Fayette Historical Townsite

Today we traveled south toward Big Bay de Noc and Snails Cove for a little wine tasting.  The place Garden Bay winery.   It is a repurposed golf course.  Beautiful views of greens being reclaimed by nature.  They feature sweet berry and grape wines with dryer whites too.  The vineyard is started and should be ready in a few more years.  In the meantime they bottle Michigan and Wisconsin grapes.  The hostess is a cute girl in her second year at Michigan State.  Very talkative and willing to listen to many “ My Niece and Son” stories.  $42.00 dollars later and a romp on the greens for Brady and we are on our way. 

Fayette is a State Park so all that is needed is your Michigan Park Pass.  We have been duped in the past by historical this and that and it turned out to be false advertisement.  Fayette is nothing like this.  It was the coolest surprise we could have asked for.      Fayette is an iron smelting ghost town.  Operational from 1867 – 1891 it processed 230,000 tons of iron.  The town has been modestly restored to showcase 20 buildings; from the smelting plant, carpenter shop, company store, blacksmith shop and the various living spaces that are down wind from the dump cabin to the big house on the hill.  You can see the remnants of early industrial life as the beach is lined with old iron ore and furnace waste debris (quite beautiful after these years of water and wind therapy).   The shore of the bay is lined with the ribs of the boardwalk.  EMU students are helping with the restoration and cataloging.  The limestone cliff is incredible. It is on the north side of the harbor and must have been a welcome sight to the water faring traveler.  Plan to spend 3 to 4 hours here.  In addition to the town, there is a nice welcome center and many well maintained walking tails (at least the short one we were on was).

Brady is always looking for varmits.

21 JUL 2011