Bay Port Historic Commercial Fishing District

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Bay Port Historic Commercial Fishing District
Bay Port Commercial Fishing Historic District 1974.jpg
Office building in 1974
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Location Saginaw Bay end of Lakeside Dr. and First St., Bay Port, Michigan
Coordinates 43°51′14″N83°22′25″W / 43.85389°N 83.37361°W / 43.85389; -83.37361 Coordinates: 43°51′14″N83°22′25″W / 43.85389°N 83.37361°W / 43.85389; -83.37361
Area45 acres (18 ha)
Built1920 (1920)
NRHP reference No. 77000714 [1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 22, 1977

The Bay Port Historic Commercial Fishing District is a commercial fishing historic district located on Lakeside Drive and First Street adjacent to Saginaw Bay in Bay Port, Michigan. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. [1]

Contents

History

Bay Port was settled in the early 1860s, but it was not until the arrival of the railroad in 1886 that commercial fishing became a viable industry in the area. At about that time, Charles Gillingham and his family moved their fishing operations from North Island, located northwest of Bay Port, to this location on a man-made peninsula. In 1895, other local investors established the Bay Port Fish Company nearby. Both companies quickly grew, shipping lake herring, walleye, and whitefish via ice-filled rail cars to customers throughout the eastern United States. [2]

By the 1920s and 1930s, Bay Port was known as the largest freshwater fishing port in the world, with over 30 fishing boats working from the port. Operations in what is now the historic district included ports for the boats, and also processing of the catch, repairs, and advertising and promotional offices. However, in 1945, a fire destroyed most of both Gillingham's operation and the Bay Port Fish Company's buildings. The Bay Port Fish Company closed, and Gillingham's president, Otto Schmidt, rebuilt some of the buildings. However, a general economic decline affected profits, and in 1949 Schmidt liquidated the previous company, reforming it as another entity to operate the remaining facilities. In 1965, Schmidt sold out to Henry Engelhard and Mel Dutcher, and by 1973 Engelhard was the sole owner of the business. [2] In 1978, Engelhard died, and his heirs sold the operation to the Williams family, who continue to operate the Bay Port Fish Company as of 2017. [3]

Description

The Bay Port Historic Commercial Fishing District is centered on a man-made peninsula approximately 600 feet long and 100 to 500 feet wide, extending into Saginaw Bay. When the district was designated in 1977, only seven buildings were still extant in the district. [2] As of 2017, it appears that only three of these are still standing. [4] These are:

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References

  1. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Alan W. Moore; Janet L. Kreger; Trevor Geo. Gardner (November 1, 1976), NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM: Bay Port Historic Commercial Fishing District
  3. "About Our Family Business". Bay Port Fish Company. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
  4. "Bay Port Map". Google. Retrieved December 6, 2017.