Singapore, A History
Founding and Revival 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.
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.
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, financed the future of the city.
The turn of the century saw Singapore turn from a town into a city. 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 prosperity of Singapore seemed to be without end. That is until the Great Depression came to the city. The economic depression hit the world hard and Singapore wasn't immune to its effects. Industries closed down and even the Singapore Bank and Trust looked like it might close.
When the United States entered World War II, it looked as though the depression might end. The war brought money into the city. Industries to support the war effort thrived. It looked like Singapore would rise again.
As the war came to a close, the city of Singapore suffered a massive storm. One of the worse storms in Michigan history. The storm destroyed buildings and undid the conservation work started by Jeremiah Raymond. Even though the storm only lasted three days, its effects continued to destroy the city.
The sand dunes that nearly engulfed the town once, came back again. High winds and a bad winter stymied any attempts at rebuilding the city. People began to leave.
Around 1952 the city of Singapore became a ghost town.
