A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BEGINNING OF HALE
[Thank you to The Bear's Den for providing this]

In 1871, the first lumber camp was started near Hale creek, one mile south of Hale,

started by the Hale brothers. The first post office was E.V. Esmond's home and the mail

was carried by Captain F. Gardner on his trips from Tawas with supplies. In 1886, the

first railroad was put through, running from the main line of the Detroit, Bay City, and

Alpena Railroad at Emery Junction to Rose City, with a switch into Loon Lake. It was

called the Loon Lake Branch. The post office was moved to a small store built on the

west side of the railroad and the name Hale, was decided upon in honor of C.D. Hale, the

first lumberman in Plainfield Township. During the early years, the lumbering business

was a tremendous industry, attracting men of many nationalities and creeds. In just one

year, 20,000,000 feet lumber came down the Augres River. A few sawmills hauled their

logs on 14 foot sleighs as far as six miles. Much of the lumber was sent to the Eastern

U.S. Not much thought was given to conservation in those days. Logging practices of the

early days and forest fires had almost entirely wiped out the original pine by the year

1909. It was then, that President Roosevelt set aside a public domain of 130,000 acres in

part of Plainfield Township later know as Huron National Forest. The trees were

replanted by the Civilain Conservation Corps in the 1930's. Today the forest consists of

about 400,000 acres of land. In 1984, 23 miles of the AuSable River was set aside as part

of a natioanl scenic river. In 1988, 22 miles of highway was designated as the 20th

National Scenic Highway Byway. Many of the men who worked in the forests remained

to homestead and a good part of the people in the community today are descended from

them.

 

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