Singapore (Michigan)

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Historical map of Singapore, 1873.
Singapore during its heyday, around 1870.
Dollar note issued in Singapore.
Singapore, shifting dunes cover the houses, early 20th century

Singapore is a desert in Allegan County in the American state of Michigan , near the villages of Saugatuck and Douglas .

The place was founded in 1836 on the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Lake Michigan as a settlement with a wood processing industry. In the 1870s the settlement had to be abandoned. After the surrounding forests were cut down, Singapore was left defenseless against the wind; the residents left the place and the place was completely buried under sand dunes.

Local foundation

Singapore was founded in 1836 by New York real estate speculator Oshea Wilder , who hoped to build a port city that could rival Chicago and Milwaukee . At the height of its development, the town had three sawmills, two hotels, several general stores , a bank, and Michigan's first state school building. The city had a total of 23 buildings.

Banking scandal

The Singapore banking scandal kept the place in historical memory regardless of its brief existence. In 1838 there were two banks in Allegan County: the Bank of Allegan and the Bank of Singapore . Both belonged to the so-called Wildcat banks (banks under the supervision of the respective state, not the US federal administration).

To 1838 were more than 50,000 US dollars in printed by the Bank of Singapore bank notes in circulation. Shortly after the civil war , the Bank of Singapore was embroiled in a banking scandal. State banks were required to hold cash to the value of at least one third of the banknotes in circulation. Neither the Bank of Singapore nor the Bank of Allegan were able to do this. When an inspector came to them, they got together and showed him the same cash one by one.

The end of the settlement

On October 8, 1871, large fires raged in several cities around Lake Michigan, the fires in Chicago ( Great Fire of Chicago ), Holland and Peshtigo in particular became known . This created a great need for timber, which u. a. was covered by the wood industry in Singapore - with devastating consequences for the place itself: The forest areas around Singapore had not only been used for wood production, but also protected the place from erosion and dune formation. After 1871 this protection was completely cleared and a few years later the place had to be abandoned because the houses were buried by the sand dunes. In 1875 the largest sawmill was given up; then several houses were completely moved to Saugatuck and the place was abandoned. In 1883 there were still about 12 houses, one of the sawmills and a hotel, but they were also covered with sand in the following years. Buildings could still be recognized from the sand formations until the 1980s, after which the site had completely disappeared.

literature

Web links

Commons : Singapore (Michigan)  - collection of pictures, videos, and audio files

Remarks

  1. ^ Niels Bakker: Pompei by Lake Michigan, Rise and fall of Singapore , Newsletter of the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center , September 2011 ; accessed December 4, 2018.
  2. ↑ Jim Brennan: Singapore, Michigan , The Michigan Historical Marker Web Site; accessed December 5, 2018.
  3. ↑ Brian Tice: Singapore , ghosttowns.com; accessed December 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan (1881). Report of the Pioneer Society. Volume III, p. 273. WS George & Co.
  5. ^ Niels Bakker: Pompei by Lake Michigan, Rise and fall of Singapore , Newsletter of the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center , September 2011 ; accessed December 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Saugatuck Dunes Coastal Alliance (SDCA): Development Timeline ; accessed December 5, 2018.
  7. ^ Niels Bakker: Pompei by Lake Michigan, Rise and fall of Singapore , Newsletter of the Saugatuck-Douglas History Center , September 2011 ; accessed December 4, 2018.
  8. ↑ James Schmiechen: The Historic Significance of the Old Singapore Site Today , Saugatuck-Douglas History Center (SDHC) 2010; accessed December 5, 2019.

Coordinates: 42 ° 40 ′ 39 "  N , 86 ° 12 ′ 20.7"  W.