Ghost Town in Michigan's Upper Peninsula
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- Super IGA Store near Watson, Michigan. Located in Marquette, County near Delta County. A very remote area in my opinion this building is located on a County road. As it has been stated a number of times in the comments. THIS PROPERTY HAS AN OWNER. DO NOT attempt to enter the property or trespass in any way. The local residents do not consider it a ghost town either. When we drove through we were coming from the general direction of Escanaba and headed to Marquette. We ended up taking this scenic drive through the area. I wanted to post this to preserve a bit of history.
My old man had a camp not 5 miles from here, I still remember going to this store for snacks as a kid back in the 70's.
this is not my wifes comment but her husbands my cousin is married to the owners daughter i wont mention names i had the pure pleasure of knowing and meeting the owner several times i know the whole story behind the store and the bar one of the neatest men i ever meet the owner passed away years ago and yes i was invited by the owner on two occasions to tour the store years ago truely time stopped here i also hunted up there on many occasions this video blows me away it brings back some awesome memories thanks
the sign screech is too good!!! :)
Very nice 👍 super cool isn’t vandalized
The sign swinging in the wind is excellent and I don't at all mind the sound of the wind - it adds effect. As a former Yooper who as a kid used to go exploring old mine buildings (Wakefield) I'm disappointed you didn't go into the building. That said I'm looking forward to the sequel... hop to it!
Love my state of Michigan... I live down in the lower, and don't make it up into the upper peninsula often enough... amazing how many of these places exist in this state
..my dad, little brother and I would traipse thru the U.P. in the summer..cross the bridge from detroit area, get a pasty right away and then grab a beer in Engadine or similar tiny town..what memories, all those little bars are closed now...
Robert Allen it is a pasty not pasty
@@cartermifarnes1645 sure it’s not pasty ?
Just love old history like this. Just love it.
FYI... this is Watson, MI. It is located not far from Escanaba Mi. It is not a ghost town. That is just the old closed IGA store. It is near/within Wells Township.
That is incorrect my grandpa owned the house next door to the IGA in Waton. He bought it, he tore it down somewhere in the early eighties the wood was used for my aunt's barn In Marquette
this is awesome! visited last year with my mom and gma!!
That’s the old IGA! My great grandfather helped build the Watson Bible Chapel - Arvo Ahti. I grew up across the railroad tracks down the Finn loop. 🤍 It makes me so happy to see people interested in the history of my home
It so sad to see these ghost towns not long ago the U.P. of Michigan was and could be the world's #1 producer's of 95% of the worlds copper! Alot of families gave there heart and soul in the great U.P. of Michigan. I wish that there dream would have came true to become there own state! The surely deserved too be! God bless them past present and future! It's a tough life up there. They help build the world!
Beautiful area and building!!!
We hunt relatively close to here!! Amazing to see it during the summer months...we muzzleload northeast of Ralph, which is probably about 15 mins from here. Thanks for uploading.
I've seen that store before and a old abandoned gas station it's been so many years ago I can't remember where they where I worked all summer in the UP gasoline went over 99.9 cents a gallon amoco sent us all over the state to change out the mechanical clocks that would register gasoline up to 199.9 cents a gallon
Sorry I labeled it a ghost town. Abandoned buildings might be a better term. Thank you for sharing your connection to the building. I would have liked to have seen what it was like when it was open. I like the building a great deal.
what an interesting building, reminds me of some from rural dead towns in illinazi
This little area is called Northland and it is very close to the town of Gwinn where I went to High School
Yeah, I bet it would be. I have only done some searching around on properties in our extended family. I am still pretty new to the hobby though.
Alot of areas like this throughout the UP, Blaney Park, Germfask, all along US2, to up in Copper country, etc
Damn! I was literally just talking about these a few days ago! Was trying to remember where i saw them!
The legend lives on
Drove past this store probably 100 times to get to my fishin spots lmao. It’s pretty neat to see
would be a great place to metal detect
It's in Delta County from what I remember. It's very remote and I guess I would say Escanaba is the closest bigger city.
Thank you for watching.
just there recently... heck of drive off main highway. much looks same but we filmed house next to store and barn you have taped as well. Peeked inside. House next door (not in film but you can see in background slightly) has lucky horseshoe embedded above door. Also has crows living in it that have been coming through windows. All 3 buildings are full of old and somewhat newer things. By the looks of it, they have been deserted for more than 30 years.
I know the family that owns this property, nice people, they live very near by.They don't consider it abandoned. Best not to trespass.
I never considered trespassing. We drove by it and wanted to video record it. It looked so unique to me. I just wanted to share what looked like an interesting old set of buildings. Any label I give it will likely upset someone. apparently. They are obviously not in use either.
I'm happy that someone owns this building. It's just really an awesome place. Have they considered restoring them?
dunebuggie just wanted people to know that it is a beautiful historic building and the owners care about it,
zzzreddog My wife used to stop in that store in the 50's after school and buy penny candy and such.
I like to hear about this store when it was open. It's very cool.
I'll put in an update on the description. Thanks for the information!
theres one just like it in mikado michigan like same style and it was an iga at one point im not sure who owns it but it loks to be an awsome building and if you pek in the front windows it loks like time stoped in it window are boarded now but my bus stop use to be located infront of that building in mikado
Watson is in Marquette county very close to the delta county line
I used to shop at that store !!
Are Kidding Me ???
OMG OMG !!!!!
There's a small church not far from this that is still maintained (the people who worship there perform upkeep). And there's a house behind this store where the owners of the property live. I don't recommend poking around inside for souvenirs. ;-)
I never considered it. As you can see from the video I stayed on the road.
I was married in that Church in 1986, the Northland Catholic Church, I think is the closest Church.
Maybe if I'm ever in that area again I'll take a look at the Church. I want to photo catalog the major buildings in the UP. I'm doing the videos to have a record of them.
dunebuggie The man that ran that store was a fun guy to talk to, full of energy, good story teller, a real character.
That's cool to know. I like hearing the stories about this place. :D
Sorry about the wind noise on the videos. Since you don't hear it when you are recording it, you sometimes don't realize how bad it will end up on the video. I'll look into the settings or a external microphone.
good metal detecting the perimeter of these oldies
Thanks for the advice :)
Good old IGA.
You should check out old blarney park.
I went to church right down that road. Two abandoned buildings don't count as a ghost town. Try the abandoned military base near eagle harbor
Do you have a specific location thank you much
They have a store finder on their website. I'm pretty sure there use to be more stores too.
Yeah... The locals don't consider it a ghost town because people live there. One old building that hasn't been torn down does not a ghost town make.
Thought this was going to be about Fayette which is a ghost town and a State Park!
I have some videos about Fayette too.
I have heard that the store has been abandoned for about that long, give or take a few years. I'd be interested to see your video.
Eerie sound from swaying IGA sign. Looks like a ghost town to me.
If you look at a google satellite map of this intersection (and zoom in as close as possible) you'll get a 360 degree street view that will allow you to wrap all the way around.
Yeah, the whole intersection looks deserted for more than 100 yards in every direction.
Just the kind of place to sit on the front porch of the store COMPLETELY NAKED during the middle of a summer day waiting to wave at passing motorists. (8^)
Iv been there like a million times
there is a tiny IGA in Trout Lake too its the smallest super market I ever saw
was there summer of 97. came up from iron mountain via merriman tt thru felch, ralph, then ross grade. looks the same except 4 more paint on builing then
was in watson july 97 came up from iron mountain via merriman tt, felch ralph and ross grade looks the same except for more paint on IGA store then and stairs were in a bit better shape
wow cool..wish you could of went in that IGA store..
the nature is beautiful the building is antique .. want to see the nature of Indonesia in my video
I'm not sure if I'm seeing this right, but did you notice a black object that looks like a bear at the bottom of the steps?
Yes, I see what you think looks like a bear and it looks like a bear to me also!
You got me to take another look at the video. I does sort of look like a bear. I think it might be an old tire leaning on the building. It's frustrating that I didn't get a better shot of that spot. I think it would be shocking if a bear had been there. We were there for a couple of minutes and I would hope I would notice a bear. It's interesting that you saw that on the video.
My family's cabin is literately like 10 miles from this old IGA store. My grandfather told me he remembers going there from time to time when it was open. Not a "Ghost Town" but cool nevertheless. Surprised i found this video.
Peaceful
Reminds me of Haines or Skagway, Southeast Alaska
My wife and I got a tour of the store by the owner in the early 90s . Stopped there on a motorcycle ride to stretch our legs and he came out to tall to us . l believe his name was Bill Jeager .
Looks like the closed iga
Alger Mi, on old 72 (13) south of west Branch.
coool video!
I know a store just like that in Elo Michigan.
What town is this called?
Should do metal detecting around the store
This old IGA store is on CR426 watson, mi.
Watson!
That IGA is still open, got a six pack and pringles from there a few days ago. Ghost town?
This store closed in 1979.
@@dunebuggie that is what I thought too eh. But as I driving into Watson a dense fog seemed to appear out of nowhere. What bothered me the most was that they only had original pringles.
I wasn't sure if it would be trespassing. So, I decided not to enter either building.
love your vid's , but could you please get proper hiking shoes ?
Thank you for watching them. Are you saying I should move around more? I need to get a Go Pro if that is what you are saying. This camera would bob around a lot if I walked and recorded. It picks up motion very easily. I am considering getting a Go Pro though.
I'd got lost and ended up in a place like this named Arnold's it was dark late at night
Like Carl's Knotty Pine Bar?
It kind of reminds me of The Whistle stop café from the movie Fried Green tomatoes
The Irondale Cafe in Irondale, AL is still serving food. Was just up there.
The copper played out.
Yep, feet away from a little bear.
there is a paperback book that talks about all these areas county by county. "Michigan Ghost Towns of the U pper Peninsula" by R.L. Dodge and the price was $15.95 at the time. ;)
Lost in time. I bet some of the buildings date back to 1920's era.
I thought camera work was good , hiking shoes not open toed sandals when walking through high grass, with rusty metal sticking out .just looking out for your safety !!
Thank you for thinking of me. I was on a paved road this time. You make a great point though. Some of the places we go up here can be pretty rough places for walking. Thanks again for watching!
A number of people in the comments say they knew someone that had visited the store when it was open. Maybe I do a little research on the place. I enjoy local history very much. I like when people use buildings like old schoolhouses for homes. I agree it would make a unique store, home or museum.
We recently stayed at a old store that was converted to an AirBnB. Don't recommend that. People kept thinking the owners opened it again.
That’s some creepy shit
Great - find a couple of old buildings and voila - instant ghost town! You'll have to do better than that.
I didn't go into either of the buildings.
the back road to escanaba. from arnold mi
Can some one plz tell me why this area is really abandoned
People have told me that it's not an abandoned City. These buildings are abandoned or in disrepair. It's within a reasonable drive of Escanaba, Michigan. To me the area seems fairly remote. That road you see in the thumb nail has very little on it for miles. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan isn't a very high population place.
Not many people live around the area...someone had a "great" idea went bankrupt.
foodnetworks Please note: These buildings have an owner. A number of people have commented on this.
There were a lot of mines in the U.P., when the mines closed the jobs left, eventually the people did too, similar to southern Illinois, Kentucky etc....
the U.P. economy crashed badly when the iron mines closed down in the 70s and the forestry industry declined shortly after. also , the U.S.D.A. Dairy buyout in the early 80s hurt the entire area very badly. I grew up in a small town up there that has pretty much died since those events.
I saw that a few days ago lmao
I GUESS THIS IS LIKE CHERNOBYL :/
Thats old has the storefront look
Not so super anymore. :(
IGA = Independent Grocers Association.
You should have waved. :)
Wow... So glad I watched this. Kinda wish I could get back the minute32seconds I just flushed down the toilet
When you grow up in a place this boring, abandoned buildings become "ghost towns".
FIPS STAY OUT
Gerald LaBonte what's a FIP
Lol FIP AS DESCRIBED BY A YOOPER OR A CHEDDAR HEAD (FIP) FUCKING ILLINOIS PEOPLE)😂
You folks do realize that if not for the MONEY that FIPS /FIBS bring to you and Wisconsin, you would have practicly no economy whatsoever. I don't think you realize how much tourism is from Illinois. I understand that you don't want a bunch of idiots crawling around there. But be realistic in what you say. The days of old along with the mining are long past. The UP of Michigan along with all small towns in the US have continued to lose population for the past 20 years. Ironwood only has 1/3 of it's residents left. You can't maintain infrastructure without a tax base. And your kids leave when they grow up. Because of lack of opportunities. Alongside backwards thinking. So although I understand what you are saying, think about it before you dismiss an entire state of people.
I'd gaffle that IGA sign if given the chance! lol
What a boring place to visit.
Did you literally just go to every video regarding the UP and hate on it?
Machismo549 good don't come up here -
It's sooo desolate, lol. 90% of the UP has absolutely no future. They literally pass down jobs from generation to generation.
OMG, I can my soul withering just thinking about!