In the early 1970’s our family camped at Hayes State Park, south of Jackson in the Irish Hills. We loved this park and the sandy beach on Wamplers Lake seemed to go on forever.
Small towns along the historic US-12 in the Irish Hills were once full of great amusement and roadside attractions like the Irish Hills Towers, the Stage Coach Stop, Frontier City, Prehistoric Forest and The Mystery Spot.
The history of the Irish Hills dates back to the 19th century when it was a popular stopping point during the five-day stagecoach trip between Detroit and Chicago.
Last summer, I drove over to the Irish Hills to see what was left from my vacations there in the 1970’s.
My first stop was the large brick Walker Tavern. The Tavern and surrounding buildings and grounds are now part of Cambridge Justin Historic State Park. The park, which is open May through October, is home to Walker Tavern, Hewitt House and a reconstructed 1840s barn, an open-air farmers market, vintage baseball games, concerts and more.
Near this corner is also the Michigan International Speedway (MIS) which turns this sleepy area into a massive traffic jam on race weekends.
A couple miles east along US-12, I found the Irish Hills Towers, which are now closed and in bad shape. The grounds hold the remains of a miniature golf course overgrown in weeds.
In the early 1920s, the Michigan Observation Company erected a 50-foot-high enclosed platform to boost tourism. The Irish Hills Observatory opened in 1924. In a gala celebration, hundreds of people climbed the tower to gaze in all directions. The next-door neighbor was not happy and protested by erecting his own tower, several feet higher.
The two neighbors continued to build taller towers through the 1950s, until Frank Lamping acquired both and connected them with a gift shop at the ground floor. The Irish Hills Towers closed to the public at the end of the summer of 2000 with ideas of fundraising to save the landmark.
Down the road are the remains of the Prehistoric Forest. I pulled into the parking lot and was greeted with many closed and no-trespassing signs and one large brontosaurus staring down at me. Another large dinosaur peeks through the trees. I was tempted to head off into the woods to see more, but the signs and security cameras held me back.
The Prehistoric Forest Amusement Park was built in 1963. The park offered a safari train ride through the woods, filled with over 70 fiberglass statues of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Other attractions included a fossil digging pit, a volcano that smoked and rumbled, and a 400-foot water slide. Admission in 1981 was $2.75 for adults, and $1.75 for kids. Prehistoric Park closed in 1999 and has been vacant and for sale ever since.
Further east is the Stagecoach Stop which opened in 1965. It is now closed, but the many “Old West” buildings are in decent shape and the Western-themed Copper Creek Lodge offers 14 rooms, a pool and a wedding chapel. Another section of the old attraction has been turned into a year-round Horror Town.
The original Stagecoach Stop included the Longhorn Saloon, a general store, movie theater and the Pistols & Petticoats ballroom. Mock train holdups, and shootouts with the marshal were held every few hours.
Before The Stagecoach Stop was a similar attraction called Frontier City that opened in 1960, fueled by over 25 different western TV shows; the public’s appetite for anything “Western” was rabid at the time.
Frontier City included a bank, blacksmith, jailhouse, livery stable, and saloon. The saloon served drinks like sarsaparilla and redeye (root beer). Frontier City also had stagecoach holdups and street shoot-outs. Many well-known country performers appeared, including Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, Roger Miller and Tex Ritter. It closed in 1974, and the property was sold to Cedar Point with the idea of building a huge amusement park, but it never happened.
My next stop was Mystery Hill. These attractions are known for having “gravity defying” buildings where you can walk up walls, water runs uphill and balls refuse to roll downhill. Mystery Hill opened in 1952 and was closed the day I was there but was bright and freshly painted and now includes, “Ward Hall’s Museum of Oddities.”
Ward Hall was known as the “The King of the Sideshow” and produced sideshows for Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey. His collection traveled the United States in the 1960s and 70s and was recently discovered hidden away in storage for decades.
Just east of Mystery Hill is the colorful Randy’s Roadside Barbecue and I can’t wait to get back to try it. Their menu consists of hickory smoked pulled pork, ribs, brisket, mac and cheese and much more. The owner says “The pulled pork gets smoked for 14 hours, then shredded. It’s cooked fresh every night.” He added that they go through around 2,000 pounds of pork every week during the summer.
My trip found that much had changed but the Irish Hills still remains a draw for weekenders and sportsmen. The area features a unique combination of picturesque countryside, hometown charm and more than 50 crystal blue lakes for recreation and enjoyment.
One of the highlights is the Hidden Lake Gardens, A 755-acre botanical garden and arboretum featuring a lake, picnic area, canopy walk, conservatory, six miles of paved scenic drives and12 miles of hiking trails. The at-tree-level Reach for the Sky Canopy Walk, which opened in 2023, allows visitors a one-of-a-kind experience with up-close observation of the forest. It is open, year-round with an admission of $10 Adults (ages 18-64).
The Irish Hills still have much to offer, and I can’t wait to get back!
