Located in an industrial area, Rogers City is home to the world's biggest limestone quarry and the world's biggest limestone processing plant. These two Rogers City assets are used along the Great Lakes to make steel. Rogers City is almost 2.4 nautical miles (2.4 kilometers or 1.5 miles by air) northwest of the Port of Calcite and about 34 nautical miles (57 kilometers or 35 miles by air) southeast of the Port of Cheboygan. In 2010, over 2800 people lived in Rogers City.
Rogers City is the seat of Presque Isle County, Michigan. Rogers City is adjacent to, but independent of, Rogers Township. Water-borne transportation has always been important to the Rogers City economy. Located on the northwest shores of Lake Huron, Rogers City was home port to the freighter SS Carl D. Bradley. In November 1958, the Bradley sank in Lake Michigan, taking down 33 of its 35 crew. Among the dead were 26 residents of Rogers City.
Rogers City's waterfront offers a beautiful harbor where sailboats and cruisers to the port's expanded state-of-the-art facility. Rogers City is a Port of Entry into the United States from Canada.
Rogers City Marina's harbor is home to 92 seasonal and 34 transient boats. Rogers City Marina offers facilities and services for customers that include pump-out and fuel facilities, help with docking, clean showers and restrooms, and free Wi-Fi. The breakwater extension in Rogers City Marina has a fishing platform enjoyed by anglers. The local Rogers City dive shop offers chartered dive trips from Mackinaw to Harrisville, where adventurers can explore some of the shipwrecks in the area.
Rogers City Marina is the finish line for two sailing events. The Doublehanded Challenge is designed to help novices learn how to sail safely with a minimum crew. The Cowles Cocktail Cruising Race is a relaxed event where racers moor for the evening and continue the race the next morning.
Adjacent to the Rogers City Marina is Lakeside Park with a swimming beach and playground equipment. Boaters can get a courtesy car or bicycles to reach local attractions, but restaurants and shops are within an easy two- to three-block walk.
From May 1st until August 15th, the Rogers City Marina is open from 8am until 9pm. Hours before July 1st and after August 15 may vary. Boaters wanting to reserve a slip at the Rogers City Marina can visit the Michigan Department of Natural Resources state reservation system.
Rogers City is a friendly small community set in a gorgeous natural setting. On the shores of Lake Huron, Rogers City is surrounded by state parks and clean beaches. Outdoor lovers will find Rogers City a paradise with ample fishing, hunting, hiking, and boating.
Rogers City has a humid continental climate with large differences in seasonal temperatures. Summers can be hot and humid, and winters can be severely cold. Snow falls from mid-October through late April or early May and can be as much as 22 inches in December and January. Temperatures range from an average high of 26°D (78°F) in July to an average low of -12°C (11°F) in January.
In late July and early August, the Rogers City Nautical Festival is a six-day event-filled celebration. The local Kiwanis Club sponsors dinners. The Lakeside Park Band shell hosts the Sailors Memorial and band concerts. Sidewalk Art fests are conducted by the Queen and her Court while children decorate the sidewalks with colored chalk. Parades and picnics for kids are conducted. Teens dance in the Big Tent one night, and everyone gathers for a dance the next.
Arts and Crafts Shows bring Rogers City contestants and visitors together. Local Rogers City quilters display their work and give demonstrations. Bingo is held in the Lakeside Tent. An Air Show delights festival goers. Attendees can dig for fossils behind the Rogers City Little League Field. Pet owners can enter their pets to win a variety of awards.
The Nautical City Run for Health offers a one-mile run/walk and a six-kilometer run/walk through Rogers City. Kids accompanied by an adult can learn archery or shotgun shooting. Other games include a slow-pitch softball tournament, a beach volleyball tournament, a Spitzer Tournament, a horseshoe tournament, and a final fireworks show. The Nautical City Festival Antique and Classic Car Show draws visitors from across the region.
Throughout the festival, participants can tour shipwrecks in the Rogers City area from a glass-bottom boat, the M/V Lady Michigan several times each day. Visitors can also take a narrated bus tour of Carmeuse Lime's Calcite Plant.
Rogers City is home to the Presque Isle County Historical Museum which is open from early May until late September from noon until 4pm every day but Sunday and Monday. The museum is located in the Bradley House, the biggest craftsman-style home in Rogers City. Once owned by Carl D. Bradley, general manager of Michigan Limestone and Calcite Transportation. By the time Bradley had completed modifications to the house, it had three sun porches, seven bedrooms, and four bathrooms.
Rooms in the museum today contain a typical early-20th Century Country Store, a millinery shop that was run by the Bertram Sisters, the Native American Room with artifacts collected by August Sellke in the 1930s, a display of tools and appliances used by early residents of Rogers City, and a typical dining room of the period.
The museum also has a reconstruction of the Cozy Corner counter, a restaurant that was popular in the 1950s and 1960s when rock and roll was in its infancy. The exhibit celebrates music and cars from the era and consumer products as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars, the Civil Rights movement, increased drug use, and the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley and Cedarville.
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