31. Mills & Tannery & Martel Boat Yard
Stephen A. Morrison came to Saugatuck in 1835, having walked most of the way from Vermont. In 1837 he purchased the Johannett & Crosby Tannery. Morrison moved the tannery to the river bank between Butler and Griffith streets. Two Dutch-style windmills provided power. The Morrison tannery closed in 1890 but the last of the windmills was not removed until 1909. Leather tanning was a profitable local industry that used local hemlock tree bark as the tanning chemical. Much of the leather product was shipped to Chicago and beyond.
Near the tannery were several lumber mills and the John Baptiste Martel boat building yard which produced 54 vessels between 1873 to 1897.