We spent last Labor Day Weekend with friends in Fayette, Michigan.
The Jackson Iron Company founded the town in 1867 for the sole purpose of extracting iron from the ore being mined in its iron mine near Negaunee. The site was chosen for the limestone, the small but deep natural harbor, and the immense stands of hardwood on the entire length of the Garden Peninsula. (Both limesone and hardwood to make charcoal were esential to the iron smelting process.)
By 1891 the hardwood on the peninsula was gone and soft coal was replacing charcoal in the smelting process. It was no longer profitable for the company to run Fayette. The furnaces went cold and the town slowly became deserted.
Today it is a Michigan State Park and a fantastic place to boat and bike.
Take Five in front of the limestone bluff
A picture perfect sunset
