Bay Furnace was a town in Alger County, Michigan west of Munising, Michigan. It was established in 1869 around a blast furnace run by the Bay Furnace Company and used to make iron ore into pig iron. [1]
The town that was established around the furnace was originally named Onota. The name changed later to Bismark, and then changed again to Bay Furnace. The town had a population of approximately 500. [2]
When Schoolcraft County was established out of Marquette County, Bay Furnace was its county seat. In 1885, Bay Furnace was reorganized into the newly established Alger County. [2]
The town was destroyed by an accidental fire started by a wagonload of charcoal on May 31, 1877. The furnace and surrounding land were given to the United States Forest Service in 1940. [2]
References
- ^ "Bay Furnace Historic Site and Interpretive Trail". Hiawatha National Forest.
- ^ a b c Haseltine, Curtis (August 15, 1955). "Bay Furnace a Pioneer Symbol". Detroit Free Press. p. 6.
Sources
- Romig, Walter (1986). Michigan Place Names. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6 – via Google Books.