Empire Township in Leelanau County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Empire Lumber Company

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 11, 2024

1. Empire Lumber Company Marker

Inscription. The Empire Lumber Company operated from 1887 to 1917, dominating this once booming lumber town. Empire, incorporated in 1895, derived its name from the schooner “Empire” which was icebound here during a storm in 1865. George Aylsworth operated the first mill between 1873 and 1883. Potter and Struthers built a second mill in 1885, which T. Wilce Company purchased in 1887. Called the Empire Lumber Company, it expanded to one of the largest and best equipped hardwood mills in the area, capable of producing up to 20 million feet of lumber a year. Docks, several businesses, and a railroad sprung up in Empire. Destroyed by fire in 1906, the mill was quickly rebuilt. The mill burned again in 1917. With most of the nearby virgin timber gone, the mill was not replaced Empire is now a picturesque village near the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

Erected 1978 by Michigan History Division, Department of State. Registered Local Site. (Marker Number 567.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Natural Features. A significant historical year for this entry is 1887.

Location. 44° 48.721′ N,

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86° 4.081′ W. Marker is in Empire, Michigan, in Leelanau County. It is in Empire Township. It is at the intersection of Niagara Street and Lake Michigan Drive, in the median on Niagara Street. It is in Lake Michigan Beach Park in the village. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10484 Niagara St, Empire MI 49630, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula,

in the Grand Traverse Bay Region,

and in one of the Lake Michigan Shore counties. It is also in the American Midwest

and on the Great Lakes.

Globally, it is in North America,

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 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Remembering Empire, Circa 1900 (a few steps from this marker); Village of Empire (a few steps from this marker); Empire Methodist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Legend of the Manitou Islands and the Sleeping Bear (approx. 3.2 miles away); Mother Bear Is Migrating

Empire Lumber Company Marker and Anchor image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 11, 2024

2. Empire Lumber Company Marker and Anchor

A small plaque at the anchor reads, “Found by Douglas Manning and Michelle Stryker Deering while canoeing off Empire Beach in July 1977.”

(approx. 3.2 miles away); Of Wrecks and Water Trails (approx. 3.2 miles away); Glen Lake Was Once a Bay (approx. 4 miles away); D.H. Day's Million-Dollar Plan (approx. 4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Empire.

Also see . . . Empire, Michigan History. Unattributed undated article at Leelanau.com. Excerpt:

When the lumber boom ended with the burning of the last mill in 1917, the farmlands gained prominence. Much of the Leelanau Peninsula was found to have good soil for growing potatoes, although fruit later became the favored crop, especially apples, peaches and cherries. In 1899 there were nearly 4,000 cherry trees in the county, growing to 16,000 ten years later. Local canneries shipped their products within and outside the State of Michigan. Fruit crops continued to add much to the industry of Leelanau, along with tourists lured by beautiful lakeside villages such as Empire. Today Empire is host to the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore Visitor Center and sits in the 80,000-acre park.

(Submitted on September 21, 2024.)

Empire Lumber Company Plaque Nearby image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 11, 2024

3. Empire Lumber Company Plaque Nearby

“This plaque marks the site of the Empire Lumber Company, 1887-1916. Leelanau Historical Society, May 26, 1961.”

Empire Lumber Company Plaque Location image. Click for full size.

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 11, 2024

4. Empire Lumber Company Plaque Location

The plaque in Photo No. 3 is at the base of the structure, facing the sidewalk. This concrete platform was once inside the Empire Lumber Co. mill and held a gangsaw with 26 blades that sawed logs into lumber. The mill burned in 1917 and was not rebuilt.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 21, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 21, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 821 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 21, 2024, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.