Station: Otsego Lake, MI

Otsego Lake was a station stop at a body of water at a lake of the same name in southern Otsego County. It was settled about 1872 by the Smith, Kelley and Dwight lumber firm and is located about 10 miles south of Gaylord.

Image info: Top, a view of the Otsego Lake depot, date unknown. [UML] 2nd view, the same building in a 1918 railroad valuation photo . [CMUL]

Notes

At one time, the village had several retail stores, a boarding house, an opera house, saloon, hotel, newspaper, post office and school. This was the temporary county seat from 1875 to 1877. [OHS]

Located at what is today Old 27 and Mancelona Road. [OHS]

Time Line

1869. The Michigan legislature authorizes construction of the Torch Lake and Alpena State Road, commonly called The Old State Road. It was surveyed from Torch Lake to Otsego Lake. Construction was financed by highway taxes on every alternate section of Otsego County for your years. [LEW]

1872. The JL&S railroad arrives here from the south. [OHS]

1880. Gratwick, Smith & Fryer (GSF) is incorporated and builds a saw mill on the south end of Otsego Lake. They sell it in 1882. The build a new mill at the mouth of the Au Sable River. It was supposed to be fireproof, but burned in 1892. GSF also builds a narrow gauge railroad, the Crapo Lake & Northwestern (CL&NW) to haul logs from Clear Lake to Crapo Lake, where they could be floated to and then down the Au Sable River. [LEW]

1886. Merchant D. Wilson has sold his store and residence to Salling, Hanson & Co. of Grayling. [CCA-1886-1028]

1880. The MC railroad will begin to cut ice this week at Otsego Lake, 255 miles north of Jackson by rail. About 300 car loads, or 45,000 tons, will be taken out, an amount sufficient to supply the main line and its branches this season. [DFP-1880-0131]

1884. Population of 800. [OHS]

1889. November. The Michelson and Hanson Lumber Co. is organized at Otsego Lake. The firm was composed entirely of experienced lumbermen, many of whom had begun working in the woods and making money by their success. They operated a Mill at Otsego Lake for two years, when they purchased the mill at Bagley (north end of Otsego Lake) and changed their base of operations to that place. [LEW]