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Joseph Robert Clewley has been missing along the North Country Trail in Upper Michigan's Tahquamenon Falls State Park since July 13, 2008. Click here on photo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of Clewley Family)

Welcome to Joseph Robert Clewley's new missing-person Web site.

Joe's old Web site will remain on the Net, but it will no longer be updated.

   • Gone-missing incident
   • Multi-agency SAR operations
   • Joe's trailhead vehicle
   • Chip, Joe's faithful companion
   • The Chippewa Hunting Post
   • Joseph Robert Clewley
   • Personal information
   • Scars, marks, piercing, & tattoos
   • Deformities, fractures, & medical devices
   • Clothing & accessories at disappearance
   • Missing-person poster
   • $1,000 Crime Stoppers reward & toll-free tipline

As you sit on the hillside,
or lie prone under the trees of the forest,
or sprawl wet-legged by a mountain stream,
the great door, that does not look like a door, opens.
—Stephen Graham, The Gentle Art of Tramping, 1926

 

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	Great Lakes-area atlas map of search area. Click here or on map for high-resolution imagery.
	State of Michigan Road Map of search area. Click here or on map for high-resolution imagery.
	Chippewa County map of search area. Click here or on map for high-resolution imagery.
	USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle topographic map of search area. Click here or on map for high-resolution imagery.
	Orthophoto (satellite/aerial) quadrangle of search area. Click here or on map for high-resolution imagery.
	Official "Exploring Tahquamenon Falls State Park" map. Click here or map for high-resolution imagery.

Joseph Robert Clewley—a 73-year-old white male from the Higgins Lake area in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan—has not been seen since Sunday, July 13, 2008.

His vehicle was found parked along the north side of the Tahqua Trail at the trailhead for the North Country Trail (NCT) in the western portion of Tahquamenon Falls State Park, which straddles Luce and Chippewa counties in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Tahquame-non Falls State Park is a largely unspoiled, 50,000-acre swath of near wilderness particularly well known for its spectacular 50-foot Upper Falls. Click here or on photo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources)

In excess of 50,000 gallons of water per second spill over this 200-foot-wide falls, one of the largest drops east of the Mississippi River. Click here or on photo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of Christopher Hallaxs, who has been missing in this general area since March 17, 2004)

The portion of the North Country Trail (NCT)—a National Scenic Trail—cutting through the heart of Joe's Country is an integral part of the longest trail system in the United States. Click here or on logo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of NCT Association)

Created in 1980, this 4,600-mile-long foot path traverses seven states and 10 national forests. Click here or on logo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of NCT Association)

 

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	Clewley SAR Operation photos. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

Shortly after Joe Clewley went missing, the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office launched what would become the largest search-and-rescue manhunt in the county's history.

The sheriff's search-and-rescue effort was truly a multi-agency operation as it included such agencies as:

• • Bay Mills Tribal
    Police Department
  • Michigan Department
    of Corrections (MDOC)   Emergency Response
    Team (ERT)
  • Michigan Department
    of State Police (MSP)
  • U.S. Coast Guard
    (USCG)
  • Michigan Department of Natural Resources (MIDNR)
  • US Boarder Patrol (USBP)
  • Michigan Search and Rescue (K9 SAR)
  • Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR)
  • Maple Lane Bloodhounds (K9 SAR)

Over the course of the first couple weeks of the county's search-and-rescue operation, dozens of searchers have spent countless hours searching the bush for Joe and his dog Chip.

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	The night sky over Joe's Country during MiBSAR's many operational bivouacs. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

Searchers on foot—ground pounders—were assisted by tracking dogs, cadaver dogs, fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, vehicles, ATVs, watercraft, etc.

While the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office has officially called off the search-and-operation, deputies and detectives continue to investigate the disappearance of Joe Clewley, calling in assets as new leads turn up.

Joe's family and friends continue to search for him when they visit the Clewley Family cabin.

Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR) also continues to conduct search-and-rescue operations in Joe's Country, a challenging swath of bush encompassing some 10,000 acres of pine-studded ridges and wet, swampy lowlands.

 

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
and sorry that I couldn't travel both and be one traveler
I stood and looked as far as I could to where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other one just as fair
and having perhaps the better claim
because it was grassy and wanted wear
though as far as the passing
there had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning
equally lay in leaves no step and trodden black oh,
I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence;
two roads diverged in a woods,
and I took the one less traveled by
and that has made all the difference.
—Robert Frost, 1874-1963, The Road Not Taken, 1916

 

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	Joe Clewley's '92 Oldsmobile van. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

Joe's van—a 1992, 5-door, silver,Oldsmobile Silhouette van with Michigan license plates—was found parked along the north side of Tahqua Trail in Tahquamenon Falls State Park.

The van was located in the parking area adjacent to the rustic, undeveloped trailhead for the North Country Trail (NCT)—a National Scenic Trail—about 5.1 miles west of M-123. This trailhead is located on opposite side of the Tahqua Trail from north bank of the north bank of the Tahquamenon River, which is part of the Lake Superior watershed.

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	The North Country Trail Trailhead along the north side of the Tahqua Trail, 5.1 miles east of M-123. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

Sheriff's investigators believe Joe, accompanied by his faithful dog Chip, went for a hike along the North Country Trail, most likely about midmorning on Sunday, July 13, 2008, a sunny, warm, humid day.

 

 

 

Look at this vigorous plant that lifts its head from the meadow,
see how its leaves are turned to the north,
as true as the magnet;
this is the compass-flower,
that the finger of god has planted here in the houseless wild,
to direct the traveler's journey.
—Henry W. Longfellow, 1807-1882, Evangeline, 1847

 

 

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	Joe's companion, Chip, a 9-year-old, black-and-white, chow-springer mix. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos, left to right, by the Clewley Family and Michael Neiger)

Joe’s 9-year-old dog Chip was a black-and-white chow-springer mix. He had a black tongue and a curly tail.

Chip weighed 45 pounds, stood 21 inches tall, and was 38 inches long. A male, his fur was 1.5 to 2 inches in length.

Chip would have been wearing a silver choker-chain collar without a license. Joe reportedly did not use a leash in the bush with Chip.

Chip's bark was shrill and piercing, and he reportedly answered to the name Chip. According to Joe's family, Chip was so loyal that he would not have left Joe's side.

Update: Joe's dog Chip was found outside the Clewley Family log cabin about 2:00 a.m. on August 1, 2008. He appeared to be in good condition—healthy and clean—despite his 20-day ordeal. He was a little thin though, having lost perhaps 20 percent of his body weight.

Chip is now being cared for by a member of the Clewley Family.

 

I can’t rightly say I’ve ever been lost,
but I’ve been mighty perplexed for two or three days runnin'.
—Davy Crockett (1786-1836)

 

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At the time Joe went missing, he had been staying at his small, two-room, circa-1920s log cabin, historically referred to as the Chippewa Hunting Post.

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	Joe Clewley's circa-1920s, two-room, log cabin—The Chippewa Hunting Post—perched on the north bank of the Tahquamenon River. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

The Clewley Family cabin is situated south-southwest of Paradise in Chippewa County's Whitefish Township, a small village of some 450 residents located in the eastern Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

Visitors to Joe's well-kept cabin perched atop the north bank of the Tahquamenon River can't escape the feeling of stepping back in time.

A small, simple, wooden Welcome to the River placard greets those who visit the timeless Chippewa Hunting Post.

Just inside the back room is a picture of his log cabin, taken from the vantage point of the Tahquamenon River. It's aptly captioned:

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	Michael Neiger's canoe beached at the confluence of Cheney Creek and the Tahquamenon River during an August 8-10, 2009 SAR Operation , about 3 klicks (km) downstream of Joe's log cabin. Click here or on photo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo by Michael Neiger)

Welcome...

Things are a lot more
like they used to be
than they are now.

We Love It!

It is one of the blessings of wilderness life
that it shows us how few things we need
in order to be perfectly happy.
—Horace Kephart, Camping & Woodcraft, 1917

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m	The mighty Tahquamenon River as it courses it way through Joe's Country on its way to Lake Superior's Whitefish Bay. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)

Joe's bookcase and coffee table overflow with a wide variety of books. Taped nearby his old—but comfortable—reading chair is this quote:

When we cannot
    bear to be alone,
it means we do not
    properly value
the only companion
    we will have
    from birth to death—
   ourselves
—Eda Leshan, (1922-2002), American writer

Conversation enriches
    the understanding,
but solitude
    is the school genius.
—Edward Gibbon, English Historian, 1737-1794, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

I can enjoy society in a room;
but out of doors, nature is company enough for me.
— William Hazlitt, English essayist, 1778-1830

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	During the 1950s, Joe served a tour of duty with the United States Navy—actually the Seabees, the Navy's Construction Battalions (CBs)—on the island of Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean. Click here to listen to the 1943 Song of the Seabees. Click on graphics for high-resolution imagery. (Images courtesy of the US Navy)

Those lucky enough to have been acquainted with Joe Clewley most likely knew him to be a kind, gentle man.

According to one of his nephews, Joe would have given you the shirt off his back, even if he'd just met you.

...Joe is my Uncle. I want to thank you for the time and effort you are putting into finding him. If you had known him, you would have loved him like we do.....loved his family, great sense of humor, and would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. Thanks again.
—Tom Rausch, writing about his beloved Uncle Joe, on July 23, 2008

Joe Clewley was born in 1934 in Lansing, Michigan, where he and his three siblings attended elementary school and high school. He studied electrical design at Lansing Community College.

During the 1950s, Joe served a tour of duty with the United States Navy—actually the Seabees, the Navy's Construction Battalions (CBs)—on the island of Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean.

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	Joe Clewley (holding his grandson) and his family, just days before he went missing along the North Country Trail (NCT) in Tahquamenon Falls State Park on July 13, 2008. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Jamie [Clewley] Anderson)

He and his wife, Loraine, were married in Lansing. Together, they had five children: two boys and three girls.

In 1972, the Clewley family moved to the Roscommon area where Joe founded Industrial Control Resources, an engineering services company he ran for 25 years.

 

 

 

as though they are stepping back in time.

 

 

The sum of the whole is this:
walk and be happy; walk and be healthy.

The best way to lengthen out our days
is to walk steadily and with a purpose.

The wandering man knows of certain ancients,
far gone in years,
who have staved off infirmities and dissolution by earnest walking--
hale fellows, close upon ninety, but brisk as boys.
—Charles J.H. Dickens, 1812-1870

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First name:	Joseph	Wetland scenes from MiBSAR's operations in Joe's Country. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)
Middle name:	Robert
Last name:	Clewley
Nicknames:	Joe, Pepper Joe, Joe from the River
Missing since:	July 13, 2008
Age in 2008:	73
Year of birth:	1935
Place of birth:	Lansing, Michigan
Hometown:	Higgens Lake
State:	Michigan
Country:	Roscommon
Race:	White
Sex:	Male
Height:	5' 10"
Weight:	150 lbs
Build:	Slender
Fitness level:	Very good when feeling well
Health:	Poor (significant health issues, including heart problems)
Skin complexion:	Medium
Left eye:	Brown
Right eye:	Brown
Hair:	Brownish-gray
Hair length:	Medium
Facial hair:	Mustache
Facial hair color:	Brownish-gray
Facial hair length:	Medium

 

 

This instinct for a free life in the open is as natural and wholesome
as the gratification of hunger and thirst and love.

It is Nature’s recall to the simple mode of existence she intended us for.
—Horace Kephart, Camping & Woodcraft, 1917

 

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Birthmarks:	None	Water scenes from MiBSAR's operations in Joe's Country. Click on photos for high-resolution imagery. (Photos by Michael Neiger)
Moles:	None
Scars:	Small scars from calcium-removal operations on both arms, and possibly the stomach; scar near thumb from axe cut, hand unknown
Tattoos:	None
Piercings:	None
Other:	None
Note:	Right and left are as viewed from victim's position

 

Nature never overlooks a mistake,
or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance.
—Thomas H. Huxley (1825-1895), A Liberal Education, 1868

De

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Deformities:	None	Click here to view video of Chris Ozminski searching a bear den on a MiBSAR operation in Joe's Country. (Video by Chris Ozminski)
Amputations:	None
Fractures:	None
Missing bones:	None
Missing organs:	None
Medical devices:	None
Synthetic devices:	None
Other:	None
Note:	Right and left are as viewed from victim's position

 

The man [woman] who goes afoot,
prepared to camp anywhere
and in any weather,
is the most independent fellow on earth.
—Horace Kephart, Camping & Woodcraft, 1917

 

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Hat:	Hat with a short brim and fold-down ear flaps
Glasses:	No sunglasses or prescription glasses
Shirt:	Blue, short-sleeve, collared, button-neck polo shirt
Undershirt:	White, short-sleeve, Fruit-of-the-Loom undershirt
Jacket:	Blue, zippered jacket
Handwear:	None
Underpants:	Dark-colored, short, Jockey- or Hanes-brand briefs
Pants:	Gray or tan khaki-material pants
Belt:
Handkerchief:	White handkerchief
Socks:	White tube socks
Footwear:	Size 11 ankle-high shoes, probably brown in color with 13-inch-long soles (tread unknown)
Jewelry:	None	Joe Clewley and his dog Chip. Click here or on photo for high-resolution imagery. (Photo courtesy of the Clewley Family)
Wallet:	None
Watch:	None
Comb:	None
Cell phone:	None
Backpack:	None
Keys:	None
Pocket knife:	None
Compass:	None
Matches:	None
Lighter:	None
Fire starters:	None
Whistle:	None
Flashlight	None
Walking staff:	None
Water bottle:	None; if he did have one, it would have been a blue Nestle Aquafina-brand bottle, one he would have reused extensively
Tobacco products:	None
Chewing gum:	None
Other:	May have been carrying an apple; perhaps a Nature Valley-brand granola bar in a green wrapper

 

Come forth into the light of things;

Let nature be your Teacher.

One impulse from a vernal wood

May teach you more of man,

Of moral evil and of good,

Than all the sages can.
— William Wordsworth, 1770-1850, English Romantic Poet
The Tables Turned—An Evening Scene on the Same Subject

 

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Click here or on image to view or print Joe Clewley's full-color, high-resolution poster. (Poster courtesy of Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue)

 

In the school of the woods
there is no graduation day.
—Horace Kephart, 1917

 

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Deputies and a detective from the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan continue to investigate the disappearance of Joseph Robert Clewley.

If you have any information about what transpired during the July 13, 2008 period when Joe went missing, have any knowledge of his current whereabouts, or have any information relevant to this investigation, please contact the Chippewa County Sheriff's Office in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan at 1-906-635-6355; the toll-free and anonymous Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-465-7867; or your nearest law enforcement agency at 9-1-1.

Agency:	Chippewa County Sheriff's Office
Address:	325 Court Street
City, State, Zip:	Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan 49783
Complaint no.:	4-0741-08
File class:	9900-3
Lead detective:	Det./Sgt. Mike Bitnar
Lead detective's e-mail:	mbitnar@chippewacountymi.gov
Lead detective's cell phone no.:	1-906-440-3297
Sheriff's Office phone no.:	1-906-635-6355
Sheriff's Office phone no.:	1-906-495-3312
Crime Stoppers  anonymous tip line:	1-800-465-7867 (toll-free)
Crime Stoppers reward:	$1,000

 

In God's wilderness lies the hope of the world,
the great, fresh, unblighted, unredeemed wilderness.
—John Muir (1838-1914), Alaska Wilderness, 1890

 

Copyright © 2009 by Michael A. Neiger

Web site design and hosting courtesy of Michigan Backcountry Search and Rescue (MiBSAR) of Marquette, Michigan Last modified on August 21, 2016 15:48