Coopersville USA, Lewiston, MI

August, 2024

Remember when we first started our travel blog and said we were striving to see some obscure destinations? 🤨 Well, thanks to one of our friends, we definitely found another place that fits that description! (Thanks for the heads-up, Doug!)

Between Mio, Lewiston, & Grayling, there is a Wild West themed site devoted to John Wayne. The concept of the town arose after Spike Cooper moved to the area and decided to build a bar. 🍺 So he built a saloon in honor of John Wayne, who was his hero and filled it with John Wayne memorabilia. Then he proceeded to build a church, a gallows, a covered wagon, and many more buildings that have been decorated with antiques. Fun tidbit of info: John Wayne was said to have actually visited Coopersville, USA! 🤩

If you’re expecting everything to be spotless and behind glass, I want to assure you that is not the case! 😉 You can walk into most of the buildings, look around, take pictures, and enjoy yourself at a relaxed pace. You can touch things and have a seat at the bar or piano in the saloon. 🎹 Most of the buildings are not full sized (and some need some TLC), but they were all hand-built by Spike & his friends to resemble an old western town and are definitely worth a visit to see. 😎

It is a really unique experience that had us laughing as we tossed Joe in the jail! 🤣 We met another group of people who enjoyed it as much as we did. Which then turned into an impromptu photo session.

We decided to take a walk on the path that led to Spike’s memorial. (He passed away in 2020.) Up the hill there is a sluice replica that was made to resemble those used when people mined for gold. 😎 There is also the site of the courthouse, which was actually a cabin where a good friend of his used to live.

Our family would highly recommend a day trip to Coopersville, USA–especially if you’re a John Wayne fan! 👍 This quirky little place should definitely be on any John Wayne fan’s bucket list! If you’re wondering about the fees to be able to explore this old time village, well, there aren’t any! There is a donation bucket that allows for the upkeep, and I hope people continue donating to keep this amazing place open for years to come. 🤗

After we explored for a few hours, we stopped at the beautiful Au Sable river on the way to our next destination. 🤩 It’s a well known blue-ribbon trout stream with excellent canoeing, kayaking, and tubing! 🛶

We hope you are enjoying our travels! We’d love for you to share it with your friends, if you’d like. 🤗

Thanks so much and stay tuned for more Traveling with the Trapps!

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