Medicine bottle on the property of the Rose Township office in the tiny town of Lupton.
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Town Name: Lupton
Population: 150
Reason For Becoming a Lost Town: Survived as a resort town into the 1930s, but went bust after the Great Depression ruined the Northern Michigan tourist economy.
Town History: A lost town that was founded by Quakers, but brought to prominence by gangsters!
Lupton was first settled by several Quaker families from Ohio, including that of Emmor Lupton in 1880. It was first known as "Lane Heights" and given a post office as "Lane" in April 1881. A depot on the Detroit, Bay City and Alpena Railroad was opened in January 1893. The post office was renamed Lupton in June 1893.
Like most towns up here, timber was the primary industry for years. Lupton was one of the few surviving towns after the trees were felled, due to tourism being on the rise during the economical rise of the 1920s. Located centrally near a good number of lakes, cabins were built and Lupton became the nighttime destination for people looking for a good drink or dance.
Built in the late 1920s, the Graceland Ballroom was THE distination for those looking for a good time.
The original owner, Mike Gelfand, aka One-arm-Mike, was a former member of Detroit's infamous Purple Gang. The Purple Gang used this as one of their many hideouts during periods of avoiding the police after robberies down south. Legend has it that bullet holes could be found in the walls and Al "Scarface" Capone himself would stay and use the Graceland as a place of business and leisure.
Times were good until the Great Depression raged on and most of the Purple Gang would end up dead or in jail. While Lupton and the Graceland ultimately survived the economic depression, things were never the same. The Graceland operated into the 1980s until it burned down. Its original location was across the street, west of the gas station south of town. Lupton suffered from economic hardships, but survives as a quiet town with a wild past.
Sources: Wikipedia, Lost Michigan, Retro Kimmer's Blog.
This is a Michigan's Lost Towns cache! If you are interested in finding out where you can visit other lost towns, or hiding your own MLT cache, visit the website at www.losttownscacheseries.com!
Cache Description: Cache is a medicine bottle. Please bring a pen and keep it covered.
Notes of Interest: Located in a small park, stealth is required!