What is a ghost town? In his book, Ghost Towns of Michigan, Larry Wakefield wrote, “They range from lonesome sites where almost nothing is left to mark their former existence, to others where only a few crumbling houses and buildings remain. And there are others too, where a few people still live, out of love, habit or necessity (and may resent someone calling their village a ghost town).” Across the Upper Peninsula, there are dozens of sites and remnants of communities that either are no more or are merely a skeleton of what they once were. This exhibition features fifteen of such communities, one from each county in the Upper Peninsula. For each site, there will be a section with historic and contemporary photographs and interpretive panels with historical information on each community. There will also be a video presentation featuring drone footage providing a
birds-eye view of each town featured in the exhibition.


Curator: Daniel Truckey
Design: Riley Crawford
Research: Elizabeth Fust and Karen Kasper
Narrative: Elizabeth Fust
Display Stands: NMU Constructors Club and Esko Alasimi
Photography and videography: Daniel Truckey
Drone Assistant: Thomas Truckey
NMU Archives: Marcus Robyns, Annika Peterson, Glenda Ward

This exhibition would not have been possible without the assistance of individuals and organizations across the U.P. who provided access to their photographic collections, research assistance, site tours and even access to their homes. Here is a list of the people who helped with this project for each site featured in the exhibition.

Atkinson/Gibbs City
Iron County Historical Museum
Michelle Blood

Central Mine
Keweenaw County Historical Society
Larry Malloy

Creighton/Walsh
Jack Deo
Jim Carter
Paul Petoskey
Seney National Wildlife Refuge

Dollarville
Jim Dwyer
Luce County Historical Museum

Fayette
Fayette State Park
Troy Henderson
Delta County Historical Society

Fiborn
Aubrey Golden
Mark Whitney
Michigan Karst Conservancy

Johnstown
Gail Ledy
Carol Miller
Drummond Island Historical Society

Labranche
Menominee County Historical Society
Karen Lindquist
Delta County Historical Society


Metropolitan
David and Mary Lou Blomquist
Jim Edburg

Onota
Alger County Heritage Center
Jack Deo
Eric Drake

Pequaming
Baraga County Historical Museum
Nancy Manniko

Tula
Jim Royce
Bruce Cox
Dennis Rolando
Bessemer Historical Society

Victoria
Old Victoria
Patty Pattison
Rockland County Historical Museum

Watson
Marquette Regional History Center
Rosemary Michelin
Delta County Historical Society

Winona
Michael Loukinen
Scott Demel