Singapore, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Singapore, perhaps Michigan
, Holland
, Peshtigo
, and Manistee
) that ravaged the northern midwest on October 8, 1871. Its ruins now lie buried beneath the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan
shoreline at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River
in Saugatuck Township
, near the cities of Saugatuck
and Douglas
in Allegan County
.
Singapore, Michigan, was founded in the 1836 by New York land speculator Oshea Wilder
, who was hoping to build a port town to rival Chicago and Milwaukee. At its height, the town boasted of three mills, two hotels, several general stores, a renowned bank, and was home to Michigan's first schoolhouse. In total, the town consisted of 23 buildings and two sawmills.
species".
By 1838, over $50,000 in Singapore Bank notes had been placed in circulation. Shortly after the Civil War, Singapore was involved in a bank scandal. State banks were required to maintain enough hard currency on hand to cover at least 1/3 of the banknotes that were circulating, and neither Singapore nor Allegan was at that level.
When Allegan State Bank received warning from nearby towns that the bank inspector was coming through, the banks would arrange for all the money from Singapore State Bank to be transferred to Allegan State Bank. After the inspection, the banker in Allegan would take the bank inspector out and get him drunk. While he slept it off, they would get a head start on him and take all the money from Allegan to Singapore State Bank in time to pass the inspection there.
From time to time collectors come across Singapore Bank notes used by the Singapore Bank. There are a few known full sheets of the bank notes before they were cut into individual notes, sometimes signed and sometimes unsigned by the bank president or authorized personnel at the time. There are a few such notes on display (not for sale) in an antique store in Galesburg, Michigan
.
, Holland
, and Peshtigo in late 1871, Singapore was almost completely deforested supplying the three towns with lumber for rebuilding. Without the protective tree cover, the winds and sands coming off Lake Michigan quickly eroded the town into ruins and within four years had completely covered it over. The town was vacated by 1875.
Today, Singapore lives on only in the name of the Singapore Yacht Club, which is located at one end of town. Just as the "cow kicking over the lantern" story was born out of the Great Chicago Fire
, this event also gave birth to a legend. The story persists that one resident of Singapore refused to move, even as the sand enveloped his home. Eventually he had to enter and leave the dwelling by a second floor window, and he stayed until the sand reached the roof.
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
, Holland
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
, Peshtigo
Peshtigo Fire
The October 8, 1871 Peshtigo Fire in Peshtigo, Wisconsin, is the conflagration that caused the most deaths by fire in United States history, killing as many as 1,500. Occurring on the same day as the more infamous Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire is mostly forgotten...
, and Manistee
Manistee, Michigan
Manistee is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,586. It is the county seat of Manistee County. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. The derivation is not certain, but it may be from...
) that ravaged the northern midwest on October 8, 1871. Its ruins now lie buried beneath the sand dunes of the Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan
Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States. It is the second largest of the Great Lakes by volume and the third largest by surface area, after Lake Superior and Lake Huron...
shoreline at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River
Kalamazoo River
The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch...
in Saugatuck Township
Saugatuck Township, Michigan
Saugatuck Township is a civil township of Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,590 at the 2000 census. The 2008 population estimate is 3,065...
, near the cities of Saugatuck
Saugatuck, Michigan
Saugatuck is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 925 at the 2010 census. The city is within Saugatuck Township, but is administratively autonomous....
and Douglas
Douglas, Michigan
Douglas is a city in Allegan County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,214 at the 2000 census...
in Allegan County
Allegan County, Michigan
-Interstates:* I-196* I-196 Business Loop serves the city of Holland.-US highways:* US-31* US-131-Michigan State Trunklines:* M-40* M-89* M-179* M-222-Allegan County Intercounty Highways:* A-2* A-37* A-42* A-45-Demographics:...
.
Singapore, Michigan, was founded in the 1836 by New York land speculator Oshea Wilder
Oshea Wilder
Oshea Wilder was an early pioneer to southwest Michigan. Born 16 July 1784 in Gardner, Massachusetts to Elijah and Azubah Wilder, he initially made his living as a blacksmith before entering the military to fight in the War of 1812. On 4 February 1813, Wilder married Cornelia Anthony , daughter...
, who was hoping to build a port town to rival Chicago and Milwaukee. At its height, the town boasted of three mills, two hotels, several general stores, a renowned bank, and was home to Michigan's first schoolhouse. In total, the town consisted of 23 buildings and two sawmills.
The great bank scandal
In 1838, two banks were established in Allegan County: the Bank of Allegan and the Bank of Singapore. Both were "of the famous wildcatWildcat banking
Wildcat banking refers to the unusual practices of banks chartered under state law during the periods of non-federally regulated state banking between 1816 and 1863 in the United States, also known as the Free Banking Era...
species".
When Allegan State Bank received warning from nearby towns that the bank inspector was coming through, the banks would arrange for all the money from Singapore State Bank to be transferred to Allegan State Bank. After the inspection, the banker in Allegan would take the bank inspector out and get him drunk. While he slept it off, they would get a head start on him and take all the money from Allegan to Singapore State Bank in time to pass the inspection there.
From time to time collectors come across Singapore Bank notes used by the Singapore Bank. There are a few known full sheets of the bank notes before they were cut into individual notes, sometimes signed and sometimes unsigned by the bank president or authorized personnel at the time. There are a few such notes on display (not for sale) in an antique store in Galesburg, Michigan
Galesburg, Michigan
Galesburg is a city in Kalamazoo County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,009 at the 2010 census.Galesburg is on the north side of the Kalamazoo River on the boundary between Comstock Charter Township on the west and Charleston Township on the east, but is politically independent...
.
40-day blizzard
The 40-Day Blizzard of 1842 might very well have wiped out the people of Singapore, had it not been for the shipwreck of the Milwaukie just off her shore. The food with which that ship was stocked nourished the people of Singapore until the blizzard blew over.Change of ownership
Wilder deserted the town in 1846, moving back to Calhoun County. James Carter of New York bought out Wilder's interest in the town and moved there to oversee his investment. It was only two years after that that Carter sold the town to his brother, Artemas. Artemas was more innovative than his brother, and very soon after arriving, built a three-masted schooner, dubbed the Octavia, to carry lumber from Singapore to Chicago over Lake Michigan. The town thrived and boasted a population of several hundred people by 1871.Singapore's demise
After the fires which swept through ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Holland
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
, and Peshtigo in late 1871, Singapore was almost completely deforested supplying the three towns with lumber for rebuilding. Without the protective tree cover, the winds and sands coming off Lake Michigan quickly eroded the town into ruins and within four years had completely covered it over. The town was vacated by 1875.
Today, Singapore lives on only in the name of the Singapore Yacht Club, which is located at one end of town. Just as the "cow kicking over the lantern" story was born out of the Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned from Sunday, October 8, to early Tuesday, October 10, 1871, killing hundreds and destroying about in Chicago, Illinois. Though the fire was one of the largest U.S...
, this event also gave birth to a legend. The story persists that one resident of Singapore refused to move, even as the sand enveloped his home. Eventually he had to enter and leave the dwelling by a second floor window, and he stayed until the sand reached the roof.