Singapore, Michigan
Ever heard of it?
Founded in 1836, it no longer exists. Swallowed by the shifting sand dunes on the shores of Lake Michigan… a bit south of where we will live. When we originally lived in Holland, I had heard about this famous ghost town. It was used as an example of why building on the sand dunes could be folly.
But there are a couple of fun facts:
The town was almost wiped out in the 40-Day Blizzard of 1842. Let that sink in a bit. A 40-day blizzard! Near the beach town where we will be living. I like snow, and we will not have to leave our home when the roads are bad. But forty days? Anyway, back to the story… the town’s residents were saved from starvation during the blizzard by a shipwreck, loaded with flour that washed ashore. The Milwaukie, a shipwreck that saved a town.
Singapore became a successful lumber town. The great fires of 1871 caused a boom for Singapore as the rebuilding effort consumed vast stands of trees from the surrounding area. Everyone knows about the Chicago fire (killing 300, leaving 100,000 people homeless) but there were actually three great fires that year… Holland, Michigan (one dead, 300 homeless)… and Peshtigo, Wisconsin (somewhere between 1500 and 2500 dead).
With the trees gone, Singapore was buried and abandoned with the wind whipped sand. Ultimately, the fires of 1871 led to Singapore’s demise. History… it can be pretty cool.