Tag Archives: Valerie Winans

The Mysterious Michigan Stonehenge

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Episode 49: The Mysterious Michigan Stonehenge

Stone circles found in many places in the world are remnants of the Neolithic Age and are predominantly found in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Most people are familiar with Stonehenge on the Salisbury Plain in England. It was built about 5,000 years ago and continues to make the curious wonder – who and why. The 300 stone circles found in Britain and Ireland are interesting, and people have been seeking answers about them for thousands of years. But what about a Stonehenge in Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay? A recently discovered Stonehenge on the North American continent is amazing news and fires up a whole new line of inquiry.

Sources

Clonehenge A blog about Stonehenge Replicas. We kid you not. https://clonehenge.com/2013/12/06/a-quick-list-of-stonehenge-movies-part-one-2nd-part-not-implied/

English Heritage. Avebury https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/avebury

English Heritage. Castlerigg Stone Circle https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/castlerigg-stone-circle/history/

Exploring Lake Michigan’s 10,000 Year Old “Stonehenge”: Journey Into the Past https://medium.com/the-masterpiece/exploring-lake-michigans-10-000-year-old-stonehenge-journey-into-the-past-8afd6594e642

Holley, Mark. 2019. https://holleyarchaeology.com/index.php/the-truth-about-the-stonehenge-in-lake-michigan/

Jana, Rosalind. Stonehenge and the eerie allure of ancient stone circles. June 2022. https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20220615-stonehenge-and-the-eerie-allure-of-ancient-stone-circles

Mardenfeld, Sandra. Sept. 2020. https://www.grunge.com/253934/the-truth-about-the-stonehenge-replica-in-lake-michigan/

Moul, Dr. Russell. Edited by Simmons, Laura. What Is A Henge, And Why Were They Built? IFLSCIENCE https://www.iflscience.com/what-is-a-henge-and-why-were-they-built-73755

Shavit, Joseph. 9000-year-old ‘Stonehenge-like’ monument discovered in Lake Michigan. The Brighterside of News. https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/9000-year-old-stonehenge-like-monument-discovered-in-lake-michigan/ar-AA1rPaHF

The Archaeologist. January 24, 2023 https://www.thearchaeologist.org/blog/9000-year-old-stonehenge-like-structure-found-under-lake-michigan

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Meet Valerie Winans, Your Host for Episode 49:

The Mysterious Michigan Stonehenge

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of four books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends, and The Extraordinary Life of Edwin B. Winans: From the Stampede for Gold in California to the Capitol of Michigan. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

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Episode 47: How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

Accurately recognizing and treating many diseases, including mental illness, was not prevalent in the 19th or early 20th centuries. Rural farm communities were accustomed to injuries and illnesses that often resulted in death. Some deaths could not be explained that’s just the way it was.

 On Monday, April 20, 1903, Gertrude Murphy left her three-month-old baby, Ruth, in the care of her sister-in-law, Mary McKnight. Gertrude left the baby with Mary to help with work at a new house she and her husband, John Murphy, were building on a nearby piece of land. When Gertrude and John came back at lunch time, Mary told them that baby Ruth had died. Baby Ruth’s death was only the beginning of a cascading series of deaths that resulted in the exposure of a mass murderer living in a little town in northern Michigan.

John Murphy Death                        Certificate

Sources:

Buhk, Tobin T. Michigan’s Strychnine Saint: The Curious Case of Mrs. Mary McKnight. The History Press. Charleston, SC 2014

(When Nurses Kill by Katherine Ramsland Ph.D.  https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/shadow-boxing/201204/when-nurses-kill)

Lucy Letby: Inside the mind of a serial killer – the psychology behind healthcare murders by Gemma Peplow, culture reporter.

https://news.sky.com/story/lucy-letby-inside-the-mind-of-a-serial-killer-the-psychology-behind-healthcare-murderers-12941902

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Meet Valerie Winans, Your Host for Episode 47:

How Many People Did Mary McKnight Murder, and Why?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of four books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends, and The Extraordinary Life of Edwin B. Winans: From the Stampede for Gold in California to the Capitol of Michigan. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

Who Killed Frances Lacey?

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Episode 42: Who Killed Frances Lacey?

Mackinac Island is perched aesthetically in the Straits of Mackinac. The island is unique, historic, and timeless. There is a sense when stepping from the dock into the town that a switch has been flipped, and you are plunged back in time to the 19th century. Cars were outlawed in 1898. The ferries drop visitors within steps of the main street but be careful where you step because wagons and carriages take the place of cars, and they are pulled by draft horses. There are horses to rent for a ride around the island, or bicycles if you prefer. The town is arranged for the tourist trade with hotels, gift shops, restaurants, bars, and the famous Mackinac Island Fudge. It’s such a beautiful setting that the movie Somewhere in Time was filmed there, and that’s what you feel when you step off the ferry and enter the town – you feel as though you have been transported in time to a simpler, peaceful era. Thoughts of violence or murder are the farthest thing from anyone’s mind, but murder did happen there on June 24, 1960.

Sources:

Herald-Palladium. Benton Harbor, Mi. Search For Suit Jacket of Widow. July 30, 1960.

Indianapolis Star. Suspects Freed in Strangling of Wealthy Widow. July 30, 1960.

Lansing State Journal. Lansing, Michigan. Mackinac Slaying Is Unsolved. July 30, 1960.

Petoskey News-Review. Police Admit Dead End, May Release Suspect. July 30, 1960.

Sadler, Rod. Grim Paradise: The Cold Case Search for the Mackinac Island Killer. Wild Blue Press. Denver, Colorado 2023

Sault Star. Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. Police Continue Nation-wide Hunt For Murderer of Mackinac Widow. July 21,1962.

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 42: Who Killed Frances Lacey?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of four books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends, and The Extraordinary Life of Edwin B. Winans: From the Stampede for Gold in California to the Capitol of Michigan. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

 

 

Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

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Episode 37: Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

Who can resist a story about a lost mine? King Solomon’s Mine in Africa, the Lost Dutchman’s Mine in Arizona, and The Wall of Silver in Michigan. They all have a story. Historically, Michigan had vast iron ore and copper deposits in its Upper Peninsula. Gold and silver were also found there, but no mother loads were found in Michigan. Richard Kellogg says he has seen a wall of pure silver at least 90 feet long in a mine in the Keweenaw peninsula of Michigan.

Source:

Kellogg, Richard. Wall of Silver: A Treasure Hunter’s Dream. Avery Color Studios, Inc. 2004

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Meet Valerie Winans, the host for Episode 37: Wall of Silver — The Lost Mine

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

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Episode 29: The Death of Juanita Richardson: Accident, Suicide, or Murder?

On June 22, 2006, Juanita Richardson fell to her death. The investigation of her death, and the subsequent trial and conviction of her husband, Thomas Richardson, was not ordinary.

Sources:

United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit on appeal from the Western District of Michiganhttps://www.morelaw.com/verdicts/case.asp?s=MI&d=135150

Wife’s plunge sends Thomas Richardson to prison for life. May 20, 2008. The Associated Press https://www.mlive.com/grpress/2008/05/wifes_plunge_sends_thomas_rich.html

The Oakland Press / Schoolcraft County jury convicts man in wife’s fatal fall. https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2008/04/17/schoolcraft-county-jury-convicts-man-in-wifes-fatal-fall/

Juanita Richardson Murder Case: Where is Thomas Richardson Today? https://spikytv.com/juanita-richardson-murder-case-where-is-thomas-richardson-today/

Interview: Natalie Torres, Michigan State Trooper

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Read about Alaska’s Savage River

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 29

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

 

 

 

What Happened to the Christmas Tree Ship?

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Episode 25: What Happened to the Christmas Tree Ship?

The ship known as the Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, sank in November of 1912 between Kewaunee and Two Rivers, Wisconsin, during a winter storm on Lake Michigan. The ship left Thompson Pier, Michigan, reportedly needing repair, and overloaded with Christmas trees for its annual journey to the expanding Christmas market in Chicago. The story surrounding the mystery of the sinking and the legend that followed cannot be told without first sharing the story of the schooners and their masters in the late 19th century.

 

Sources:

  1. Neuschel, Fred.Lives and Legends of the Christmas Tree Ships. The University of Michigan Press. 2007
  2. Christmas Tree Ship, the Rouse Simmons, sank on Lake Michigan 109 years ago. Wisconsin Maritime Museum will honor its legacy Saturday.

https://www.htrnews.com/story/entertainment/2021/12/01/lake-michigan-christmas-tree-ship-rouse-simmons-sank-1912/8778837002/

  1. A ship carrying thousands of Christmas trees sank in Lake Michigan 107 years ago.

https://www.wzzm13.com/article/news/history/christmas-tree-ship-sinking/69-06a7fa47-2e80-4ab0-b592-6b62bcc8e078

 

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 25

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

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Episode 21: What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down

of the big lake they called Gitchee Gumee

The lake it is said never gives up her dead

when the skies of November turn gloomy

Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrics memorialize the tragedy of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, but the mystery remains – what sunk the great ship?

Sources:

Stonehouse, Frederick. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Avery Color Studios, Inc. Gwinn, Michigan. 1977.

Charles River Editors. The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald: The Loss of the Largest Ship on the Great Lakes. Kindle

Schumacher, Michael. The Trial of the Edmund Fitzgerald: Eyewitness Accounts from the U.S. Coast Guard Hearings. University of Minnesota Press. Minneapolis, MN. 2019.

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

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Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet Valerie Winans, your host for Episode 21: What Happened to the Edmund Fitzgerald?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

Where is Baby Shannon?

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Episode 17: Where is Baby Shannon?

Some of the facts in this true story have been established, but some things are still unknown.

Sources:

https://wbckfm.com/cold-case-cedar-springs-the-disappearance-of-baby-shannon/ Cold Case Cedar Springs: The Disappearance of Baby Shannon

 https://charleyproject.org/case/shannon-dale-verhage The Charley Project

 https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/michigan/2022/06/03/michigan-girl-still-missing-25-years-after-mother-murdered-found-dead-in-lake-killer-on-death-row/

 https://www.woodtv.com/news/michigan/convicted-killer-from-mi-up-for-execution/

Citation:  Timmerman, L.C. and John H. The Color of Night: A Young Mother, a Missing Child and a Cold-Blooded Killer, New Horizon Press. Far Hills, NJ 2011

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet your host for Episode 17: Where is Baby Shannon?

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

Valerie is a writer for readers of all ages and dogs’ best friend.

 

 

Grand Island Murders

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Episode 10: Grand Island Murders

After the body of Edward Morrison was found in the bottom of the U.S. lighthouse boat on the shore of Lake Superior, stories began to flourish about what had happened and who was responsible — even before the facts were established. To this day, people still have strong opinions about an event that occurred more than one hundred years ago.

Sources:

Graham, Loren. Death At The Lighthouse: A Grand Island Riddle. Arbutus Press, Traverse City, Michigan. 2013.

 

UNSOLVED MICHIGAN MYSTERY: Death of a Lighthouse Keeper | https://99wfmk.com/grand-island-lighthouse-murder/?utm_source=tsmclip&utm_medium=referral

 

https://lostinmichigan.net

 

https://mikelbclassen.com

Read Valerie’s companion piece to this episode at Medium or at the Readers and Writers Book Club

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

Get to know the authors at The Readers and Writers Book Club

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Meet your host for Episode 10: Grand Island Murders.

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.

 

Sister Mary Janina

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Episode 6: Sister Mary Janina

Isidore is a quiet little farm community. Not at all the place you think of when you hear someone has been buried alive in the basement of a church.

Sources:

https://lostinmichigan.net

Where is Sister Janina? Mardi Lind https://wondersandmarvels.com

Isadore’s Secret: Sin, Murder, and Confession in a Northern Michigan Town by Mardi Link

The 1907 Murder of Sister Janina: Isidore, Michigan https://99wfmk.com

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This podcast is sponsored by Author Masterminds and the Readers and Writers Book Club. 

Check out the Author Masterminds Website

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Meet your host for Episode 6: Sister Mary Janina

Valerie Winans is a graduate of Northwestern Michigan College, a retired state government manager, and a former campground host in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Valerie is the author of three books: Alaska’s Savage River: Inside Denali National Park and Preserve, Road Trip with Remington Beagle: Michigan to Alaska and Back, and A Hero’s Journey: Life Lessons From A Dog And His Friends. A writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her books are written to inform and entertain readers of all ages. She currently resides with her husband in Traverse City, Michigan. More information can be found at www.valeriewinans.com.