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Pine River IndustrializationFollowing the fur trade, the first major industry in the watershed related to lumbering. The forests of central Michigan were cleared in remarkably short time in the middle of the nineteenth century, especially to supply lumber for Chicago and points west. Clearing the timber allowed for erosion of soils while transporting logs by river damaged the banks covering river bottoms with tons of sediment. Some species consumed by Native Americans, such as the sturgeon disappeared from the Pine River with these ecological changes. After lumbering came both tourism and farming. The mineral springs of places like St. Louis providing a rather benign economic use of resources. Much farming also was sustainable, although the processing of sugar beets, a major regional specialty, resulted in the dumping of massive amounts of organic wastes in the river. This abuse of the river was followed by more negative river impacts from the petro-chemical industries that grew on the rivers banks. Many in the local communities were willing to sacrifice long-term river utilization for short-run profits. Certainly, for several decades, from the mid-1030s through the 1970s, the region's investors, workers, and taxpayers benefited from the industrial development. The choices made in the era of industrialization teach many lessons to area residents today about the trade-offs from short-run economic gain and long-term costs. All are welcomed to work with the Task Force and help us achieve restoration of our watershed and future sustainability. Please contact us at (989)463-7203 if you wish to work with us or need information. |
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