The Tyoga and Tory’s Woods Nature Preserve

In 2014, John and Tory Parlin donated 230 acres to UPLC east of Sand River and just north of M-28 in Alger County. This wilderness sanctuary is now Tory’s Woods Nature Preserve. Featuring three miles of trails through mixed forest and sensitive wetland habitat, Tory’s Woods is a popular destination for birding, wildflower viewing, and snowshoeing. It is also a place to contemplate the resilience of our Upper Peninsula forests.

John Parlin coauthored Harvesting the Wilderness, a history of Onota Township. This meticulously researched book, published in 2011, describes the activities of the Tyoga Lumber Company.

In 1902, Leonard Harrison of Pennsylvania purchased 1,200 acres from Marquette County land speculator Daniel Powell, who gave name to Powell Township, home to Big Bay, MI. Harrison and a group of Pennsylvania investors formed the Tyoga Lumber Company, which heavily logged the area around Tory’s Woods between 1905 and 1907.

The scant remains of the Tyoga Lumber Company town are about four miles northeast of Tory’s Woods. Historical signs on that site, called the Tyoga Pathway, describe the bustling lumber town, now nearly reclaimed by nature.

While there have been selective harvests at Tory’s Woods, much of the preserve has been left largely untouched to grow naturally and provide habitat for wildlife. The towering trees of this mixed hardwood-conifer forest showcase a fascinating ecology, with noticeable transitions as you walk from south to north through the preserve. Visitors can also observe the varying ages of the trees and the areas where different management practices have taken place by reading signage along the trails.