If you’ve traveled north of the Mackinac Bridge anytime during the past 100 years, you’ve surely seen Castle Rock.
This isn’t the fictional New England town of Castle Rock, Maine, where all sorts of creepy supernatural things happen in author Stephen King’s novels, but rather a massive column of limestone rising about 200 feet above nearby Lake Huron. You simply can’t miss it while driving by on Interstate-75 just north of St. Ignace.
Castle Rock is a geological marvel, a sea stack dating back to the Ice Age. When the waters of post-glacial Lake Algonquin, which was much higher than the water level of present-day Lake Huron, receded, they eroded much of the surrounding land. Denser limestone resisted this erosion, leaving Castle Rock looming high above statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox and a family-owned souvenir shop, featuring birch bark wallpaper and tourist trinkets. The roadside attraction has been family-owned since Clarence and Helen Eby bought it in 1929.
The main event is climbing 170 steps and a catwalk to the observation deck atop Castle Rock, a privilege that costs $1 and affords a glorious view of the surrounding area, including Mackinac Island, the towers of the Mackinac Bridge, downtown St. Ignace and miles forest to the north on a clear day.
Admission was 10 cents from 1929 until the late 1970s, with billboards advertising the slogan “Stop and climb, it’s still a dime.”
“My grandparents’ business model or philosophy then was keep the admission price extremely reasonable and that leaves extra money in their pocket or their wallet to buy souvenirs. And we do a very good business with that,” said Mark Eby, who has managed the business for over 40 years, noting that hoodies are the most popular seller in recent years.
Mark Eby, son of John and grandson of Clarence Eby, has been involved in the family business his whole life. “I remember starting about 10-years-old, my Dad would − he was an early riser − he got up before daylight and he would wake me up and says, ‘Come on, we’re going to work.’ You know, and I wanna go play with my friends or play baseball in the summertime, but no. I grew up here, at this place,” he recalled. ‘Work,’ for 10-year-old Mark, meant cutting grass, sweeping floors, emptying garbage cans, cleaning windows and the like.
Castle Rock is open to the public everyday from Mother’s Day weekend until late October. Eby works seven days a week.
“I’m here every day. I really don’t get a day off,” Eby said. Castle Rock’s hours are from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. during the early and late season and 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. from mid-June through Labor Day weekend, when it’s busiest, he added.
Prior to 1929, there was a business that functioned as a roadside motel, with several cabins and a general store that sold camping supplies.
“When (my grandparents) purchased Castle Rock, there was only a foot trail around the back side, there were no stairs,” Eby said. “About 1931, 1932 my grandfather put in some wooden steps and actually built what I call the catwalk,” which goes from the land to top of Castle Rock. After World War II, Clarence Eby built cement steps and hand railings. “A lot of people who do concrete work are impressed by how well the steps have held up all these decades,” Eby added.
Statues of folklore figures Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox, built by Mark’s uncle in 1959, add to the kitschy roadside attraction feel of the place and provide a ready-made photo opportunity for visitors.
“We’ve had many, over the years, many, many people come in, siblings, that they want to take a, like a before and after picture. They have a picture of them when they were younger, 5-, 6-, 7-years-old and now they’re in their 40’s and 50’s. And the siblings come back and redo that picture for their photo albums. That’s pretty common,” Eby said. “A lot of families come with their kids because they were here when they were kids,” he added.
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan Marvel: Castle Rock, the UP’s first tourist attraction
Reporting by John T. Greilick, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
