Outhouses found in Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota

     As some of you know, I take a lot of pictures and many of those pictures are taken of Outhouses, which are rapidly disappearing across the country. There is an Outhouse Preservation Society but since I run the Outhouses of America Tour web site, it is only fitting that I share some of my most recent finds while on a trip to Minnesota.
     Our first stop was in Mackinac City, MI and while on a walk near the harbor I discovered a picturesque scene of Porta-Johns (Outhouses) with a Coast Guard ship in the background.

Mackinac City, MI

     In case you want to see what the ship really looks like up close, here you go!

Coast Guard Ship in Mackinac City, MI

     We stayed in Mackinac City and I went to a local watering hole to cool down with a cold one. I looked up as I sat at the bar and saw this hanging! The bar had won 1st Place in the first annual winter Outhouse Races held in 2013 and this was the prize.

1st Place Trophy in the Outhouse Races

      As we drove across the UP (Upper Peninsula) of Michigan, I pointed out to my passenger all the Outhouses that I had already documented through pictures on my web site.
     As we were passing through Escanaba, MI (Yes there really is Escanaba in the moonlight), we saw a waterfall and near it was this really nice Outhouse. It was so nice inside. It smelled like freshly sawed wood. The kicker was the toilet seat. It actually closed on its own!

Escanaba, MI Waterfall

 

Escanaba, MI

Self Closing Toilet Seat

Self Closing Toilet Seat

As we drove across Wisconsin, we came into the small town of Mountain and discovered this Outhouse in a roadside park. I have a policy that when I find a working Outhouse, I use it. Some day these will all be gone so I want tell stories some day about how I used to find Outhouses and I actually used them. This particular Outhouse did not get high marks. It was a little dirty and nasty inside as the pictures show.

 

Mountain, WI

Mountain, WI

Nastiness Inside this one

     I wandered a bit to look at an old log cabin and found a gem of an Outhouse. I was able to take a picture of the inside and it was pretty interesting. That's me posing near it.

Mountain, WI Log Cabin and Outhouse

Mountain, WI Outhouse

Inside the Mountain, WI Outhouse

Mountain, WI Outhouse

Me by the Mountain, WI Outhouse

     Driving further along the highway, we saw a schoolhouse. No wait! It was the Schoolhouse Bar and it had a great statement on the front: "It's Time for Recess"!

It's Time For Recess!

      A little further up the road I saw an old schoolhouse near Mole Lake, WI and I thought I saw something hidden by weeds. Long ago, all schoolhouses and churches for that matter had Outhouses in the back. Schools typically had one for the boys and one for the girls located in opposite sides of the yard. This one was a real rare find. The Outhouses were still there but in bad shape. I confirmed they were Outhouses by looking in the door on one of them.

One Room Schoolhouse Outhouse

In the distance you can see the other Outhouse

One Room Schoolhouse Outhouse

One Room Schoolhouse Outhouse

Look closely and you will see two Outhouses

     Driving on for a while brought us to an old cemetery and there was a Porta-John that had an interesting name and view if you sat inside. Naturally, I had to use this one too.

Strange Name

Right next to the dumpster

View from the Porta-John

          In Stillwater, MN, they were restoring the Minnesota Zephyr locomotives. In the background I happened to catch a couple of Porta-Johns!

Minnesota Zephyr Locomotive

Minnesota Zephyr Locomotive

          On the way back through Wisconsin, I spotted this Outhouse in someone's back yard. It looked like it would be a good one so I turned around and took these pictures. The people were home and I thought any minute I would hear a shotgun blast or a couple of mean dogs would come running but nothing happened. Isn't this one a beauty?

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

Outhouse somewhere in Wisconsin

     And so this brings us to the conclusion of tonight's blog about Outhouses found on a recent trip from Michigan to Minnesota. I hope you enjoyed the blog and the most recent addition to the Outhouses of America Tour!