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Cut River Bridge Rest Area near Brevort, Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
| Our first stop on the tour is the Cut River Bridge and rest area new Brevort, Michigan. The Cut River Bridge spans a deep gorge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. |
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Women's Outhouse from Afar
Photo by J. Loose |
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Many of the rest areas of Michigan have outhouses instead of flushing toilets. Some are better than others. |
Women's Outhouse up close and personal
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Notice the dual rolls of toilet paper. No magazines here! This outhouse was pretty clean. Some were not on the tour! |
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Sample of the Commode
Photo by J. Loose |
| Here is a view of the Cut River Bridge. You can stop on either side of the bridge and walk it if you prefer. There is ample parking on both sides along Route 2. It is a beautiful bridge as you can see in the photo. This is a must see along your tour of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. You can take a break and have a picnic here and enjoy the view and the people. |
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The Cut River Bridge
Photo by J. Loose |
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As we were driving along, we would keep our eyes "peeled" for outhouses. When we saw one, sometimes we would have to slam on the brakes to slow down and enter the "point of interest". This particular his and hers outhouse was located near Cooks, Michigan. There is a boat access there and this is the outhouse you can use prior to launching. |
Fishdam Boat Access Outhouse near Cooks, Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Turning around to your right when facing the outhouses brought this scene into your vision. The area was clean and very well kept. |
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View of Fishdam Water Access
Photo by J. Loose |
| Once in a while, you come across a "gold-mine" of an outhouse. This was one of them. Here we were, driving along and I happened to look out the window at this church and all of a sudden I saw it! By the time the brain registered it as an outhouse we were long past it. The next shot shows what I saw as we were driving by. |
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Front View of the Church hiding the Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| Here is a view showing the front of the Church with the outhouse showing clearly in the back. You didn't need to walk very far from the back door of the Church to get to this outhouse. It was surely a welcome sight for little children in Junior Church when they needed to go. |
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View of Church showing Outhouse in the back
Photo by J. Loose |
| Here is a clear view of the Church's outhouse. It was a bit different than what we have come to expect; there is no moon. There is only a rectangular hole to provide light into the outhouse. |
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The Nahma Junction, Michigan Church Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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Here is a clear view of the holes of this Church's outhouse. As you can see, they were not too concerned about cutting a nice round hole! |
Clear View of church Outhouse Holes near
Nahma Junction, Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Once again, we were driving along at the posted speed when out of the corner of our eye, we saw it...another outhouse nearly hidden by other buildings of distraction. Can you see it in the photo? Continue on to see the real story. |
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Million Dollar Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| As I said, we had to once again turn around. This time we turned onto a road called Million Dollar Road. No one appeared to be home so I carefully walked over to the outhouse. I was amazed at what I found. Sure enough, it was an outhouse but what made this one so unique was the roof. Take a look at the next photo. |
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Front View of the Million Dollar Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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Upon opening the door, I found that this outhouse had long since been retired. It now houses old car parts like radiators and the like. |
Door Open Showing the Storage Inside
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This outhouse was located between two other out buildings. It was probably 40 to 50 steps from the back door of the house. I'm sure there was a wood pile located nearby at one time. |
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Outhouse Nestled with Two Other Buildings
Photo by J. Loose |
| As I said above, this outhouse had a roof which made it stand out as one of my favorite specimens of architecture. The roof had a metal ornament and peak cover that I have never seen before. Do you have any ideas of when this type of a roof peak was popular? One reader wrote "The metal roofing on the Million Dollar Outhouse would probably date it to the later 1930's or early 1940's I think. My father installed a new roof on the barn in the early 1940's and used that type of material." |
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The Most Unusual Outhouse Roof I Have Ever Seen
Photo by J. Loose |
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Here is a real nice close up shot of the roof. I just love the design of this one, don't you? |
Close up of the Unusual Outhouse Roof
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This outhouse was found in a rest area just South of Green Bay, Wisconsin near DePere, Wisconsin. This outhouse had a urinal in addition to the commode. One note about this one; it really had a bad odor. I thought it was much worse than the odor from a traditional, go in-the-ground outhouse. |
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Rest Area Outhouse near Green Bay, Wisconsin
Photo by J. Loose |
| Well, we finally made it to our destination, Oshkosh, Wisconsin. It was here that you could find hundreds of porta potties scattered throughout the Airventure site. This shot was taken by a row of them. The "honey truck" comes regularly to pump them out and they never had a bad odor the entire week we were there. In the background is a B-17 bomber from World War II. |
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Honey Wagon Off-Loading several Outhouses
Photo by J. Loose |
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At Oshkosh you will see nearly every type of airplane you would ever want to see. This year was no exception. This photo shows the tail of a Constellation and the side of a military AWAC. I think the Constellation is one of the most beautiful airplanes ever created. This one flies every day during the Oshkosh, Wisconsin Airventure. The flight engineer sits behind the pilots and actually controls the throttles and mixture of the engines. Whoa! This site is about outhouses isn't it? I took this photo to show the shed made to look like an outhouse with a moon painted on it! |
Constellation Airliner with Outhouse Shed in Foreground
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Once again, we were driving along returning home but still in Wisconsin. We were headed for Marinette, Wisconsin when we saw this outhouse. It was located in the back yard of a nice house and across the road was an exotic dancer club! It was located North of Bellbridge Road on US 41. |
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This Outhouse had a shallow hole
Photo by J. Loose |
| This was the corner of the outhouse. Notice that this one used to have an outer covering but most of it has long since been weathered away. When you went inside of this outhouse, you could see through the cracks of the wood to the outside. The hole on this was not too deep at all. It looked like someone is still using it but the hole could not have been more than a foot deep. Either that or the hole was full! |
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Corner View of the Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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This was the house that owned the outhouse. It was a real nice home and the yard was well kept up. I think the owners were German from the spelling of the name. Wisconsin is well known for their German ancestors who settled there long ago and many a Bratwurst has been consumed in this state. You will also find more cheese than you can imagine. They sell it in roadside stands everywhere along Route 41. |
The House in front of the Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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| As I said above, this outhouse had a very shallow dug hole. Note the toilet seat on the left hole and the roll of toilet paper ready for use. The floor looks well worn as well. |
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An Inside Look at the Outhouse with the Very Shallow Hole
Photo by J. Loose |
| Here is the back of the outhouse. Notice the boards and how you could see rays of light flowing through the cracks into the outhouse. |
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Back View of the Outhouse Showing the Holes You Could See Through
Photo by J. Loose |
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Every so often you come across a beautiful outhouse which is currently being used and kept up. This is one of them. As we were driving near Peshtigo, Wisconsin, I spotted this outhouse nestled behind the house. An historical point of interest here: Peshtigo and Chicago both had terrible fires in the 1800's. The fire in Peshtigo was much more devastating than the Chicago fire but never gets any recognition. You can visit the Peshtigo fire museum if you visit the town. |
Beautiful Current-Day Outhouse near Peshtigo, Wisconsin
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This outhouse had a square hole with a screen over it to allow air to come in. There isn't any moon in this one but no one cares. It is just a very nicely built outhouse. This one even had windows at the top. |
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Front view of the Peshtigo Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| As I opened the door, it was obvious that this outhouse is still being used. It did need toilet paper for sure, but the inside was immaculate from the mirror on the wall to the toilet paper holder which was empty. |
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Inside the Peshtigo Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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As you walked around the outhouse, there were lots of pretty flowers growing there. I guess there's lots of fertilizer around... This outhouse is one that could be used on a postcard or painting. Doesn't this outhouse just look grand? |
Front Left Side with Outhouse Flowers
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This is another shot of the front of the outhouse near Peshtigo, Wisconsin. This picture clearly shows the little rectangular opening where the screen is to let fresh air in. You sit directly behind the opening but no one can see you. |
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Another Front View
Photo by J. Loose |
| This outhouse was located at the Stoney Point Public Access area. This is a boat launching site just north of Menominee, Michigan with access to Lake Michigan. |
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Stoney Point Public Access Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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As you opened the door to this outhouse, it took on a clinical air. The commode was what appeared to be stainless steel with a commercial toilet paper dispenser and plenty of "dirt" on the floor. |
Inside the Stoney Point Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This was just another shot of a different angle. Note the sign; Please Close The Door. I guess they thought the spring wasn't strong enough. |
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Another Angle of the Stoney Point Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| This fine example of a cement outhouse was located at Kleinke Park near Escanaba, Michigan off Route 35. Keep going, there were more outhouses in the park. |
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Kleinke Park Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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This group of outhouses were located inside of Kleinke Park across from a beach area on Lake Michigan. These are definitely clean inside. Here you can see a worker's back as he is cleaning out the women's outhouse. |
Group of Outhouses in Kleinke Park
Photo by J. Loose |
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| As I was taking a picture of the outhouses, I noticed a person cleaning them. Feeling strange, I approached the person and asked him to hold the door open so I could snap a picture. He looked at me as though I was some nut and said "Sure". |
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Inside the Women's Outhouse at Kleinke Park
Photo by J. Loose |
| This well built outhouse was located at the junction of Route 183 and Route 2 near Cooks, Michigan. My son went to use the outhouse and a man asked him "What are all the pictures for?". My son answered "I don't know!". The man said "You don't know or you're not telling?" When my son returned to the car he was laughing and hiding when he told the story to me. |
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The Foxy Den Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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This outhouse actually had a major design flaw. I had to go so I went inside to do my business and when the door closed, so did the light. It was pitch black inside. I had to memorize where the hole was and take aim. Come on guys! A little moon would do the trick. Now do you know why there is a moon on many outhouses cut out? It too had a stainless steel commode. |
Inside the Foxy Den Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This outhouse was located near Manistique, Michigan on Route 2. It had a women's side and a men's side separated by a wooden privacy fence. Gas emissions could be heard clearly on each side. |
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Cement Outhouse on Lake Michigan Beach
Photo by J. Loose |
| This cement outhouse looked like a prison inside. As you went inside, you could just picture yourself going into a cell. Note the stainless steel commode (a very popular outhouse standard here in Michigan) and the window above along with the standard toilet paper dispenser and of course the stains on the floor! You can also see the windows on the upper right along with a white vent pipe located at the back left to vent the gases skyward. Look out global warming! |
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Inside the Prison Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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This a view a little further back clearly showing that this outhouse is a popular resting spot for the local sea gulls. They too must have to go to the bathroom. This being an outhouse, the sea gulls let it fly on the roof! Notice there are plenty of windows on the sides and back of this outhouse. |
Sea Gull Droppings on the Outhouse Roof
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Here is a better shot showing the roadside sign with the outhouses in the background. |
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Lake Michigan Outhouses
Photo by J. Loose |
| As we were driving on Route 2 near Blaney Park, Michigan, we saw a huge microwave tower in the distance. As we drove by, we saw what appeared to be an outhouse. We turned the car around and sure enough, there was an outhouse inside the fence protecting the tower. |
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Microwave Tower Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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This is a clear shot through the fence of the outhouse at the base of the tower. It is in need of a scraping and paint job but it was still very functional. No moon cut out but there was a rectangular window cut out for light to come in. |
Close-up of the Microwave Tower Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Here is a shot clearly showing the fence with the outhouse in the background. We had to use an outhouse at this point but ended up having to use the ground instead since you couldn't get to this one. |
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A Through-the-Fence Shot of the Microwave Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| This was a classic outhouse find near Engadine, Michigan. Once again, we had to turn the car around but this one was worth stopping at. |
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A Classic Outhouse by Engadine, Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
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This outhouse was a real find. Someone had painted a moon on the door instead of cutting one out. The next picture will clearly show the writing on the door. |
Great Shot Showing the Hand Painted Moon
Photo by J. Loose |
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Enter and sign in please! The writing says it all. In case you can't read it, here is what it says:
"Through This door
Many have past
to sit their "ass"
Its service is done
May it rest in peace
We still
ask any new
visitors to please
go in and register
Thank You."
On the right side is written "Eat at Glens". |
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The Writing on the Door of the Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
| As I opened the door to this outhouse, there were plenty of cobwebs in this one. No one had used it for some time. Someone told me that if an outhouse is left alone for an amount of time, spiders will eat every trace of what us humans leave behind and it will be clean as a whistle when they are done. |
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Inside the Engadine Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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What do you make of this outhouse? Is it an outhouse? Only the author knows for sure... |
Outhouse near Naubinway, Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
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| This one sure looks like an outhouse. It was enough for me to stop and take a picture. Note the regular door converted to the door of this outbuilding. |
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Outhouse or Storage Shed? You Decide...
Photo by J. Loose |
| The Mackinac Bridge is one of the finest accomplishments of engineers. It is the longest known suspension bridge; some 5 miles long. This is the Gros Cap and St. Helena Island historical marker. Here is what it says on the marker: "French fisherman who came to Gros Cap (on the shore below) early last century also participated in its offshore settlement, St. Helena Island, where ships obtained wood fuel and other supplies. There in 1850, Archie and Wilson Newton set up a fishing and shipping business. The community thrived for more than 30 years. |
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Mackinac Bridge Lookout Rest Area
Photo by J. Loose |
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This is the lookout outhouse. This particular one is the Men's outhouse. |
Mackinac Bridge Lookout Rest Area Outhouse
Photo by J. Loose |
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| Here is a shot of the Mackinac Bridge taken from the lookout at the St. Helena Island rest area. |
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Mackinac Bridge Connecting Upper and Lower Michigan
Photo by J. Loose |
| We were so engrossed with the view of the Mackinac Bridge that we didn't notice these outhouses across the road. They were nestled in a field among some wild flowers. |
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Outhouses Across the Road from the St. Helena Island Rest Area
Photo by J. Loose |
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