Singapore in Michigan is a ghost town located near the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township in Allegan County in the United States. The once-thriving town was founded in 1836 by New York land tycoon Oshea Wilder, who envisioned it as a rival port town to Chicago and Milwaukee, before its dramatic end more than 150 years ago.
The town of Singapore prospered largely due to its booming lumber industry and had several mills, hotels, a bank which was involved in a huge bank scandal after the civil war, and Michigan’s first schoolhouse, with a population of hundreds of people. Although, this demand for lumber caused its downfall shortly after the Great Chicago Fires of 1871.
The extensive deforestation to meet lumber demands left the area vulnerable to erosion. Without trees to stabilize the soil, the wind and sand from Lake Michigan began to erode the town. As a result, Singapore was completed vacant and buried under sand dunes by 1875. Today, it’s just a buried ghost town.
Singapore in Michigan today
The once thriving town of Singapore in Michigan lies buried beneath the sand dunes near the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township today. Although the physical structures of the town are no longer visible, some remnants of its history remain.
For instance, there have been reports of roofs and other building materials emerging from the sand over the years. Meanwhile, artifacts like tools and household items have been unearthed.
Additionally, some buildings were moved to nearby Saugatuck such as the Singapore Bank building which now serves as a bookstore and art gallery. While a historical site marker commemorating Singapore’s history has been built in Saugatuck and places like Singapore Yacht Club were named after the ghost town.
Michigan’s Singapore is often referred to as ”Michigan’s Pompeii’ due to its complete burial under the sand. This reminds us of the powerful forces of nature and the impact of human activities on the environment. Overall, the town’s story and some physical elements have been preserved in nearby Saugatuck. In fact, there is a book about this lost town called ”The Town That Disappeared” by Sandy Carlson.
Notably, Singapore in Michigan has no direct link to Singapore in Asia.
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