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Circa 1908. "Paper mills at Petoskey, Michigan." 8x10 inch dry plate glass negative, Detroit Publishing Company. View full size.
The trestle, mills and the makeshift dam are long gone, but the house on the hill still remains. According to an old Sanborn map, this trestle crossed the Bear River between Franklin Street and Charlevoix Ave. The dam was near Grove Street and the mills are now home to Bear River Park. The house on the hill above the dam is on Ione Street and, except for the windows, is remarkably unchanged.
If you've ever lived anywhere near a pulp mill you can probably smell the sulfur smoke emitting from the smokestacks just by looking at this picture. I hate to imagine what it was like before scrubbers and other emission controls. If you're going to move near one you better try to locate yourself up from the prevailing winds.
I grew up in Petoskey, and while these are all before my time, it's neat to see what things used to be like.
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