47. Great White Pine Forests

White Pine forests surround the growing village of Saugatuck in 1864

The Saugatuck area is on the southern edge of Michigan’s White Pine forests. Many of these trees were enormous and highly valued as construction material. Their harvest generated huge fortunes for the Michigan “lumber barons.” This short-lived industry also generated jobs for lumber camp workers, mill hands, and sailors.

The 1871 Great Chicago Fire and accompanying fires in Michigan fueled an unprecedented increases in the demand for lumber for rebuilding — and sped up the clear-cutting of the forests. By 1875, with most of the easy-to-harvest pine trees consumed, the lumber mill in Singapore closed. It was disassembled was shipped to Point St. Ignace, Michigan where the pines remained… for a while.