Bay Furnace, Michigan

Town in Alger County, Michigan

Bay Furnace was a town in Alger County, Michigan west of Munising, Michigan. It was established in 1869 around a blast furnace run by the Bay Furnace Company and used to make iron ore into pig iron.[1]

The town that was established around the furnace was originally named Onota. The name changed later to Bismark, and then changed again to Bay Furnace. The town had a population of approximately 500.[2]

When Schoolcraft County was established out of Marquette County, Bay Furnace was its county seat. In 1885, Bay Furnace was reorganized into the newly established Alger County.[2]

The town was destroyed by an accidental fire started by a wagonload of charcoal on May 31, 1877. The furnace and surrounding land were given to the United States Forest Service in 1940.[2]

## References

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1. ^ "Bay Furnace Historic Site and Interpretive Trail". Hiawatha National Forest.
2. ^ a b c Haseltine, Curtis (August 15, 1955). "Bay Furnace a Pioneer Symbol". Detroit Free Press. p. 6.

## Sources

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* Romig, Walter (1986). Michigan Place Names. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. p. 47\. ISBN 978-0-8143-1838-6 - via Google Books.

46°26′30.4″N 86°42′20.1″W﻿ / ﻿46.441778°N 86.705583°W﻿ / 46.441778; -86.705583