Deer Park, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Deer Park is an unincorporated community in McMillan Township
, Luce County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. Deer Park is located on the coast of Lake Superior
near Muskallonge Lake State Park
.
encampment. The community was later settled as a lumber
-milling town. The Cook and Wilson Lumber Company purchased the first sawmill
in the community in 1876. Deer Park expanded after Bradley and Hurst bought the mill ten years later. At the town's peak, it had a population of 400 people, making it one of the largest white pine
logging communities. The mill produced 16,000 board feet
every 24 hours. The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad built a branch from Newberry
to Deer Park to serve the mill, though the railroad was eventually removed. A post office opened July 12, 1888 with W.L.M. Powell was the first postmaster. The post office closed on January 15, 1900, due to the town's declining population. By the early 1900s, the lumber supply was gone from Deer Park, the sawmill closed, and Deer Park's population began to decline. The only remaining signs of the lumber industry are piles of sawdust and some pine logs in Muskallonge Lake, which was used to soften the logs before they were milled.
The shipping industry was also significant in Deer Park. The community was located on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast. The Deer Park (formerly Muskallonge Lake) Station was the site of one of six Lake Superior stations of the Lifesaving Service between Munising, Michigan
and Vermilion Point
. In 1892, the steamer Western Reserve sank about 35 miles northwest of Deer Park with the loss of all but the wheelsman. In 1907, the SS Cyprus
sank north of Deer Park; all but one of its crew members died.
, which primarily cater to visitors to the state park. Deer Park is the terminus of County Highways H-37 and H-58
.
McMillan Township, Luce County, Michigan
McMillan Township is a civil township of northern Luce County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 3,947 at the 2000 census. Most of the township's population lives in the village of Newberry, the county seat, at the township's extreme south....
, Luce County
Luce County, Michigan
-Government:The county government operates the jail, maintains rural roads, operates themajor local courts, keeps files of deeds and mortgages, maintains vital records, administers...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
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"....
. Deer Park is located on the coast of Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
near Muskallonge Lake State Park
Muskallonge Lake State Park
Muskallonge Lake State Park is a state park in Michigan. It is located northwest of Newberry in Luce County. The park is situated between the shores of Lake Superior and Muskallonge Lake; the area is well known for its forests, lakes and streams....
.
History
Deer Park was originally settled as a Native AmericanIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
encampment. The community was later settled as a lumber
Lumber
Lumber or timber is wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural material for construction, or wood pulp for paper production....
-milling town. The Cook and Wilson Lumber Company purchased the first sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
in the community in 1876. Deer Park expanded after Bradley and Hurst bought the mill ten years later. At the town's peak, it had a population of 400 people, making it one of the largest white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...
logging communities. The mill produced 16,000 board feet
Board foot
The board-foot is a specialized unit of measure for the volume of lumber in the United States and Canada. It is the volume of a one-foot length of a board one foot wide and one inch thick....
every 24 hours. The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railroad built a branch from Newberry
Newberry, Michigan
Newberry is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Luce County. Located within McMillan Township at its very southern end, it shares some administrative responsibilities with the surrounding township. The population was 2,686 at the 2000 census.The village was named in...
to Deer Park to serve the mill, though the railroad was eventually removed. A post office opened July 12, 1888 with W.L.M. Powell was the first postmaster. The post office closed on January 15, 1900, due to the town's declining population. By the early 1900s, the lumber supply was gone from Deer Park, the sawmill closed, and Deer Park's population began to decline. The only remaining signs of the lumber industry are piles of sawdust and some pine logs in Muskallonge Lake, which was used to soften the logs before they were milled.
The shipping industry was also significant in Deer Park. The community was located on Lake Superior's Shipwreck Coast. The Deer Park (formerly Muskallonge Lake) Station was the site of one of six Lake Superior stations of the Lifesaving Service between Munising, Michigan
Munising, Michigan
Munising is a city on the southern shore of Lake Superior on the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 2,539. It is the county seat of Alger County...
and Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point
Vermilion Point is a remote, undeveloped shore with a rich history lying west of Whitefish Point, Michigan, on a stretch of Lake Superior’s southeast coast known as the "Graveyard of the Great Lakes" or, in the title of a book by noted Great Lakes maritime historian , ""...
. In 1892, the steamer Western Reserve sank about 35 miles northwest of Deer Park with the loss of all but the wheelsman. In 1907, the SS Cyprus
SS Cyprus
SS Cyprus was a lake freighter that sank during a gale storm on Lake Superior on 11 October 1907. The ship went down in 460 feet of water at , in United States waters about 8 miles north of Deer Park in Luce County, Michigan. All but one of the 23 members of the crew perished.-Construction:The...
sank north of Deer Park; all but one of its crew members died.
Present-day community
Deer Park is currently an unincorporated community with few residents. Its primary attraction is Muskallonge Lake State Park. The community also contains a lodge and a general storeGeneral store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
, which primarily cater to visitors to the state park. Deer Park is the terminus of County Highways H-37 and H-58
H-58 (Michigan county highway)
County Designated Highway H-58 is a road that runs east–west in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. H-58 is routed through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Along H-58, there are the towns of Melstrand, Van Meer, and Myren. The length is .The western terminus is at M-28 in downtown Munising,...
.