An expanded history of the town of Singapore
The town of Singapore Michigan had seen better days. It once had a promising future. A banking scandal, a horrible blizzard and an environmental disaster all conspired to destroy the city. By 1872 the end of the city loomed on the horizon. Deforestation to feed lumber hungry cities around Lake Michigan led to the area being deforested. The lumber industry cut down all the wood in the area without regard to possible consequences. They didn't realize the trees kept the sand dunes from moving further inland. The end of the timber industry and the aggressive action of the dunes caused many people to leave the city. Twenty one buildings still stood as the town became a ghost town with only a few hold outs. At this time most of the Singapore area was owned by Artemas Carter. He had no interest in the land since it was devoid of timber and would be covered in sand soon. A buyer. named Jeremiah Raymond, sought out Artemas Carter and offered to buy up the large territory. Little is known about Jeremiah Raymond except that he came to the area from the west with a bag of gold coins and a dream. Artemas sold the land without hesitation. When asked what he planned to do, Jeremiah said he was going to make it great again.
People laughed at the idea of saving Singapore, but Jeremiah went to work undeterred by critics. He took over a shack at the western edge of town and began his work. People saw little of him that first winter. Occasionally he'd make his way to the general store to buy supplies, but other then that people rarely saw him. Whatever Jeremiah did during that winter is not known. Jeremiah never left a journal behind, nor did he mail any letters.
When spring arrived, the snow thawed and the sand dunes moved very little. The buildings in Singapore saw some sand drift into the town, but not as much as they feared would come. Close to the shore, they found a crude fence had been erected along the shore line. The fence provided a barrier to block some of the sand from creeping further inland. The town knew it was Jeremiah's doing, but many thought his plan would fail.
As spring gave way to summer, Jeremiah began to plan trees and other plants where he could. At the time the people in Singapore didn't understand Jeremiah's plan, but now we understand that what he did was basic coastal management. Jeremiah's efforts started to show promise by the next fall.
Jeremiah's efforts began to attract attention. The people in Singapore decided that they wanted to help in the effort as well. Jeremiah paid the volunteers for their work, which attracted more workers. The workers began a project to remove the sand from the streets of Singapore out to the shore line.
As the number of people in Singapore increased, Jeremiah invested in the town’s future. He bought and rebuilt the general store in town. He spent his money to build a larger general store to better serve the town. In addition to the new general store, Jeremiah started a new bank for the town. Unlike the previous institution Jeremiah made sure this bank would remain solvent and served the people of the growing town. The financial stability of the bank rested on the funds provided by Jeremiah. This bank, the Singapore Bank and Trust, continues to be a member of the Singapore business community.
The bank provided the capital needed to build the town up. New businesses were able to start up in Singapore because of the bank’s generous loan terms. Not all of the loans were paid back, but enough were so that the bank and the town managed to prosper. In a few short years, the town of Singapore became the city of Singapore.
The beauty of the area and the location of the city attracted businesses to the town. Fruit orchards, wood, and other products were shipped out of Singapore. These industries opened up the door to manufacturing. The area had an abundance of workers, resources to make use of, and the local government happened to be very pro-business oriented. In fact the local bank financed low interest loans for businesses who wanted to base their industries there. The beginning of the twentieth century promised great things for Singapore. It wouldn’t last.
However the prosperity of Singapore stumbled. Railroads which bypassed Singapore gained popularity over shipping. The rail lines were all located to the east of the town. The Railroad companies prefered the cheaper land that happened to be further in the interior of Michigan. The cheap cost of railroads drove several companies in Singapore out of business. For the people of Singapore the situation seemed dire, but a greater loss was on the horizon.
In 1912, Jeremiah Raymond died two years later. No one, except family and his servants had seen the man in over five years. Until the official announcement of his death, there were only rumors about what happened to him.
