History Rich in Wood
by Denny Montague
by Denny Montague
They formed a little community named Jennings where most of the lumber was cut and transported by rail to the Mills in Cadillac. Jennings turned out to be not much of a desirable area for lumber and so all operations moved to the Cadillac area and Jennings eventually died off. Around 1877, the stream was made into what is now the canal connecting the two lakes to be used by the lumber barons to float the fallen trees to the mills located on the east shore. While planning for the new location, a rail road system was thought to be the best solution to move timber to and from the east side of the lake where the mills were located. The railroad was slated to be built between the two lakes where M-115 is today. However, the plans changed and moved to the east side of Lake Cadillac right in the town after they realized that the winds would drift the logs east and therefore closer to the mills and mill workers residences. Some of these giant virgin pines were as much as 250 years old, dating back to the days of the Pilgrims. Trees that towered more than 125 feet in their fight for sunlight in splendor were crashed to the ground within an hour's time.
Back in 1907 the price per acre of land was a mere $3.00 to $8.00. In one factory alone more than 25,000 broom handles were produced each day. Cadillac was known around the world for its production process of maple and other hardwood flooring.
Cadillac is responsible for a number of important inventions and major process developments. The most notable was the Shay locomotive, which was one of the first to have the ability to haul logs on uneven terrain, sharp curves, and up steep hills. Over 2,700 Shay locomotives were built and used throughout the U.S. between the years of 1880 to 1945. Another workhorse built in Cadillac was the Acme Truck in the 1920's. It was a very dependable truck with models from 1 to 5 ton capacities. The famous "Humpty-Dumpty" folding egg crates were designed here.
Cadillac
got its big break when Mrs. O'Mally's cow kicked over the lantern that caused
the Great Chicago fire. Thousands of feet of lumber were shipped to Chicago
to help rebuild that city. The two lakes have a brownish tint to them unlike
the pristine blue waters that so many nearby lakes have. This is caused
from the sunken logs that still remain on the bottom of the lakes today.
Every spring there are always a few that decide to surface and wash ashore.To me, and most likely to most of you, the most important historical industry in Cadillac began in January 1941. A boat building manufacturer named Chris Craft located in Algonac Michigan decided that the skills of the local wood workers just might be the answer. Chris Craft wanted to be able to build more boats as boating was starting to become a very popular past time. And so the first Chris Craft boat began to be built at the new Cadillac plant. They produced four models ranging in size from 16 to 29 feet. They made runabouts, the Sportsman, the Holiday, which is a glorified Sportsman, and the Cabin Cruiser. The company reached its peak production after the war when it turned out 16 boats a day in Cadillac trying to keep up with the post-war buying boom. During World War II the Cadillac plant employed up to 300 employees, 25 of which were women. In 1950 the local plant made a boat for the King of Egypt among other celebrities.
1960 ended the Chris Craft family ownership as it was purchased by the Nafi Corp. At the time of the sale, Chris-Craft was the largest boat manufacturer in the world. In 1961, Chris-Craft offered a mid- line of lower priced models called the Cavalier. The Cadillac plant made the 18-foot models. Instead of mahogany planking used on the hulls of the more expensive boats, the Cavalier models used select plywood for the hulls. Little was lost in the quality of this line because the combined features of workmanship, varnishing, carpenter work, and finishing was a Chris Craft trademark no matter what the model.
One of the most important production phases, and the one the workers took the most pride in, was in the varnishing room where the boats got their luxurious look. During the three-day stay there, the boats were given three coats of varnish and one sealer coat. The varnish was made especially for Chris Craft. The varnish was not painted on, but rather flowed on the boat done by experienced workers with badger hair brushes.
By 1965, the Cadillac plant was producing ten models of Chris Crafts for the boating pleasure seekers, which included, the Sea Skiff, Sportsman, Super Sports, some smaller Sea Skiffs, the Cavalier 16 foot Ski Boat, 18 foot Custom, 22 foot Dory, and 22 and 26 foot Cutlass models. If this wasn't enough, the Cadillac plant also started producing House Boats, which ranged from 30 to 35 feet with the hull being made of fiberglass. By this time in 1968 the factory was only employing 60 employees signaling the beginning of the end of the great era of wooden boats. On July 31,1968 the Chris Craft Corporation closed the Cadillac plant.
Cadillac today flourishes upon tourism for community income. Some of the best snowmobile riding in the state is experienced here on the finely groomed trails and two major ski areas within a 30-minute drive away for winter time activity. Summer can be enjoyed by boating on the two lakes along with numerous of golf courses within minutes from downtown. Mitchell State Park has many campsites on the canal with plenty of docking in the no wake waterway, and you can fish with out even releasing the lines on your boat. Just pull up a chair, fish, and watch the boats go by in the canal. If you want to just get away from it all for a weekend, or a week, come to Cadillac and just relax.