| History of the Area |
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The western edge of the state of Michigan was a lush, densely wooded area in the early 1800s. The land was covered by a massive forest of Pine, Hemlock and lesser numbers of hardwood trees, such as Maple and Oak. In 1838, Charles Mears built the first sawmill on White Lake, about six miles east of the old White Lake channel to Lake Michigan. This mill used water power to cut logs into high grade Pine planking. Mears built several mills in the area in the following years, some of which also produced wooden shingles. In 1849, the Reverend William Ferry and his son Thomas first purchased land around Stony Creek. They then began the construction of a timber dam on Stony Creek with a water-powered sawmill located about ten miles north of White Lake. They also purchased land at several points on, or near, White Lake, and built a small steam lumber mill at the mouth of the old channel from White Lake into Lake Michigan. Lumbering camps were set up and the thick forests began to succumb to the onslaught of the lumberjacks. W. F. Nufer built a shingle mill near the town of Whitehall at the east end of White Lake in 1877, and became .one of the leading employers in the area until the last major log drive in 1903. Some finished lumber was used for construction in the local area, but the major users of the finished planks and shingles were from across Lake Michigan in Milwaukee and Chicago. Lumber carrying schooners and, later, steam-powered bulk carrier ships began to ply the waters in the White Lake area. The Chicago fire in 1871 brought a major increase in the lumber trade; and it was said that a large proportion of the lumber used in re-building Chicago came from the White Lake mills. The Ellen Ellenwood, a cargo schooner, worked the area between White Lake and Milwaukee. The railroads did not enter the area until the 1870s, and logging trains did not begin to have a major impact until about 1888. The logging of the Pine forest progressed rapidly, and by about 1884, most of the Pine trees in the White Lake area had been removed. The lumber companies shifted to cutting the Hemlock forest, which lasted for only ten to fifteen more years. By the time the Hemlocks were gone, the most significant part of the logging era had ended. Only a few lumber companies stayed and began removing hardwood trees using mostly the railroad and local roads for shipment, and Staples & Covell was the last of these mills to close in 1907. The lake steamers tumed to carrying passengers, fruit and food grains while still relying on protection from the Light Station at the entrance to White Lake. Beginning in the late 1870s, the White Lake area became a major harbor for passenger steamers and a destination for summer tourists from Chicago and Milwaukee. Excerpted with permission of the author from: All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form .or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or used in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the author.
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