Tag Archives: Schoolcraft County

Historic Bridges of Manistique

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The Red Bridge (wooden bridge) was condemned in 1890.

The Red Bridge (wooden bridge) was condemned in 1890.

The old ‘Wood Bridge’ called the Red Bridge was condemned in 1890, the ‘Iron Bridge’ was built parallel to the old wood bridge.

Once the new bridge was completed, the old wood bridge (‘Red Bridge’) became firewood.

Once the Siphon Bridge was built in 1919, the steel girders of the above bridge was used for various building projects throughout the county.

The iconic Siphon Bridge was built across the Manistique River in 1919 by the Manistique Pulp and Paper Company, which was owned by the Minneapolis Tribune Publishing Company. Read More...

Manistique Water Tower And The Efforts To Save It

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The historic water tower was built in 1921 and 1922 by a local contractor Fridolph Danielson. A native of Sweden, Danielson came to Manistique in 1897.

The historic water tower was built in 1921 and 1922 by a local contractor Fridolph Danielson. A native of Sweden, Danielson came to Manistique in 1897.

From 1922 to 1966, the historic water tower and pumping station served Manistique. The new pumping station station was located at Intake Park. With some renovations, the water tower became the home of the Manistique Hall of Justice from 1966 to 1968.

In 1968, the Chamber of Commerce installed a circular drive around the tower and made it their home for only a couple of years. The tower began its down-hill slide with a leaky roof and episodes of vandalism.

The first effort to get it names to the National Register of Historic Building’s began in 1979. It was names to the state register of historic sites in 1980. Read More...

City Council Passes Resolution To Bond For Water And Sewer

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SCHS Set 4 037

In 1905, Manistique City Council passed a resolution to bond for water and sewer. A 16-inch wooden pipe was run from Brewery Dam on the Indian River to Weston Avenue. The below picture is from November 1905 on Cedar street, showing the blasting involved to install sewer and water lines.

Originally the water supply for Manistique was from artisan wells drilled at different points within the city.

The above picture shows how wells were drilled. Water had to be hauled from the artisan wells to the homes for cooking, drinking, and washing. Several draymen hauled water to residents, hotels, and businesses. Mondays, being wash days, kept the draymen very busy. Read More...

The Flood Of 1920-Palm Sunday (March 28th, 1920) Manistique, MI-

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The Flood Of 1920-Palm Sunday (March 28th, 1920) Manistique, MI-The most catastrophic event to occur in Manistique other than the fire of 1883 was the flood of 1920. Floodwaters began pouring over the flume walls in the early morning of Palm Sunday, March 28, 1920. The immediate cause of the flood was an ice jam on the Driggs River that backed the river up. When the jam broke, the water and logs in the river rushed into the Manistique River. Since the winter had an exceptional snowfall along with warmer than normal temperatures and several days of rain, the rivers draining into the Manistique River were already swollen. With the torrent of water, a west bank wall broke, causing water to rush over the flume walls and into the west side of Manistique all the way down Deer Street and Chippewa Avenue. Read More...