Bay Furnace, Michigan facts for kids

Bay Furnace was a small town in Alger County, Michigan, located west of Munising, Michigan. It was founded in 1869 because of a special factory called a blast furnace.

Bay Furnace: A Town Built on Iron

This town was created to support the Bay Furnace Company. Their main job was to operate a large blast furnace. A blast furnace is like a giant oven that uses very high heat to melt iron ore. Iron ore is a rock that contains iron. When melted, it becomes a metal called pig iron. Pig iron was a basic material used to make many other metal products.

The Town's Changing Names

The town that grew around the furnace had a few different names during its short history. First, it was called Onota. Later, its name changed to Bismark. Finally, it became known as Bay Furnace. At its busiest, about 500 people lived in Bay Furnace.

A Place of Importance: County Seat

For a while, Bay Furnace was an important place for local government. When Schoolcraft County was first created from parts of Marquette County, Bay Furnace was chosen as its county seat. A county seat is the main town where the county government offices are located. This means important decisions and records for the county were handled there. Later, in 1885, Bay Furnace became part of the newly formed Alger County.

The End of Bay Furnace

Sadly, the town of Bay Furnace did not last very long. On May 31, 1877, a terrible accident happened. A wagon carrying charcoal, which was used as fuel for the furnace, accidentally started a fire. This fire quickly spread and destroyed the entire town. After the fire, the furnace and the land around it were given to the United States Forest Service in 1940. Today, you can visit the ruins of the old furnace as a historical site.