Part 2: The Route of Abandoned on US-2: Blaney Park to Manistique

On the first jaunt across US-2 to check out all the abandoned buildings, we went from St. Ignace to Blaney Park; now we pick up at Blaney Park and wind up in Manistique.

First, a little bit about Blaney Park. Back in the 1930s until the 1950s, Blaney Park was a famous getaway for celebrities and the rich & famous. It has also been labeled as the U.P’s ‘first modern lumber town’.

The town started as a logging town that morphed into a resort area, covering 33,000 acres and 54 square miles...perfect for any celebrity wanting to escape the public. Located nine miles south of Germfask, Blaney Park retains a somewhat ‘air of mystery’ to this day.

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There is very little – if any – historic records of the celebrities who hung out here, or what activities (legal or otherwise) they engaged in. The locals know a lot more about the goings-on and for the most part don’t speak too much about it. According to the Bear Creek Resort webpage, “The entire town of Blaney Park holds the story of this once coveted and popular family vacation destination." So how about if they get together and write some of this stuff down for the rest of us?

As for Manistique, it was originally named ‘Eastport’. The nearby river was spelled differently as “MONistique” but thanks to somebody on the city board, the name was spelled as “MANistique” in the city charter and has stayed that way to this day.

Now have a look below at the abandoned spots found along US-2, from Blaney Park to Manistique.