Lost Archives - Mikel B. Classen On The Road

The Sturgeon River Gorge can be seen from the top of Silver Mountain.

The view from the top of Silver Mountain looking east.

From time to time, I come across unusual tales about lost finds of precious metals. The Upper Peninsula of Michigan is well known for its mineral wealth. The same geological processes that make copper also create gold and silver. They are often found together. It is not unusual to read that the copper mines were also producing considerable silver. In the 1800s there was a small gold rush around Negaunee and Ishpeming with over 30 mines producing gold.

Consequently, it is not unusual to hear a tale of a trapper or logger stumbling across nuggets or a vein of rich minerals. Tales of lost gold and silver come to light every now and then.

I came across this story in an old newspaper. It is an interesting story and I decided I should reprint it. This is from a 1917 edition of the Mining Journal.

“Carries Secret to Grave

“Zeba Indian Claimed to Have Found Gold in Baraga County.

“John Hulbert Adams, known as John Hulbert, an aged Indian, died the latter part of the past week at Zeba, the Indian Reservation near L’anse. For a number of years he was employed as a timber cruiser.

“Hulbert is supposed to have found gold in the Silver Mountains and while his story was regarded by persons who knew him intimately as pure fiction, outsiders were inclined to believe him. So far as is known, Hulbert carried his secret to his grave.

“Prospectors endeavored to locate the vein without success. John was fond of ‘firewater’ but no matter how much he consumed he never could be induced to take anyone to the spot. On his excursions into the woods he was frequently followed, but with Indian cunning he would elude his pursuers.”

The Silver Mountains are west of Baraga and are part of the Sturgeon River basin. It is very rugged country. Stories like Hulbert’s keeps the dream of lost U.P. treasure alive.

A misty waterfall in Michigan's Upper Peninsula on the Sturgeon River.

The mist dances above the Sturgeon River Falls in the sunshine. Could it reveal lost gold?

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The Lost Stone Arch of Mackinac Island

Mackinac Island's Fairy Arch is now lost to time and no longer exists.

This is a rare photograph of the Fairy Arch. Most pictures of it left today are drawings.

One of the popular attractions on Mackinac Island is the Arch Rock. This beautiful limestone formation is seen by most visitors to the Island, but at one time, there was another limestone arch formation called the “Fairy Arch.”

The Fairy Arch was one of the Island’s must-see attractions and countless visitors would make the trek out to view it. It was located on the east side of the Island near Mission Point Resort and Robinson’s Folly. Though not as large as Arch Rock, it created a limestone tunnel that could be walked through creating a magical experience.

The Native Americans believed that giant fairies inhabited the east part of the island. The arches were how the fairies entered the Island. Fairy arch was for the fairy children while Arch Rock was where the adult giant fairies entered. They must have been really big fairies. Fairy Arch was one of the many breathtaking sites on Mackinac Island.

In the 1940s, the Fairy Arch was demolished. One source says it was destroyed for an environmental mitigation project while others say it was due to construction of a road to a private residence resulted in the arch being destroyed. It was a stupid shortsighted project in a place where roads aren’t really needed.