Alexis Dahl,you are a born teacher. You tell about things in an engaging way,and that is a gift from God. I don't know if you've considered that,but it's apparent to me
Thanks, Donald! That's really kind of you. I don't know if traditional K-12 teaching is for me (mostly because there's so much that goes into being a teacher besides just the "teaching" part), but I do love helping people understand fascinating things! Videos have been a great outlet for that, but I imagine I'll end up applying that interest in another way someday. 🙂
"There's no point in looking cute if you get frostbite kids", is the most Michigan thing ever. Loving your content, thanks so much for sharing your story telling talent and love for the Mittin.
A few clarifications: the amusement park was located near the current boat launch, not by the beach. The sandstone powerhouse is still standing but has been converted into a house. The ruins of the dock are still standing near the 90 degree bend in the road where the road turns from Jacobsville towards the beach. The Pilgrim "party barge" (was the first boat shown in your movie) is sunken and visible a few hundred feet from shore, as well as the ruins of another steamship that burned and sank. There used to be a sidewalk visible from the dock (near the bend in the road), but I believe it was destroyed when water pipes for fire fighting were installed. There is a book by Clarence Monet about Jacobsville that has more pictures of the Amusement park buildings (saloon, etc.) I believe MTU archives also has these pictures. And finally - a few small cottages from the White City park were moved to local camps, and I believe the dance pavilion was moved to the Dreamland Bar property.
Fun story, literally :) Thank you. Reminds me of Edgewater Amusement Park on Seven Mile Road in NW Detroit when I was growing up. I'll have to research places like Edgewater, Bob-Lo Island, and Moony's near Tawas city. One summer night when I was seven yo and my brother was 12 yo, He woke me up in the middle of the night and said, "Let's go for a bike ride". I got dressed, then we climbed out an upstairs window, shinnied down a pipe, and rode our bikes up to Seven Mile. It was surreal zig zagging down Seven Mile in the wee hours, with no cars in sight. Never happened before or since. Fun times.
Also reminded me of Edgewater Park. We went there on High School Band trips. The park was a lot of fun but was starting to show its age in the mid 60s.
We had a park similar to this in Canton, Ohio, Meyer’s Lake. It was associated with the trolley company.as a little girl, I rode the wooden rollercoaster (my mom almost murdered my dad for taking us.) years later as a competitive marathon swimmer, I would train in Meyer’s Lake. As the years went by, and the Zebra Mussels increased, I could see the bottom. It was then that I realized that famous coaster was at the bottom of the lake!
Whoa! What a plot twist at the end there! Thanks for sharing this. That's super cool! (I mean, not so cool about the zebra mussels, but the fact that you found the roller coaster at the bottom of the lake is wild!)
Reminds me of Boblo where I went to as a child, boats and all. Also reminds me of Walled Lake Amusement Park that was before my time, but was in Walled Lake, just 3 miles away from where I live now.
Rochester, NY has an amusement park, Sea Breeze, which has never achieved a level of success like Cedar Point, but has held on as a small beloved hometown attraction. I was curious after watching your video, so I looked up its history, and it was started by a railroad company.
Small amusement parks were definitely more plentiful back then and definitely had close ties to public transportation. It was a great way to get people to ride the rails. There was an amusement park on an island in Lake Orion, Michigan. It was a short ferry ride from the train station near the downtown area.
I grew up in Lake Linden and have been enjoying watching all your Keweenaw videos, but this one made me miss home the most! My friends and I spent a lot of summer days out at White City jumping off the pier into the channel (that side is usually warmer than the Lake Superior beach side). Great video. Keep 'em coming!
Aw, that sounds incredible! What a good way to spend a summer. Thanks for the kind words on this one! Especially since you're so familiar with the area, it means a lot!
@@AlexisDahl Although the singing sand video at Bete Gris was also great since we have a camp on Lake Superior just down the shore on the other side of the irons. I think only visiting the UP once a year isn't fulfilling my Yooper fix, lol.
@@alexmacdonald395 Ha ha, that's totally fair. Even for a casual visitor, it feels like there's so much more to do up here than you can fit into one (typical-length) trip!
@@AlexisDahl That's a very old lighthouse. Nice video, have you ever heard of Jon Levi or My Lunch Break? That have content on older buildings that have fraudulent history's and are actually much older. That lighthouse sure looks like one. Check them out, I think it would be of interest to you.
You are just filled with so many enlightening and often fun filled stories. It makes me want to visit all of these places in Michigan. Michigan ought to pay you for the wonderful work you do. I can't think of a better representative. And that's from an Ohioan! Thanks,
I grew up passing through what was labeled "the most beautiful city in illinois"! Today it's nearly a ghost town and a "drive thru" area, similar to how the mideast is called "flyover". So nothing good stays forever! Great stuff!!
White city is not the only lost amusement park in Michigan, Silver beach park in 1971, Pleasure Island in Muskegon Mi closed in 1997 Boblo Island closed in 1993
What i like most about your channel is that the videos are timeless. I like when videos mostly or entirely lack current affairs as, at least for me, makes rewatching a history/informative video less enticing. I also put on one of your videos expecting my gf to see it as another one of my nerdy learning videos and she loves your channel now 😂
As a NorthWest MI resident, I thought when I saw the thumbnail about " What happened to White City?" - I thought you were going to say " Now it's called Traverse City"..... 😅😉
Looks like a cool place to visit -- and I can imagine that cold wind off the lake! 🌬️🥶 As for transit amusement parks, our local streetcar company (Twin City Rapid Transit, aka Twin City Lines) ran _three_ parks like that. The longest-lived was Wildwood on White Bear Lake (1889-1932 -- the Depression killed it), while the shortest-lived was Big Island Park in the middle of Lake Minnetonka (1906-1911 -- high operating costs and a couple of cool summers killed it). In between was Wonderland, at E Lake St and S 31st Ave (1905-1911 -- killed by the same cool summers as Big Island, plus rising land values as that part of Minneapolis developed). Wildwood is completely gone, though a neighborhood of the same name exists around the site in Mahtomedi. Big Island Park became a veterans' campground in the '20s, then a public park in 2003; ruins of walkways and foundations still exist. Wonderland was sold to developers in 1912, and its only surviving building is the infantorium,* which became an apartment building at E 31st St and S 31st Ave. Also, one other thing that survived a while from Big Island Park was the "streetcar boats", small steamboats that were styled and painted like TCRT's trolley cars. They shuttled people around the many bays and inlets of Lake Minnetonka until 1926, when rising car ownership meant not enough people were riding them. All the boats were eventually scrapped and sunk in the lake, but one -- the _Minnehaha_ -- was raised in the 1980s and restored in the 1990s. It runs as a historic attraction in the summers now. (And apologies if this double-posts at some point. UA-cam seemingly ate an earlier version of this comment when I tried to edit it.) * where babies in incubators were exhibited to coo and ahh over -- yes, these were a thing for a while back then, and were one way families afforded preemie care.
Ha ha, yes, absolutely! The wind was not messing around that day. This is super cool! Thanks for sharing this story. It's really neat to hear about other places like this. Also, oh my gosh, I had no idea infantoriums were ever a thing. That is... wild, to say the least. I'm glad it could provide a service to those families, but... huh!
Hehehe, now you know the bitter cold of Michigan, and why we eventually left, lol. But it's still a nice place to live if you know how to bundle up, before heading outside. And are willing to wait until the roads clear, and you don't have 4 feet of snow or more. I was worried it would be a video about the World's Fair, "White City" in Chicago, and the unpleasantness that happened there. Geography wasn't my best subject... Nice snow shoes. :)
I understand why the cold would drive you away! Some days, it's a lot! 🙂 That's very true, though: Winter gear and snow tires are two of my favorite things these days. (Also, that's fair! I got the sense that a lot of amusement parks ultimately drew their name from Chicago, so believe there are a few other White Cities beyond this as well.)
I'm starting to think you're a Michigander, Alexis :). My maternal ancestors lived on the shores of Lake Superior for a few generations. Before that, they were living near Oulu Finland for at least a couple hundred years. Your videos bring back memories. Thank you!
Again, a very interesting video. This video inspired me to look up Edgewater Park (in Detroit), which I used to visit often as a kid in the 1950s because my grandfather worked there. Apparently, it too closed (in 1981), although I don't expect it left much of a view and, despite the name, no lighthouse, either. :-) Still, thanks for the inspiration.
I'm glad you got to take a trip down memory lane! I don't know anything about Edgewater Park beyond what you've told me, but it sounds like visiting it as a kid would've been a blast. 🙂
I remember Edgewater Park from the mid-60s. Our marching band took a fun day trip there. It was starting to show its age but it was still a fun day. Also, thanks for mentioning the Anishinaabek - boozhoo.
As somebody who grew up in "The Entry" (Chassell side), I love seeing anything referring to White City. I was lucky enough to get my wedding photos taken in the lighthouse in 2018. Quite the climb up to the top and a very awesome view!! Thank you for a great video!
@@countrystyleribs2876 It was in decent shape in 2018, looked like nothing that a good scraping, primer and paint couldn't fix. It's now up for auction through the end of August.
Oh, man, thank you! That's such a meaningful comment. ☺️ I'm genuinely very excited to check out some of your work, too! It looks like you've covered some really cool geology stories.
Thanks! And huh, interesting! I've been sharing a video (roughly) once every two weeks, so maybe UA-cam is just up to its usual shenanigans. 🤷 To try and get around that, I send out a quick e-mail every time I share a new video - the link is in the description if that's useful for you!
There used to be a White City on the south end of Lake Gogebic and the road to White City is Stage Coach Road which is still there. Long Story Short: Nearest Train Stop, got off train and got on stage coach for your ride to White City for fishing on Lake Gogebic Tourists. The Last Stage Coach Robbery was committed on Stage Coach Rd near White City, On Lake Gogebic.
Very cool. I can't imagine all the hundreds of little places like the around Michigan that have been lost to time that most people will never know about. Well, except White City. :)
It's true! There's so much history here, stretching back thousands of years. I know I'll really only ever be able to scratch the surface, but I'll be asking plenty of questions along the way. 🙂
There are many lost amusement parks in Michigan - Ramona Park in Grand Rapids for one. Maybe the oldest is the Seven Islands Resort in Grand Ledge. It predates all the others and started as a sort of rustic spa retreat. You might like seeing the sandstone cliffs along the Grand River. While there is basically nothing left of the resort, the history is interesting. You mentioned the "dance pavilion". There was a time when huge dance pavilions or palladiums or casinos were all over the state. Now only a handful remain
I really loved your intro! Even though I had read the title it added a nice sense of suspense and mystery! I also really liked how you touched on so many of the topics from past videos including the light houses and the Jacobsville Sandstone. Maybe you should more clearly plug them in the video and or description? Just an idea. The end shots of the waves in front of the mountains were really amazing as well! Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Randall! I appreciate it! I had a lot of fun with the intro. (Also, thanks for mentioning the video plugs! There were supposed to be a couple of cards that popped up mid-video, but it looks like they didn't save. Those will be up shortly, though! Glad you mentioned it. 🙂)
Thanks, Rae! And that's totally fair. White City is definitely a bit out of the way compared to... most other things in the Keweenaw... if you're driving. (I definitely see why steamships were the way to go!)
You should do a video on the geology of the Straits of Mackinac. Numerous sea stacks, a giant under water canyon and a under water waterfall that would rival Niagra Falls. Plus it would give you an excuse to check out Mackinac Island, St.Ignace and Mackinaw City.
It's been so cold in the great lakes area recently- I've been hating walking even the 20 feet into school, so I really admire the devotion to actually go film something... brrr! 🥶
Sun Valley ski resort was established near Ketchum, Idaho by the Union Pacific Railroad at the end of their branch line railroad that used to serve the mining area. The railroad has been torn up, but the ski resort is still there.
Thanks, Vincent! The Huron Mountains have been on my list for a while! I haven't been able to track down a great source about how they formed, but I've been keeping an eye out. 🙂
Ha ha, oh, boy. It was... very windy. The stabilization feature on Adobe Premiere saved a few of these shots, for sure! There were calm(-ish) moments, but I think the gusts were somewhere around 30mph. 😅 I am happy to say that I couldn't feel it through my layers, though!
Damn fine video Alexis it looked really cold there....as they say....what happens in White City stays in White City 🤣🤣.....quick question did you paint the pictures behind you on the sofa?
@@petermoran7582 Shucks, thank you! 🙂 It's the one painting that permanently hangs over our couch! (I steal the others from various places to fill in the background on filming day, ha ha.)
It's so cool to learn bits of interesting history and to experience immersion in times and places I'll probably never get to visit. Thanks, Alexis! Also, those shots of the snow sweeping wind and of the snowy beach sand were otherworldly 🤩
Aw, thank YOU! That's really meaningful. One thing I think a lot while writing and filming is "How can I give people a sense of what it's like to be here?" - so I'm glad some of that comes through. Also, yes! The beach becomes a whole 'nother place in the winter. For me, it's always worth bundling up for!
It was customary for train companies to build amusement parks at the shore. It created a lot of ticket sales when they turned the end of the line into a destination. Before that, no one bought tickets to ride between the last stop and the turn around, but they speculated that people would buy tickets to go to a park which would be conveniently located at the end of the line. Following that same logic, White City became a destination.
In the summer, when in the water, there is all kinds of block cut stone.. almost too close to the surface of the water. You have to go around the boat parties 😂
Alexis, if you have the time and the motivation, would you (please) consider a series of videos speaking about America's greatest telescopes: optical (refractors, reflectors, single and multiple mirrored telescopes, new being designed 40-meter (and larger) telescopes (and perhaps some discussion about Americas SPACE telescopes) - telescopes on American soil and American telescopes located abroad), along with America's radio telescopes. Sorry about my rambling: Science is my thing and you elucidate it perfectly. Don't change a thing: your method of speaking, smiling, laughing - teaching is about having fun with it. The days of dry boring factual methodology (at some colleges and universities). , is even now, giving way to lighter lectures. As a university professor, it's difficult to change our ways of dissemination, but education is an evolving science, and we must engage change. What works for one professor, is a failure for another. You, young lady, as another commenter made note, you 'are' a (natural and gifted) teacher. I do not know your career path, but I am going to 'guesstimate' that you have a career ahead in giving lectures - historical, general, perhaps scientific, but you do have a gift. Great work - excellent. (oh yes, and thank you.)
hey alexis! been loving binging your videos! i want to visit the shores of lake superior, and just relax for a weekend. where (roughly) would you reccomend? (i am 4 hour+ drive away). or love the videos! i really appreciate them!
The demise of White city came after the end of sandstone quarrying in Jacobsville. I believe the name White city referred to a display at the world’s fair in Chicago 1893. It also influenced building and architecture which made sandstone buildings seem dated. So in some ways White city caused the demise of the nearby quarries.
For a future video, can you take us to the Crestview Park and Freda Park locations where passengers were dropped off? I've been to Freda ruins, but I could not find where Freda Park used to be using the postcard photos that I've seen. It would be really need to see where Freda Park is in relation to the Freda Ruins.
I can definitely look into it! It sounds like I might need to get a historian involved to find the exact spot, but I can add this to my list of topics to look into. Thanks for the suggestion!
If I remember correctly, the Freda Park is south of the ruins. I was agate hunting approximately twenty years ago, and saw the old park from the beach. I talked to a local resident who was walking their dog on the beach, and they mentioned that they lived near the Freda Park. They said the owner of the land the park was located on wanted nothing to do with allowing strangers access to view the old site. It seems to be the norm around Upper Michigan, which is why so much history gets lost as time goes on. Thanks to people like Alexis, much of it is kept alive.
@@AlexisDahl You can now play an old timey Yooper game, Snowshoe Wiffle Ball. Paint the ball some neon color. Everybody wears snowshoes except the batter. Batter hits, puts on snowshoes and starts out towards first. FUN!!😁
At 1:28 I did a double take because hey, thats the mt holly ski patches! Im trying to earn mine right now and have never seen anybody else with those haha!
Thanks, James! What kind of questions do you have? (While working on this project, I did reach out to the organization that seems to own the lighthouse, but I haven't heard back from them yet. If they get in touch, I might be able to do some more digging!)
@@AlexisDahl would love to see inside, the type of light that was there , story on the keepers, why they decided to build a light house there, did any boats sink before the install etc
@@Jsuttar Thanks, James! I know the inside of the lighthouse is off-limits to the public, but if I ever get an opportunity to go inside, I'll look more into this story! In the meantime, if you're up for some reading, the "lighthouse friends" link at the bottom of the video description should be able to tell you a bit more.
...and the fact that we only get THREE MONTHS per year here where it would have been comfortable enough to enjoy yourself out doors might have had something to do with it?
She was talking about the 1920 lighthouse keeper climbing the stairs to his tower and how it was quiet around him. But then she says for context it helps to jump back 80 years to 1840. So 80 years before her 1920 lighthouse keeper's time.
No.. This doesn't belong to Michigan. The Upper Peninsula has its own cultural identity more closely aligned to Northern Ontario, if anything, not Michigan. The proper name of the Copper Country is literally an Anishinaabemowin term -- Keweenaw, it means "Place Where Portage is Made" (referring to the Keweenaw Waterway/Portage Canal); the Keweenaw does NOT belong to Michigan, it belongs to the Ojibwe peoples. The Upper Peninsula, even First Nations aside, also has its own distinct cultural identity. It's really disingenuous as an outsider to show up, anywhere on the planet really, and claim something belongs to you that's not really yours. It might belong to the Michigan as a cool sortof "little experiment playground" or whatever, but that sort of attitude has always really rubbed me the wrong way.
Alexis Dahl,you are a born teacher. You tell about things in an engaging way,and that is a gift from God. I don't know if you've considered that,but it's apparent to me
Thanks, Donald! That's really kind of you. I don't know if traditional K-12 teaching is for me (mostly because there's so much that goes into being a teacher besides just the "teaching" part), but I do love helping people understand fascinating things! Videos have been a great outlet for that, but I imagine I'll end up applying that interest in another way someday. 🙂
"There's no point in looking cute if you get frostbite kids", is the most Michigan thing ever. Loving your content, thanks so much for sharing your story telling talent and love for the Mittin.
A few clarifications: the amusement park was located near the current boat launch, not by the beach. The sandstone powerhouse is still standing but has been converted into a house. The ruins of the dock are still standing near the 90 degree bend in the road where the road turns from Jacobsville towards the beach. The Pilgrim "party barge" (was the first boat shown in your movie) is sunken and visible a few hundred feet from shore, as well as the ruins of another steamship that burned and sank. There used to be a sidewalk visible from the dock (near the bend in the road), but I believe it was destroyed when water pipes for fire fighting were installed. There is a book by Clarence Monet about Jacobsville that has more pictures of the Amusement park buildings (saloon, etc.) I believe MTU archives also has these pictures. And finally - a few small cottages from the White City park were moved to local camps, and I believe the dance pavilion was moved to the Dreamland Bar property.
spoken word history passed down is the new class👍room
Fun story, literally :) Thank you. Reminds me of Edgewater Amusement Park on Seven Mile Road in NW Detroit when I was growing up. I'll have to research places like Edgewater, Bob-Lo Island, and Moony's near Tawas city.
One summer night when I was seven yo and my brother was 12 yo, He woke me up in the middle of the night and said, "Let's go for a bike ride". I got dressed, then we climbed out an upstairs window, shinnied down a pipe, and rode our bikes up to Seven Mile. It was surreal zig zagging down Seven Mile in the wee hours, with no cars in sight. Never happened before or since. Fun times.
Also reminded me of Edgewater Park. We went there on High School Band trips. The park was a lot of fun but was starting to show its age in the mid 60s.
We had a park similar to this in Canton, Ohio, Meyer’s Lake. It was associated with the trolley company.as a little girl, I rode the wooden rollercoaster (my mom almost murdered my dad for taking us.) years later as a competitive marathon swimmer, I would train in Meyer’s Lake. As the years went by, and the Zebra Mussels increased, I could see the bottom. It was then that I realized that famous coaster was at the bottom of the lake!
Whoa! What a plot twist at the end there! Thanks for sharing this. That's super cool! (I mean, not so cool about the zebra mussels, but the fact that you found the roller coaster at the bottom of the lake is wild!)
Reminds me of Boblo where I went to as a child, boats and all. Also reminds me of Walled Lake Amusement Park that was before my time, but was in Walled Lake, just 3 miles away from where I live now.
Rochester, NY has an amusement park, Sea Breeze, which has never achieved a level of success like Cedar Point, but has held on as a small beloved hometown attraction. I was curious after watching your video, so I looked up its history, and it was started by a railroad company.
Old school amusement parks seem great.
Small amusement parks were definitely more plentiful back then and definitely had close ties to public transportation. It was a great way to get people to ride the rails. There was an amusement park on an island in Lake Orion, Michigan. It was a short ferry ride from the train station near the downtown area.
I grew up in Lake Linden and have been enjoying watching all your Keweenaw videos, but this one made me miss home the most! My friends and I spent a lot of summer days out at White City jumping off the pier into the channel (that side is usually warmer than the Lake Superior beach side). Great video. Keep 'em coming!
Aw, that sounds incredible! What a good way to spend a summer. Thanks for the kind words on this one! Especially since you're so familiar with the area, it means a lot!
@@AlexisDahl Although the singing sand video at Bete Gris was also great since we have a camp on Lake Superior just down the shore on the other side of the irons. I think only visiting the UP once a year isn't fulfilling my Yooper fix, lol.
@@alexmacdonald395 Ha ha, that's totally fair. Even for a casual visitor, it feels like there's so much more to do up here than you can fit into one (typical-length) trip!
@@AlexisDahl That's a very old lighthouse. Nice video, have you ever heard of Jon Levi or My Lunch Break? That have content on older buildings that have fraudulent history's and are actually much older. That lighthouse sure looks like one. Check them out, I think it would be of interest to you.
You are just filled with so many enlightening and often fun filled stories. It makes me want to visit all of these places in Michigan. Michigan ought to pay you for the wonderful work you do. I can't think of a better representative. And that's from an Ohioan! Thanks,
I grew up passing through what was labeled "the most beautiful city in illinois"! Today it's nearly a ghost town and a "drive thru" area, similar to how the mideast is called "flyover". So nothing good stays forever! Great stuff!!
White city is not the only lost amusement park in Michigan, Silver beach park in 1971, Pleasure Island in Muskegon Mi closed in 1997 Boblo Island closed in 1993
What i like most about your channel is that the videos are timeless. I like when videos mostly or entirely lack current affairs as, at least for me, makes rewatching a history/informative video less enticing.
I also put on one of your videos expecting my gf to see it as another one of my nerdy learning videos and she loves your channel now 😂
Thank you! Also, aw, that's too sweet. Please tell your girlfriend thank you! ☺️
As a NorthWest MI resident, I thought when I saw the thumbnail about " What happened to White City?" - I thought you were going to say " Now it's called Traverse City"..... 😅😉
Looks like a cool place to visit -- and I can imagine that cold wind off the lake! 🌬️🥶
As for transit amusement parks, our local streetcar company (Twin City Rapid Transit, aka Twin City Lines) ran _three_ parks like that. The longest-lived was Wildwood on White Bear Lake (1889-1932 -- the Depression killed it), while the shortest-lived was Big Island Park in the middle of Lake Minnetonka (1906-1911 -- high operating costs and a couple of cool summers killed it). In between was Wonderland, at E Lake St and S 31st Ave (1905-1911 -- killed by the same cool summers as Big Island, plus rising land values as that part of Minneapolis developed).
Wildwood is completely gone, though a neighborhood of the same name exists around the site in Mahtomedi. Big Island Park became a veterans' campground in the '20s, then a public park in 2003; ruins of walkways and foundations still exist. Wonderland was sold to developers in 1912, and its only surviving building is the infantorium,* which became an apartment building at E 31st St and S 31st Ave.
Also, one other thing that survived a while from Big Island Park was the "streetcar boats", small steamboats that were styled and painted like TCRT's trolley cars. They shuttled people around the many bays and inlets of Lake Minnetonka until 1926, when rising car ownership meant not enough people were riding them. All the boats were eventually scrapped and sunk in the lake, but one -- the _Minnehaha_ -- was raised in the 1980s and restored in the 1990s. It runs as a historic attraction in the summers now.
(And apologies if this double-posts at some point. UA-cam seemingly ate an earlier version of this comment when I tried to edit it.)
* where babies in incubators were exhibited to coo and ahh over -- yes, these were a thing for a while back then, and were one way families afforded preemie care.
Ha ha, yes, absolutely! The wind was not messing around that day.
This is super cool! Thanks for sharing this story. It's really neat to hear about other places like this. Also, oh my gosh, I had no idea infantoriums were ever a thing. That is... wild, to say the least. I'm glad it could provide a service to those families, but... huh!
Been up here most of 60 years. Learn something every time I catch one of your episodes. Great work !!
Thank you so much! That's both fun and encouraging to hear. 🙂
Hehehe, now you know the bitter cold of Michigan, and why we eventually left, lol. But it's still a nice place to live if you know how to bundle up, before heading outside. And are willing to wait until the roads clear, and you don't have 4 feet of snow or more. I was worried it would be a video about the World's Fair, "White City" in Chicago, and the unpleasantness that happened there. Geography wasn't my best subject... Nice snow shoes. :)
I understand why the cold would drive you away! Some days, it's a lot! 🙂 That's very true, though: Winter gear and snow tires are two of my favorite things these days. (Also, that's fair! I got the sense that a lot of amusement parks ultimately drew their name from Chicago, so believe there are a few other White Cities beyond this as well.)
This is cool. It's possible my grandparents went there in their teens.
You and my grandfather John Pahl would’ve had a ball talking about Michigan history, love your videos ❤
I'm starting to think you're a Michigander, Alexis :). My maternal ancestors lived on the shores of Lake Superior for a few generations. Before that, they were living near Oulu Finland for at least a couple hundred years. Your videos bring back memories. Thank you!
This is so awesome....and don't worry...there's still lots of partying there in the summer.....spent many, many hours there....awesome place!
Ha ha, that doesn't surprise me! It does seem like it'd be a very nice beach in the summer!
@@AlexisDahl It's phenomenal AND packed!
Again, a very interesting video. This video inspired me to look up Edgewater Park (in Detroit), which I used to visit often as a kid in the 1950s because my grandfather worked there. Apparently, it too closed (in 1981), although I don't expect it left much of a view and, despite the name, no lighthouse, either. :-) Still, thanks for the inspiration.
I'm glad you got to take a trip down memory lane! I don't know anything about Edgewater Park beyond what you've told me, but it sounds like visiting it as a kid would've been a blast. 🙂
I remember Edgewater Park from the mid-60s. Our marching band took a fun day trip there. It was starting to show its age but it was still a fun day. Also, thanks for mentioning the Anishinaabek - boozhoo.
As somebody who grew up in "The Entry" (Chassell side), I love seeing anything referring to White City. I was lucky enough to get my wedding photos taken in the lighthouse in 2018. Quite the climb up to the top and a very awesome view!! Thank you for a great video!
Ah, amazing! Those sound like incredible photos. Thank you for sharing! Also, I'm glad you enjoyed the video, too!
Was the inside still in good condition?
@@countrystyleribs2876 It was in decent shape in 2018, looked like nothing that a good scraping, primer and paint couldn't fix. It's now up for auction through the end of August.
@@taanablom9652 Very interesting! I've always been curious, We have been jumping off this light house since I was young.
@@countrystyleribs2876 - Very cool! I've never had the SISU to take that leap! 🤣🤣
This was so well done! The filming, the visuals, the story - I immediately subscribed!
Oh, man, thank you! That's such a meaningful comment. ☺️ I'm genuinely very excited to check out some of your work, too! It looks like you've covered some really cool geology stories.
@@AlexisDahl Still working on building a good foundation of videos, but the video of mercury mining in big bend has been my favorite as of yet!
Glad to see you're still going on adventures! Haven't seen any of your content pop up in a while
Thanks! And huh, interesting! I've been sharing a video (roughly) once every two weeks, so maybe UA-cam is just up to its usual shenanigans. 🤷 To try and get around that, I send out a quick e-mail every time I share a new video - the link is in the description if that's useful for you!
There used to be a White City on the south end of Lake Gogebic and the road to White City is Stage Coach Road which is still there. Long Story Short: Nearest Train Stop, got off train and got on stage coach for your ride to White City for fishing on Lake Gogebic Tourists. The Last Stage Coach Robbery was committed on Stage Coach Rd near White City, On Lake Gogebic.
I grew up in White Pine and almost drowned on Lake Gogebic in sudden storm while fishing.
Next time I'm there I'll look for the light house. What a great story!
Alexis, you are a gifted presenter. So smart and pleasant
Going out in the frigid temps to make a UA-cam video? You're becoming a Yooper! 😁. Another great video. Keep up the good work!
Very cool. I can't imagine all the hundreds of little places like the around Michigan that have been lost to time that most people will never know about. Well, except White City. :)
It's true! There's so much history here, stretching back thousands of years. I know I'll really only ever be able to scratch the surface, but I'll be asking plenty of questions along the way. 🙂
There are many lost amusement parks in Michigan - Ramona Park in Grand Rapids for one. Maybe the oldest is the Seven Islands Resort in Grand Ledge. It predates all the others and started as a sort of rustic spa retreat. You might like seeing the sandstone cliffs along the Grand River. While there is basically nothing left of the resort, the history is interesting. You mentioned the "dance pavilion". There was a time when huge dance pavilions or palladiums or casinos were all over the state. Now only a handful remain
I really loved your intro! Even though I had read the title it added a nice sense of suspense and mystery! I also really liked how you touched on so many of the topics from past videos including the light houses and the Jacobsville Sandstone. Maybe you should more clearly plug them in the video and or description? Just an idea. The end shots of the waves in front of the mountains were really amazing as well! Keep up the great work!
Thanks, Randall! I appreciate it! I had a lot of fun with the intro. (Also, thanks for mentioning the video plugs! There were supposed to be a couple of cards that popped up mid-video, but it looks like they didn't save. Those will be up shortly, though! Glad you mentioned it. 🙂)
All these Michigan videos are sooooo good 👍
I would totally buy a shirt that says, "there's no point in looking cute if you get frostbite"
Amazing! I make no promises, but maybe those will show up in the world someday. 🙂
Keep on truck'n. Excellent video.
Brrrrrr! SO COLD!! LUVED this video! Luv history!! PLEASE be careful! Aunt K
Aw, thank you! 💛 And don't worry: I was shockingly warm out there! The ski coat you got me all those years ago is a lifesaver!
Very cool, I never heard of this place before.
Fascinating story. I noticed the lighthouse on my map last fall, but ended up not having time to visit.
Thanks, Rae! And that's totally fair. White City is definitely a bit out of the way compared to... most other things in the Keweenaw... if you're driving. (I definitely see why steamships were the way to go!)
Makes more sense to do it in the summer where we can see the area actually not covered in snow.
You should do a video on the geology of the Straits of Mackinac. Numerous sea stacks, a giant under water canyon and a under water waterfall that would rival Niagra Falls. Plus it would give you an excuse to check out Mackinac Island, St.Ignace and Mackinaw City.
Sure summer is nice, but the sea and ocean is definitely worth experiencing in the winter as well.
It's been so cold in the great lakes area recently- I've been hating walking even the 20 feet into school, so I really admire the devotion to actually go film something... brrr! 🥶
I feel you! This is the first winter I've tried to consistently make videos, and it's been a challenge at times. The snow and cold are brutal! ❄️
Just found your channel and I love the niche topics and stories I see here!
Got yourself a new subscriber!
My parents remember going to boblo island on bois blanc island south of detroit. That park closed in 1993
Oh, neat! A quick search suggests that that one was started even before White City. It's impressive it lasted that long!
Alexis...Thanks for the history lesson from the copper country...Have a great and wonderful day!
Thanks, Kevin! Any time I get to film in the Keweenaw, it's a good day. 🙂 Take care!
Sun Valley ski resort was established near Ketchum, Idaho by the Union Pacific Railroad at the end of their branch line railroad that used to serve the mining area. The railroad has been torn up, but the ski resort is still there.
I'm really enjoying your videos keep them, please them coming your the perfect host. Do one on the Huron Mountains geology and history.
Thanks, Vincent! The Huron Mountains have been on my list for a while! I haven't been able to track down a great source about how they formed, but I've been keeping an eye out. 🙂
I just found your page here a couple days ago anyways on this one about White City, is still on the map
I hope you stopped at the Dreamland Hotel bar after the shoot to warm up a bit.
OH GOSH! That seems so cold! I'm scared to ask how the wind was near the lake...
Ha ha, oh, boy. It was... very windy. The stabilization feature on Adobe Premiere saved a few of these shots, for sure! There were calm(-ish) moments, but I think the gusts were somewhere around 30mph. 😅 I am happy to say that I couldn't feel it through my layers, though!
@@AlexisDahl wooo layers are important into the winter! Something high school me should have learned but you know... didn't...
@@C.Schmidt It's so true! And also, same. 😅
Damn fine video Alexis it looked really cold there....as they say....what happens in White City stays in White City 🤣🤣.....quick question did you paint the pictures behind you on the sofa?
Thanks, Peter! And ha, cold as it was, I'm happy to say I dodged feeling most of it thanks to my layers. 🥳 As for your question, I did!
@@AlexisDahl wow that picture over your left shoulder is amazing
@@petermoran7582 Shucks, thank you! 🙂 It's the one painting that permanently hangs over our couch! (I steal the others from various places to fill in the background on filming day, ha ha.)
@@AlexisDahl well its really good and I love the moon one
@@petermoran7582 Thanks so much! I appreciate it!
Great video! Thank you much!
It's so cool to learn bits of interesting history and to experience immersion in times and places I'll probably never get to visit. Thanks, Alexis!
Also, those shots of the snow sweeping wind and of the snowy beach sand were otherworldly 🤩
Aw, thank YOU! That's really meaningful. One thing I think a lot while writing and filming is "How can I give people a sense of what it's like to be here?" - so I'm glad some of that comes through.
Also, yes! The beach becomes a whole 'nother place in the winter. For me, it's always worth bundling up for!
My great grandfather had a place on Houghton lake
His wife was half Chippewa to
Good video! You should do a story on the old Silver Beach Amusement Park in St. Joseph.
It was customary for train companies to build amusement parks at the shore. It created a lot of ticket sales when they turned the end of the line into a destination. Before that, no one bought tickets to ride between the last stop and the turn around, but they speculated that people would buy tickets to go to a park which would be conveniently located at the end of the line. Following that same logic, White City became a destination.
In the summer, when in the water, there is all kinds of block cut stone.. almost too close to the surface of the water. You have to go around the boat parties 😂
Your the best
Really cool video
Alexis, if you have the time and the motivation, would you (please) consider a series of videos speaking about America's greatest telescopes: optical (refractors, reflectors, single and multiple mirrored telescopes, new being designed 40-meter (and larger) telescopes (and perhaps some discussion about Americas SPACE telescopes) - telescopes on American soil and American telescopes located abroad), along with America's radio telescopes. Sorry about my rambling: Science is my thing and you elucidate it perfectly. Don't change a thing: your method of speaking, smiling, laughing - teaching is about having fun with it. The days of dry boring factual methodology (at some colleges and universities). , is even now, giving way to lighter lectures. As a university professor, it's difficult to change our ways of dissemination, but education is an evolving science, and we must engage change. What works for one professor, is a failure for another. You, young lady, as another commenter made note, you 'are' a (natural and gifted) teacher. I do not know your career path, but I am going to 'guesstimate' that you have a career ahead in giving lectures - historical, general, perhaps scientific, but you do have a gift. Great work - excellent. (oh yes, and thank you.)
Other areas to check out is Lake Orion, Michigan.
hey alexis! been loving binging your videos! i want to visit the shores of lake superior, and just relax for a weekend. where (roughly) would you reccomend? (i am 4 hour+ drive away).
or
love the videos! i really appreciate them!
great job, no frost bite please
The demise of White city came after the end of sandstone quarrying in Jacobsville. I believe the name White city referred to a display at the world’s fair in Chicago 1893. It also influenced building and architecture which made sandstone buildings seem dated. So in some ways White city caused the demise of the nearby quarries.
Isn't the 1840's closer to 180 years back? ;-) Just had to say. Love the story telling. always enjoy your videos
Sounds a lot like Bob-Lo in the Detroit Area.
For a future video, can you take us to the Crestview Park and Freda Park locations where passengers were dropped off? I've been to Freda ruins, but I could not find where Freda Park used to be using the postcard photos that I've seen. It would be really need to see where Freda Park is in relation to the Freda Ruins.
I can definitely look into it! It sounds like I might need to get a historian involved to find the exact spot, but I can add this to my list of topics to look into. Thanks for the suggestion!
@@AlexisDahl Thanks for your consideration! A lot of fascinating history and stories at those locations.
If I remember correctly, the Freda Park is south of the ruins. I was agate hunting approximately twenty years ago, and saw the old park from the beach. I talked to a local resident who was walking their dog on the beach, and they mentioned that they lived near the Freda Park. They said the owner of the land the park was located on wanted nothing to do with allowing strangers access to view the old site. It seems to be the norm around Upper Michigan, which is why so much history gets lost as time goes on. Thanks to people like Alexis, much of it is kept alive.
Something about Idlewild? Or jones ice cream in Baldwin?
Loving your videos. Is Dahl your maiden name?
Chad, a grandma here with some advice: Never ask a woman that question!
@@rridderbusch518 Actually wondering if she is the Alex Dahl that I met in Petoskey.
@@chadchorniak1407 Perhaps. all I know is that she bought a Petoskey stone in a shop.
I like your snowshoes.
Thanks! Me, too! (I got them very recently, and they've opened up all kinds of exploring.)
@@AlexisDahl You can now play an old timey Yooper game, Snowshoe Wiffle Ball. Paint the ball some neon color. Everybody wears snowshoes except the batter. Batter hits, puts on snowshoes and starts out towards first. FUN!!😁
@@Yooperbuzz1 Oh, my gosh. This sounds incredible, genuinely. I've gotta try that out this winter!
At 1:28 I did a double take because hey, thats the mt holly ski patches! Im trying to earn mine right now and have never seen anybody else with those haha!
1:33
I think you mean 180 years!
That scene looks very, very cold. Well reported but you could have done it in your car.
More on the lighthouse!
Thanks, James! What kind of questions do you have? (While working on this project, I did reach out to the organization that seems to own the lighthouse, but I haven't heard back from them yet. If they get in touch, I might be able to do some more digging!)
@@AlexisDahl would love to see inside, the type of light that was there , story on the keepers, why they decided to build a light house there, did any boats sink before the install etc
@@Jsuttar Thanks, James! I know the inside of the lighthouse is off-limits to the public, but if I ever get an opportunity to go inside, I'll look more into this story! In the meantime, if you're up for some reading, the "lighthouse friends" link at the bottom of the video description should be able to tell you a bit more.
I saw a listing that the lighthouse was for sale this summer.
So did other parks deteriorate but more people.
Born in Michigan never heard of white city
...and the fact that we only get THREE MONTHS per year here where it would have been comfortable enough to enjoy yourself out doors might have had something to do with it?
80 years?? Don't you mean 180?
looking cute and having frost bite ... now that's cute... just sayin it out loud like you're thinking it.
Do you feel the Flu Pandemic of 1918 helped to end the amusement park?
The real question is what happened to White city in Chicago where black o is now
1940 or 1840? Only one of them is close to 80 years ago. 🙃
She was talking about the 1920 lighthouse keeper climbing the stairs to his tower and how it was quiet around him. But then she says for context it helps to jump back 80 years to 1840. So 80 years before her 1920 lighthouse keeper's time.
@@alexmacdonald395 (Thanks, Alex! Can confirm.)
No.. This doesn't belong to Michigan. The Upper Peninsula has its own cultural identity more closely aligned to Northern Ontario, if anything, not Michigan. The proper name of the Copper Country is literally an Anishinaabemowin term -- Keweenaw, it means "Place Where Portage is Made" (referring to the Keweenaw Waterway/Portage Canal); the Keweenaw does NOT belong to Michigan, it belongs to the Ojibwe peoples.
The Upper Peninsula, even First Nations aside, also has its own distinct cultural identity. It's really disingenuous as an outsider to show up, anywhere on the planet really, and claim something belongs to you that's not really yours. It might belong to the Michigan as a cool sortof "little experiment playground" or whatever, but that sort of attitude has always really rubbed me the wrong way.
Like Israel?
@@johncordes7885 Precisely~
Algorithm
White city went away after trump left office. Don’t worry desantis is building one in Florida.
"Eighty years"? Either you're living in the 1920's, your mental arithmetic is lacking, or you haven't has enough coffee today yet. 🤔