Prudenville in Roscommon County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Prudenville
⎯⎯⎯
Roscommon Lumber Co.

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 21, 2021

1. Prudenville / Roscommon Lumber Co. Marker

Side 1

Inscription. Prudenville Timber and the 1862 Homestead Act began drawing people to Prudenville in 1870. Named for early developer Peter Pruden, the community was also known as Edna for a time. As the commercial center of Roscommon County, Prudenville boasted a post office, two hotels, many businesses, and a school. In 1887, the Roscommon Lumber Company ended logging operations in Michigan. The area’s next economic surge came in the 1920s with paved roads, electricity, automobiles and tourism.

Roscommon Lumber Co. In 1882, the Roscommon Lumber Company built a “stand alone” railroad to move timber. A 700-foot-long trestle above the East Bay of Houghton Lake allowed logging crews to push logs off the train cars into the water. Logs floated across the lake to the Muskegon River, then down the river to the mills at Muskegon. Locally, the company employed more than seven hundred people and logged 175 million board feet of white and Norway pine between 1882 and 1887.

Erected 2014 by Michigan Historical Commission - Michigan Historical Center. (Marker Number L2257.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these

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topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. In addition, it is included in the Michigan Historical Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 44° 17.97′ N, 84° 39.149′ W. Marker is in Prudenville, Michigan, in Roscommon County. It is on South Gladwin Road (Michigan Route 18) near West Houghton Lake Drive ( Route 55), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2738 S Gladwin Rd, Prudenville MI 48651, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Great North Woods,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 5 other markers are within 15 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Kedge Anchor (within shouting distance of this marker); Gerrish (approx. 11 miles away); Our Soldiers (approx. 13.9 miles away); Pioneer House (approx. 14.2 miles away); Michigan Historical Survey Point

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 21, 2021

2. Prudenville / Roscommon Lumber Co. Marker

Side 2

(approx. 14.3 miles away).

Another marker is no longer nearby. Terney House (was approx. 14 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 21, 2021

3. Prudenville / Roscommon Lumber Co. Marker

Photographed by J.T. Lambrou, September 21, 2021

4. Prudenville / Roscommon Lumber Co. Marker

Marker is located in the middle of Trestle Park.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 22, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. This page has been viewed 933 times since then and 135 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 21, 2021, by J.T. Lambrou of New Boston, Michigan. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.

Prudenville⎯⎯⎯Roscommon Lumber Co.

Prudenville
⎯⎯⎯
Roscommon Lumber Co.