ANOTHER DAY AT FAYETTE PARK

ANOTHER DELAYED POST .  .  .

FRIDAY,  AUGUST 10TH  -  FAYETTE STATE PARK,  MI

Trip Day:	152	Latitude:	45° 43.17 ' N	Locks Today:	0
Miles Today:	0	Longitude:	086°40.47 ' W	Locks Total:	81
Total Miles:	3,093	Location:	Fayette Historical State Park, MI

The town of Fayette grew up around  the Jackson Iron Company which was once a thriving  Upper Peninsula iron-smelting operation in the mid-1800s.  Iron ore was brought in by rail and ship, smelted in the multiple blast furnaces , then the pig iron was shipped to the steel   companies in Pennsylvania.  Between 1867 and 1891  Jackson Iron produced 230,000 tons of iron, using local hardwood forests for fuel and quarrying limestone from the bluffs to purify the iron ore. 

 The company needed workers which made it necessary to build a town to support the immigrants and their families, complete with a doctor, a school, merchants, carpenters, blacksmiths and homes.  The company owned the homes and rented to the residents; $5 a month for a skilled worker’s house whose monthly salary might be $75.

The 30 small log cabins for the laborers were built next to the train tracks and down-wind of the stables and the furnaces. The middle class homes were downtown, and the higher class neighborhood was up the hill with a waterfront view.   TheSuperintendent’s home was 2,500 sq ft house with a fenced yard and great view of the harbor—the best home in the town.    Goods could be purchased at the Company Store, or ordered from catalogues for delivery by ships. 

 At its high point, there were 500 residents in Fayette and it became a UP destination with a luxury hotel with 20 rooms and a two-story outhouse (offset seats with separating wall).  After the Jackson Iron Company closed in 1891 the  hotel and bar remained open until World War II and the post office continued to serve  Fayette until the 1950s. 

The Company understood the need for community   activities providing a music hall on the second floor of this business building.  Singers, dancers and dog shows were enjoyed by all the town folk from laborers to the Superintendent. 

All buildings except two are original and the photos and displays allow the visitor to picture the town as it was in the 19th century.  Only the heat from the factory, dirty roads, smells of the animals and outhouses were absent. 

 The archaeological team has done a wonderful job collecting artifacts and documenting the history of this company town.  The State acquired the entire site in 1959 with the purpose of preserving its historical significance and  adding trails and campgrounds. 

Our walking tour today included the hike to the bluff which provided   impressive views of the town and Snail Shell Harbor where the boat is docked.