The Gogebic Michigan Highwayman - The Last Stagecoach Robbery in North America

About this episode

This episode recounts the dramatic story of the last stagecoach robbery in North America, involving the Gogebic Highwayman.

In the summer of 1889, wealthy tourists stepped off Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad trains bound for the White House Inn on Lake Gogebic. What began as a peaceful journey through Michigan’s deep north woods quickly turned into one of the Upper Peninsula’s most shocking crimes. A horse-drawn resort stagecoach carrying bankers and vacationers rolled along a lonely wilderness road when an armed gunman stepped from the trees. The robbery left one man dead, triggered fears of lynching in Gogebic County, and launched a manhunt that gripped newspapers across the Midwest. The suspect, Reimund Holzhey, became known as the “Gogebic Highwayman,” a mysterious figure whose courtroom testimony, claims of insanity, and strange later life only deepened the legend. Using original 1889 newspaper accounts, regional historical records, and local Upper Peninsula history, this episode reconstructs the dramatic story behind what many still call Michigan’s last great stagecoach robbery. Along the way, it examines the fading frontier era of Lake Gogebic’s grand resort hotels, railroad tourism, and the rough wilderness roads that once connected them. Was this truly the last stagecoach robbery…

People in this episode

Host: Thumbwind Publications

Topics covered

• true crime
• Michigan history
• stagecoach robbery
• Upper Peninsula
• historical events

Keywords

• Gogebic Highwayman
• stagecoach robbery
• Michigan history
• Upper Peninsula
• 1889

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Milwaukee, Lake Shore & Western Railroad

Places: Lake Gogebic, Gogebic County, Upper Peninsula

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