State of Michigan Historical Marker

There are few reminders in Michigan of the Great Thumb Fire of 1881, but this is one. The chimney is all that's left of an old lumber mill. Ironically, the lumber industry itself was responsible for the fire, ravishing the stands of pine that once covered the state and leaving behind a thick layer of sawdust and other unwanted scrap wood. You would have thought the first fire, in 1871, that destroyed many towns in Michigan, including Port Hope, would have instilled caution afterwards. But a long drought and strong winds drove a blizzard of fire across the Thumb area in 1881, and this time it was much worse. The only thing capable of stopping the flames was Lake Huron itself. Sailors miles away from the shore reported feeling the heat from the flames. Afterwards, so many ashes had poured into the lake, that witnesses reported that the water was too akaline to be safe to the touch; it had essentially formed lye in the water near shore. Only a single building survived in Bad Axe. Practically every acre of land north of where I 69 runs now, from Vassar east and north, all the way to Port Huron and Port Austin, burned that day. As you drive back home, mile after mile, try to imagine all of it ablaze, and the terror of the residents trying to flee the landscape of their home suddenly turned to hell.
4 9 years ago (12-09-2017)

spooky
5 8 years ago (24-04-2018)

Interesting how many fires happened in this era.
3 9 years ago (23-08-2017)