Waters

Waters. North Central State Trail. , Origianlly named Bradford Lake, this community began in 1873 when a lumber company built a business here. Its first post office opened in 1876. The town was renamed Waters in 1885 for railroad employee Oscar Waters. , , About this time, the Henry Stephens Lumber Company purchased the lumber mill from Wright, Wells and Company. Stephens expanded the business and the town grew. , , By 1899, Waters had a population of 400 and contained around 100 houses, a one-room school, a railroad station for the Michigan Central Railroad, and other businesses. The lumber mill closed in 1916, leading to the town's rapid decline. , , Did you know that baseball great Ty Cobb was hired by Henry Stephens III to play on his baseball team, the Otsegos? Detroit Tiger Cobb helped them win the 1914 State Championship! , , On June 27, 1916, Waters resident Ray H. Muscott received the first U.S. patent for the "motor-sleigh," a forerunner of the modern snowmobile. , , Expanding the Family Business , In 1912, Henry (Tom) Stephens III moved to Waters after inheriting the lumber business and his share of the family fortune. Two years later, he built a massive barn on his property at the edge of town. At 165 feet long, 45 feet wide and 75 feet high from the basement to roof, the barn was the largest in Michigan. In 1925, it was converted into a 65-room inn known as the Heart Lake Country Club.It was later renamed Waters Inn. In 1972, fire destroyed the structure. , , In 1927, Remi and Edna Schotte purchased 1,800 acres of land around Waters. They operated the first airport in Otsego County, several businesses, and re-established the post office. , , Ski Village , Located north of Waters, Ski Village was operated by Al and Stephanie Almon from 1948 to 1957. Al was a ski jumper on the 1936 Canadian Olympic Team. He and Stephanie (at far left in this photo) taught thousands of people how to ski. Al developed Michigan's first ski instructor certification program. , , The Bottle Fence , In 1914, Stephens built a fence made of empty glass bottles, which he claimed was a tribut to lumberjacks. He paid local kids to find and bring him the bottles he used to build it. About 200 feet long and four feet high, the fence became a popular attraction and people stopped to take their picture next to it. The fence eventually deteriorated and was removed in 1970. , , Confused by the mile? Don't be! , The North Central State Trail mile markers use Michigan Central Railroad's numbering system which began in Bay City (mile 0) and ended in Mackinaw City (mile 182). Waters is mile 109.