By the early 1900s most of the forests around the Village of
Otsego Lake had been logged off and many families moved elsewhere to
find work. The railroad station saw the number of freight and
passenger trains diminish and it was torn down in the 1930s.
Friday, July 9, 2010 10:07 AM EDT
from the Gaylord Herald
Times
Bill Granlund
The Village of Otsego Lake, by Fred White (March, 1975)
Many official records of Otsego Lake and the county were lost or
destroyed in 1877 when the county seat records were surreptitiously
removed from the courthouse at Otsego Lake.
For a period of time a review of the county records reveals either
through carelessness, incompetence or intent, much of the
information does not exist as it does in other counties.
The history of a small village is inseparable from the events of its
surrounding area. Therefore, the history of Otsego Lake includes
areas in the southern part of the county. Otsego County was surveyed
in 1857 and 1858 by the United States government.
During the years of 1853, 1859, 1862 and 1868, David Ward, who later
was the owner of the Ward Lumber Company, bought thousands of acres
of pine forest from the government in what is now Hayes and Otsego
Lake townships.
During this period, Gratwick, Smith and Fryer, primarily through
agents acting on their behalf, purchased thousands of acres of land
in Chester, Charlton and Otsego Lake townships. Gratwick, Smith and
Fryer were located at the AuSable River in Oscoda.
The company cut pine logs which were floated to their mill. Timber
not within an economical sleigh hauling distance from the AuSable
River had to await the arrival of the railroad.
In 1872, a small camp was located in the northwest corner of a tract
of land which was platted in 1874 as Otsego Lake. Transportation to
the site was either by foot or stage coach, which ran from Acme in
Grand Traverse County to Alpena. The plat was recorded in 1874 by
Smith, Kelly and Dwight on June 12, 1875, with Charles L. Fuller,
Register of Deeds.
Much of the timberland belonging to Gratwick, Smith and Fryer was
later purchased by Smith, Kelly and Dwight. The group also purchased
a number of parcels from homesteaders. It had been reported they
encouraged much of the homesteading by Civil War veterans so they
could then acquire the timber in this manner.
Lots in Otsego Lake were being sold prior to the recording of the
plat in June 1875. The earliest recorded date was for Lot 1, Block
25, sold to Osborne H. Kellog in January 1875. The cutting of timber
from the town site and building of houses, businesses and a mill
progressed quickly.
Beginning in 1875, houses were built for Osborne H. Kelly and Fred
Smith. Both homes are still standing and in use today. Other homes
were built for John Hammer, Susan A. Hooker, Adeline Murray, Dewitt
Wilson and many others during a two-year period.
A three-room, two-story building housed a library and township hall
on the first floor and an opera house, complete with stage and
dressing rooms on the second floor, was built. A Methodist church
was built behind this building with the financial and physical help
of the townspeople soon after.
A three-story hotel supplemented the boarding houses in 1879 and was
built by Charles Powell. Two livery stables provided transportation.
A baseball park, with an 8-foot tall board fence, complete with
advertising and bleachers, was completed by the company and
businessmen. Two grocery stores, a drugstore, two dry goods stores,
a general store and butcher shop, supplied the material needs of the
townspeople.
The company did not allow liquor to be legally sold in the town but
rumor has it there was but little hardship since a drugstore, the
hotel and two “blind pigs” accommodated those in need.
One of the “blind pig” operators, as an old man, always referred to
his “penance days” in Jackson Prison, as “when I was in college.” As
a youngster I used to be quite proud of the fact I knew a man who
had gone to college.
Dr. N.R. Gilbert purchased a lot in 1879 and may have been the first
doctor in the town. There are records of a Dr. Warner and Dr.
Leighton being available from 1884 to the middle 1890s.
Exact chronological dates have not been found by which to trace the
history of the village. A review of available land transfers, old
diaries and reliable verbal information from several sources
indicate the following information to be relatively accurate.
Gratwick, Smith and Fryer sent crews to build dams on Lower Chub
Creek and the outlet to Otsego Lake near the present AuSable Club
building in 1869 and 1870. Because of the alleged incompetence of
the foremen both projects failed and the foremen were fired. It has
been remembered by the old-timers that some of the work crews
remained in the area.
Smith, Kelly and Dwight were purchasing land from 1871 to 1888 and
apparently operated a mill until around 1882 but the exact date had
not been determined. When the mill closed, their operation was
leased to several smaller operators, one being Frank Buell. Buell
logged many small parcels near Crooked Lake; now called Lake Manuka
and Buell Lake; which is now called Lake Arrowhead, and was
lumbering until the late 1890s.
During the 1890s and early 1900s people moved away to find work.
Many buildings burned causing insurance companies to cancel all
insurance in the village. By 1912, only 10 families remained in the
village.
The railroad station became a “flag stop” except for a mixed freight
and passenger train. There was one grocery store and only 14
children attended the school. In the 1930s, the population dropped
to seven families and five children attended school.
In 1947, there was a renewed interest in the community and a
rebuilding of summer homes and permanent residences gradually took
place.
Like many small American towns, Otsego Lake, established and
nurtured by a single resource, be it timber, copper, gold, silver,
coal or iron, the village withered and died after it had exhausted
its resources.
Others towns in the county experiencing the same fate were Waters,
Johannesburg, Elmira and the abandoned Berryville.
There are thousands of similar examples throughout the state. Their
history is largely unrecorded with only a few scraps of information
salvaged from almost accidentally preserved family mementos and
official government records.
Bill Granlund is a retired Gaylord High School principal and an
Otsego County historian.
