Oscoda in Iosco County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Dock Reserve

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2014

1. Dock Reserve Marker

(Oscoda Beach parking lot in background)

Inscription.
“Oscoda and AuSable are Wiped Off The Map!” headlined the July 12, 1911, Detroit Free Press. The day before, forest fires, fanned by thirty-mile-per-hour winds, had destroyed these “twin cities” and killed four people. Refugees fled to this beach without money or possessions; some spent the night on the beach near the Dock Reserve, or in Lake Huron waiting to be rescued. The lumber barge, Niko, and the Detroit and Mackinac Railroad carried the victims to Tawas, East Tawas and Port Huron, where they received food, clothing and shelter.

Erected 1988 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1576.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Disasters • Railroads & Streetcars • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical date for this entry is July 12, 1911.

Location. 44° 25.171′ N, 83° 19.606′ W. Marker is in Oscoda, Michigan, in Iosco County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of East Dwight Avenue and Canada Street. Marker is located near the southeast corner of the Oscoda Beach parking lot, overlooking the beach and Lake Huron to the east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 201 East River Road, Oscoda MI 48750, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 13 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies

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. First Methodist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); The Louis Chevalier Claim (approx. half a mile away); Greenbush School (approx. 11½ miles away); East Tawas Veterans Memorial (approx. 12.7 miles away); Earl T. O’Loughlin (approx. 12.7 miles away); Rodman Water Power Sawmill (approx. 12.8 miles away); Brass Range Marker (approx. 12.8 miles away); The Changing Shape of Tawas Point (approx. 12.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Oscoda.

Also see . . .
1. The 1911 Oscoda Fire. On July 11, a warm summer day in 1911, the neighboring cities of Oscoda and AuSable (Michigan) burned to the ground in what has been called the "most devastating fire in the history of Michigan". Both cities were constructed entirely of wood, due to the heavy influence of the lumber trade in those years. Not a single concrete sidewalk or building could be found, which made the communities perfect bait for the hungry, rapid flames. (Submitted on August 13, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Grandson of captain who saved 1911 fire refugees visits. Oscoda Press website entry, 2014:
Ralph D. Myers was captain of the Niko, that rescued 280 people escaping the conflagration. Five lives were lost; Francois Clairmount, an aged musician; William Batts, yardman at the Elliott Hotel; Samuel Rosenthal, a merchant; Jacques Lavoie, a box maker who

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2014

2. Dock Reserve Marker

(Oscoda Beach Park & Lake Huron in background)

later died in a Bay City Hospital of burns he received; and an unidentified peddler. (Submitted on August 13, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Oscoda Beach Park & Lake Huron image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, August 28, 2014

3. Oscoda Beach Park & Lake Huron

(looking east from marker)

Credits. This page was last revised on June 13, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 12, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 164 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on August 13, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.