A Brief History of Corey Lake

Fabius Township in St. Joe County is home to Corey Lake. It was believed that Joshua Corry was one of the first pioneers to settle upon the lake’s shore and the lake took the moniker of its original inhabitant. However, there are no records of him residing here, which might mean that he was only a land speculator. The change in spelling from Corry to Corey is most likely due to using a more common form of spelling Corey. A prairie adjoining the lake was referred to as “johnny-cake prairie” due to its flatness. Visitors from Illinois and Indiana still make their summer homes on this large beautiful lake. It was also used as the hunting grounds of Chief Sangamon and his tribe.

Encounters with the Indians, wild bears, deer, and wolves made for some interesting stories and tales of this area. Local timber wolves were quite vicious and killed numerous pigs and calves. One story goes that a local farm boy came upon a rustling noise near the cattle. It appeared as a ‘big dark bush’ and when it growled the boy shot and killed the bear keeping its cubs as pets.

The grandeur and splendor of days gone by were shown in The Grand View Hotel, Richelieu Lodge, and Pulver Farm (a country home on the edge of the lake open to visitors). Dudds Motor Boat Sales and Service Station, Poe’s Filling Station, and Corey Lake Pavilion were nearby.

One of the first plats filed for Corey Lake was in 1835. The YMCA Camp Eberhart located on Corey Lake was started around 1910. Much has changed around the lake since it’s humble beginnings and early settlement. Million dollar homes are not so rare and the quaintness and quiet has been replaced with privacy fences and large speedboats.

Detroit Wonk's Thoughts About Tiger Stadium

Chris over at the Detroit Wonk blog has an interesting post asking Could Tiger Stadium Have Been Saved? Here's my previous post regarding my thoughts about the possible demolition of Tiger Stadium

Say it ain't so, Tiger Stadium to be Demolished?

Money is running out to continue the very minimal upkeep that has been going on since the franchise moved to Comerica Park almost seven years ago. We all know that Detroit (the city, not the franchise) is strapped for cash and the $400,000 per year it takes to perform maintenance is just too much. I don't know what maintenance is being performed anyway. I have seen photos of trees (yes trees) growing behind the visitors dugout in the stands. Plaster falling to the floor in old offices and standing water on the old concourses and dugouts are just a handful of the signs of how time has passed this grand old ballpark by.

No realistic plans have ever come through for a legitimate use of the old facility. I wish that something would have occurred that would save this historic ballpark, but perhaps it is better that it be this way. I would rather see the wrecking ball and demolition crews take it down quickly instead of the ravages or time creating more of an eyesore than a historic monument.

I would love to be able to have a seat or two from Tiger Stadium. I hope they have an auction of some of the stadium's historic pieces. Although, photos and memories of a hot summer day sitting in the upper deck and seeming to hang right over the field are all I really need. That is how I will remember Tiger Stadium. Not the peeled paint and crumbling concrete.

So Long Silverdome

Built in 1973 and home to the Detroit Lions until 2002, the Silverdome is turning down the lights and locking the doors. It has been operating at a loss of $1.6 million per year in recent years. Pontiac officials have been entertaining various business proposals the last few years, but none of them have resulted in anything promising. It is a shame that this was built by Pontiac and its taxpayers as a way to bring development to the city only to have the development occur in Auburn Hills and the Lions to go back to Detroit. The city is stuck with this "white elephant" until a decent proposal for its use arrises.

City leaders might want to check out BigBoxReuse.com to see what other cities have done with empty "big box" buildings. There are some pretty cool and innovative ideas that folks came up with.

Read the full article - Pontiac to padlock Dome - 02/09/06 - The Detroit News