Near Garden in Delta County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Sawmill Site
Fayette Historic State Park
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
1. Sawmill Site Marker
The sawmill is again "in blast," and is doing good work as it always does.
Escanaba Tribune
1870
Fayette’s sawmill burned in 1871 and was rebuilt the following year. In its basement shops carpenters assembled wagons and prepared materials used to build the barges that carried iron ore from Escanaba to Fayette.
Local businessmen like Henry J. Bebeau leased the mill from the Jackson Iron Company, agreeing to provide lumber "at a reasonable and fair price."
Erected by Fayette Historic State Park & Michigan Historical Center.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.
Location. 45° 43.202′ N, 86° 40.156′ W. Marker is near Garden, Michigan, in Delta County. Marker can be reached from State Park Road, one mile west of II Road (State Highway 183). Marker is located along the interpretive trail in Fayette Historic State Park, at the former sawmill site, near the end of the trail in Snail Shell Harbor.
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Warehouse Locations (within shouting distance of this marker); Boarding House Site (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Smelting Process (about 500 feet away); Furnace Complex (about 500 feet away); A Middle Class Neighborhood (about 600 feet away); Waterline (about 600 feet away); Charcoal Kilns (about 600 feet away); Furnace Complex, Upper Level (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Garden.
More about this marker. Marker is a large, rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on a waist-high wooden post.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Fayette Historic State Park
Also see . . .
1. Fayette Historic State Park. Fayette was once one of the Upper Peninsula's most productive iron-smelting operations. Fayette grew up around two blast furnaces, a large dock, and several charcoal kilns, following the post-Civil War need for iron. Nearly 500 residents — many immigrating from Canada, the British Isles, and northern Europe — lived in and near the town that existed
Sources: Michigan Historical Center & Marquette County Historical Society
2. Marker detail: The sawmill, shown here in 1907, was equipped with a steam-powered saw and planer
A 2004 dredging operation resurfaced this log that sank before reaching Fayette's sawmill. Analysis by Michigan State University’s Forestry Department revealed the 17-foot red oak log was about 204 years old at felling. Notice the pointed end and telltale marks from the woodsman's ax.
2. Fayette Historic State Park website. (Submitted on January 20, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 18, 2013
3. Sawmill Site Marker (wide view; red oak log & sawmill foundation ruins in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on November 23, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 116 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 19, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on January 20, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
