoo and a restaurant with a gas station. My dad ran the gas station. My grandfather turned the restaurant in the photo into his home and office and built another restaurant out of the lumber from the tower. My grandmother ran a smorgasbord there called "The Olso Inn" during the 1940s and my father and later my uncle practiced there for many years. The restaurant was very popular. My grandfather sold Bundy Hill itself to a gravel company and I understand that it was used to repave the Chigaco-Detoit Highway, as it was called then. My father moved the family to California in 1952 and I grew up there. Among other things, I now know why my cousin was addicted to Coney Island Hotdogs!
I grew up near Bundy Hill. Thanks for the history lesson.
Such a cool read! Thanks for sharing! 🩵
Interesting! Bundy Hill is a privately owned off road park today in the remnants of that gravel pit you spoke of.
@@deaddocreallydeaddoc5244 such an awesome story!! Thank you!!
Damn, you got money. I know a guy who is several generations French, here in Michigan. I forget exactly what he said, but it was that most of them went down the Mississippi to New Orleans.
Chuck and Poppins, you have outdone yourselves on this one. FASCINATING! is all I can say. Thank you both so much for your dedication to our history and detail of that history.
There is an old story about the early Sauk trail. It was so muddy. A man saw a hat in the middle of the road. He got a long stick and picked up the hat. Under it was a head!
He said "Do you need help?"
The man said "No thanks, I have a good horse under me."
Ha! I've never heard that story.
😂
Yes! I was a Boy Scout in the Sauk Trail district! My Dad was born in the Irish Hills.
Being a former Michigander, living out in Cali, it warms my heart to see your series. I can almost smell the country side you pass through ( worked on Mackinac island the summer of 1976 as a teenager) and this brings back such memories you can't even believe. Thank you so much, only wish these were even LONGER, as your reporting brings so much joy, almost sad when they end. See you on the next adventure.
Let me ask ya something... Is there anywhere in California you can find a decent pasty? Do they even have pastys out californee way?
I've learned more Michigan history on this channel the the 26 years I spent growing up there. Can't wait for the next video.
Thanks for stopping by Salt Springs Park and glad you enjoyed our local history!
Ok, I was going to point out the mis-pronunciation of 'sun-lean'--that the city's name is pronounced differently than the word for a salt and water solution--but if you're being nice about it, I'll follow your lead.
You missed the Old Tavern Inn located north of Niles, it was on the original trail. Old Tavern Inn is a small restaurant that is recognized by the State of Michigan as being the oldest business in Michigan still operating in its original building. It was founded in 1835
OH, WOW, a Michigan History Channel. I've died and gone to heaven. Thanks, subbed.
This video just popped up on my feed and I’m glad it did. You obviously did a lot of research in order to make this video. I’m 74 years old and can remember historical spots of local interest that eventuallly just faded away by being overgrown with vegetation or just plowed up. Remember being told of towns that had thousands of people during the Mormon era that are now just fields of crops. Thanks on preserving history thru your videos.
Another great video Chuck and Poppins! As a native Michigander I just can't get enough of Michigan history!
Thanks Steve!
Wasn't going to watch this in its entirety but did. Had no idea of how much history is on one road in Michigan. Very good history lesson and well put together video. Subbed.
Thanks! Keep these videos coming. You make me homesick for my state of Michigan even though I only live 12 miles away from the state line and part of the Saulk trail is nearby running towards Chicago. I found Niles Michigan a really interesting place to visit a number of years ago - it’s history would amaze anybody The two of you make history come alive in a way that is so approachable thank you again.
Thanks Denny!!
Damn! I have driven a lot of miles on US 12 and hardly knew ANY of this! Thanks!
Same here , miles and miles every day burying fiber optic lines. Very interesting!
I love Michigan
we spent our summer driving across most of the U.S. From Alberta Canada And by far had the best times in Michigan,and we have seen over 1000 dollar generals. What gives.? you guys are great.
I am a lifelong Niles resident. I drive on US-12 every day. This gives me so much more perspective on my local history in conjunction with what my grandfather used to teach me. Thanks for the info!! ❤❤❤
Thank you. I go to Hog Creek Antique Barn on US 12 frequently. Also go to Coldwater. I lived in the Irish Hills for 43 years. Since my husband passed away I sold our home and moved to Adrian. Lots of history. 🙂
@@user-yn7on7ou8n 89 Wildcat here. Any connection to the class year? I miss Bear's Lair
Go Bulldogs!
@@robynsnest8668 09 wildcat here 👍
When I was a kid growing up in the South Bend area, the Michigan "welcome centers" were the liquor stores across the state line where you could play the lottery and buy beer on Sunday, both of which you couldn't do in Indiana in the 1980's. Now the welcome center is the cannabis shop but we're still crossing that line for something that's illegal in Indiana.
Flashing light going into Niles
I'm from Benton Harbor
Thank you for this. I’m 73 a native of Michigan and I find this so interesting
thanks for the history lessen , at 74 I thought I knew Michigan history, still learning😊
WOOHOO at 54 in California, I know almost nothing of that area, but fascinating to hear it now!!!👏👏
Let’s hope it didn’t lessen you.
Great video, proud of my family’s history along US12, from White Pigeon, Mottville, Union and Edwardsburg… we lived along this famous trail for over 200 years.. Have a great day
I’ve spent most my life in Sturgis so I know what you mean.
I grew up on the old Sauk Trail, just outside of Jonesville. Thanks for highlighting this part of our history!
Thank you for your service, "old sam".
22:30 - I love that Old Sam has a recently placed flag.
Amen.
You guys do such a great job and make me proud to be a Michigander. I appreciate you guys so much!
Love it! I've been doing a lot of running around the five county toe of Southwest Michigan (Cass, St. Joseph, Berrien, Van Buren, and Kalamazoo Counties) as part of the Lions Club Project Kidsight which does free vision screening in schools, and there are so many small towns that have so many cool stories that a lot of people don't know about. You could do a whole series just on those five counties. I was in Nottawa a month ago and they have a stone schoolhouse that they are in the process of restoring. I mentioned your channel to the principal of the Nottawa school and he thought it'd be real neat if you could come next year when we do Kidsight and do an episode on Nottawa and the school. Anyway, so many stories. Vandalia, Underground Railroad, Cassopolis, the invention of cat litter. The hymn the Old Rugged Cross was written somewhere around Pokagon.
By the way you mentioned at the end that US 12 was originally US 112. That change came about in the early 1960's when I-94 was completed. The original US 12 also is significant as it was the Territorial Road linking Detroit and Chicago. It's also known in Southwest Michigan as Red Arrow Highway. Many of the stories you tell about the Sauk Trail could also apply to Red Arrow Highway. I actually prefer driving it to I-94. Anyway I really enjoy your channel. Thank you for covering Fort St. Joseph. Did you know that they have a summer archaeology camp for those who want to get down and dirty digging for artifacts?
Thanks!
Thanks!
Very interesting video! Glad it showed up on my feed. I can forsee a binge of Restless Viking vids for me tonight!
You guys are fantastic. Thank you for doing this. I learned a lot! The Sauk Trail is now on my to-do list of weekend trips in Lower Michigan.
Great video! I was born and raised in the city of Wayne as well as both of my parents and their siblings. It was great to see the historic State Wayne Theater included in your video. I have traveled along US12 many, many times throughout my life. We used to take trips along US12 out to the Irish Hills during the summer when I was young. We also drove US12/Michigan Ave to Detroit for Tiger's games at Old Tiger Stadium at the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. US12 is also a great route for motorcycle trips, I take a ride out to Coldwater and back every fall during the color change. Throughout my life, I have lived in several different communities directly on US12, and I really enjoyed learning things about the places I have simply just driven past so many times.
The Capri Drive-In is a gem. I highly recommend going with a carload of people. Good food, great times!
Been there many times.😅
Good video. Born and raised in Detroit. I am in love with its history
I love the Michigan History stuff! I took a class on this at EMU. Great to see how things look nowadays!
So much history in such a short video! Thank you both - you are excellent presenters.
Hey guys, this is beautiful. Thank you for doing this. Really appreciate it.
Thanks for another great video of Michigan's history, you two do great coverage of many of the old landmarks and historic sites that most of us never knew of!
You just chose few. There is so much more. Thank you for memories.
First time I have seen your channel. I have lived in MI all my life so you’re channel is very interesting to me. Thanks.
I bored my entire family (wife kids) because we were downriver and I took them to see the last physical remnants of the highway. There was some wooden planks and ALOT of complaints!😂
Let them complain, you were doing important things 💁
My dad took us on week-end to all kinds of places in Indiana. Most people miss so much!!
I was born and raised in Michigan and still live here. I never knew this info. Thank you for doing your homework and sharing with us! This was an excellent video!
Thank you for taking us along on this trip. Much appreciated!!!
You guys are awesome thanks for the true history of Michigan
You keep saying Say lean. We say SuLean. Or S’ lean For Saline Michigan. Love your video. Thanks for doing the research
Is Saline Michigan salty?
> 10:06 <
I would think to say " say-lean". Thanks for the local pronunciation.
The last syllable conforms to European pronunciation, so it would make sense that the first syllable would have a European pronunciation as in "sah" instead of "say".
Next time I talk about someone or a pet getting saline solution, I'm going to pronounce it "S'Lean" just to get the nurse's reaction 😂
😂🤣
Someone once pronounced my daughter's name Char"lot" instead of Charlotte because the town in Michigan with the same spelling pronounces themselves with a "lot". ;-)
Wonderful and inspiring storytelling of the history for a road. Loved all the researched details. The UA-cam recommendations brought me here.
As a fellow michigander I am thoroughly impressed with the insight and thought that you guys put into the history of our state thank you so much for showing the good side of the great state of Michigan
Excellent video! Loved the history of this old trail and thr little towns it passed through. Thank you do much for showing us this beautiful piece of history!
I lived most of my life in the Irish Hills. Very cool to see again
What a great story teller,!! Thanks
Well now, now i know. Fascinating, thank you.
🍻
Great job! That was so informative! Lots of familiar sites and so much I didn’t know about a route I’ve traveled various spans of most of my life!
Always appreciate your videos. Nothing better than a frosty mug at an actual A&W Root beer.
I grew up about a mile north of US 12 in the southwest corner of Michigan. Kind of fun to see a video about it.
Been trying to find a good channel like this with well researched history, thank you for your efforts. Subscribed!
I get Michigan fever every time I watch a Restless Viking video lol. I've been waiting for you guys to do the Sauk Trail! You guys always do such a good job! Thanks for showing me some things I didn't know, hope you guys had a lot of fun cruising 12!
Very nice of you to say! Thanks!
Absolutely amazing and well done video, Thank you for a very informative presentation
So interesting I’m glad I watched this video nowadays you don’t even know that there is real history right around the corner thank you for this
The state police building brings back memories of my Michigan childhood. They were all exactly like that.
Awesome content! My grandma came over on Ellis Island and started a Greek restaurant in Detroit across from the university. Awesome little bit at the start getting coney dogs with the history! You deserve a lot of subs. Love it
It's still there. I used to eat there all the time
Your reporting about Saline Michigan reminds of the incongruity of the Great Lakes (freshwater) and salt. About 200 miles east of Detroit in Fairport Harbor Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie, about 2000 feet down is the Morton Salt mine that produces 12,000 tons of salt a day. I really enjoyed your video and the vicarious road trip.
Another great video of our Michigan history. Thank you.
Oh my, you were in my hometown! How very cool. Thank you for this video on US12.
We just did this trip today after watching your video! We live just South of Kalamazoo, so we started in White Pigeon. What a fun day trip! We added a stop to the Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. So much to see in Detroit! Thank You!
Very Awesome! We've visited the Polish Art Center in Cedar often - great place!
What's say: we all vote??
Citizens of USA of course
My paternal grandmother was born in Moscow, Michigan on the Old Sauk Trail in 1879. Her parents had a store there and they lived above it. Love your channel.
Going to A&W and getting a Rootbeer Float brought to your window was a treat for me as a kid in the early ‘70s.
Buchanan, MI, had a Dog ‘n’ Suds across the road from the A&W! Heaven.
I transplanted from Flint, Michigan to Alaska 23 years ago. I always love seeing these wonderful gems pop up on my feed that take me back to my original home state to learn something new. I'll be taking an extended road trip close to the end of the year down to the states, and will look at US12 from a different perspective when I get there. Thanks for the informative journey!
Apparently the Buffalo made it when they traveled into the more forested areas in winter. It was used so much the trail was compressed a foot deeper than the surrounding ground.
I only heard this once but supposedly there was a major salt lick near Buffalo NY creating a similar "trail". Hence the name Buffalo (which I always had questions about). All these things are eons old so they are of interest to me.
Oh you left out the Coney War between Lafayette and American Coney Island. Thank you for sharing the awesome information. Thank you
Well done. Thanks for taking us along and revealing the history of US12.
Detroit native here: Your first stop (American) should have been at Lafayette (next door).........really enjoyed this post.............thanks for sharing.
What a wonderful video, thank you for all the effort it took to make this video, thanks 😊
Great topic and great video. Thank you
Fascinating history!!!!! Well done you got a new sub and like. You two make a great team. I wish you well in doing what you love! Bravo
Favorite Michigan History channel.
Michigan is awesome !!
I was born in Benton Harbor,Michigan in 1952 and lived my first 12 years there.
I have an uncle who lived in Niles, Michigan.
Great job on the video and you made it a fun trip.
Liked and subscribed.
Thank you for bringing back some great and yes, old, memories.
The southwest is so beautiful. Lived here my whole life, can't leave.
Another great video, thanks for taking us along❤
Puremichigan should be having you produce there commercials, your content is so good.
Except for the music👎
As a local, I am very impressed with your video. Beautifully done and very informative.
I never knew the Spanish flag flew over Michigan territory!
We know from research by the University of Michigan and paleontologist Dr. Daniel Fisher that Mastodons migrated from the Huron River watershed down to Fort Wayne Indiana at the head water's of Maumee River seasonally. The higher elevations along the old US 12 would have made a direct route for these great beasts to migrate. During post glacial time native Americans used this natural game trail by way to wander between Lake Erie and Lake Michigan. The trail was officially surveyed in 1825, and several native American villages were noted. Growing up in Michigan in the late 1940s and finally driving automobiles in the early 1960s, I traveled along old US 12 many times. I especially enjoyed visiting Wamplers Lake and many of the old roadside attractions that once cluttered the old Sauk Trail as it was once known. I loved visiting the old Brick Walker Tavern from 1854 at Cambridge Junction for many decades. We used to shop at antiquitie stores in Allen and drive to Coldwater for dining. I often thought about how many people used this historic path way over the many millennia. I'm glad to see a video about the history of this amazing thoroughfare!❤
I've always loved rt 12. Grew up by it in Indiana. I drove it from nw Indiana to Pacific coast in Aberdeen. This video reminds me I have to finish up to Detroit one day. Should be a good road trip. This is interesting info on that old path! Thanks
Grew up in Bronson, Mi. Moved to Sturgis, Mi. Currently live in Coldwater, Mi. My life has been spent on the Sauk Trail mainly between the Irish Hills, Mi area, where we frequented as a kid, and White Pigeon, Mi. Awesome video!
Another. Bronson person here!
Thank you. White Pigeon person here. Oh thank you so much for this. The stories I could tell you.
I’m from Elkhart but went to WP my junior year. I lived on Indiana lake, in Union, at that time. Graduated ‘01 so would have been 99 ish. I still go out there every now and then for various deliveries from Elkhart.
Loved every minute of this adventure guys. Thank you so much for taking me along. Bravo !
awesome, i live in coldwater and we love shorts,the capri and our old cemetery,i never knew about "old sam" I swear, ive learned more on this channel than all my years in in school,great history lesson,thanks!
I love your channel. I happen to be walking down on the riverfront one Thursday (?) evening, about a month ago. I saw you two. Please keep creating these interesting and informative episodes!
I’m enjoying this program because it has to do with the area I grew up. I’m from Coldwater. This was the old US 112 when I was a kid. US 12 went through Marshal until I69 was built and then the name changed. I’m glad you are enjoying this. BECAUSE I AM!
Thank you for sharing . Love the little known simple things . Glues everything together
The hot dog place you passed at 8:11 is a hidden gem. Bills Hot Dogs if you’re ever in Ypsi.
Paused and came here just to say that, and the root beer 🫠
Only 3 items on the menu at Bill's: 1. Hot Dog with or without Chili
2. Bill's homemade Root Beer
3. Small bag of Lays Original Potato Chips
I enjoyed every moment of this video. I’m a Michigander living in the Caribbean and I miss home. 💜Thank you so much.
Appreciate all the research with a wonderful display of Michigan’s history
Drove this route hundreds of times to the years never heard the history story as you have told. Thank you.
Exceptional Michigan history channel! It’s a class act! Sad that more people don’t subscribe to it. It’s definitely worthy! I was born and raised in Michigan, but I haven’t lived there since 1988.
Ty,for example
Life Long Niles native here and I enjoyed your well researched video! We live just North of US 12 on the East side of Niles.
Much more local history in Niles from our Fort Saint Joseph Museum (former Mansion and City Hall) to the childhood home of Humorist Author Ring Lardner, Arron Montgomery Ward, John and Horace Dodge, and 60's musician Tommy James. We also have one of the oldest paper mills in Michigan (French Paper Mill).
We truly enjoy your Michigan travels and history lessons!
Me too! (live on Niles Eastside)
I remember fields of sunflowers, on the way to camp in the Irish Hills. Thats when I learned that plants move/ turn towards the sun! With an adult daughter & friends, we drove from just North of Chicago (@ a Renaissance Festival in Wisconsin) and drove U.S 12 all of the way back to Grosse Pointe Woods, Michigan, 1 mile west of Lake St. Claire...between Lake Huron & Lake Erie.
Outstanding video. One of the best channels on UA-cam!