Digging History

Lime Lake was originally called Bateman Lake

I think every Bike Path and Trail has some history connected to it. Some golden nugget of the past. I'm learning a few old facts about the Falling Waters Trail. The sign in the photo above explains some of the intriguing history along the trail. Its posted right at Lime Lake. The Trail splits the lake in two because they built a railway track through the middle which someone tore up to make the Trail [Thats a whole story in itself] Well in 1834 a man named Douglas Houghton did a survey of the Lime Lake area and found the minerals calcium carbonate mixed with clays and aragonite at the bottom of Lime Lake. This mixture is called Marl which is used in making cement. Douglas was a pretty amazing man, got a degree in Geology,Chemistry and History plus he was licensed to practice medicine. He became a Professor at U of Mich in 1839, elected Mayor of Detroit in 1842. Houghton was also called "The Father of Copper Mining in the USA". He did many geological surveys in Michigan. One day in 1845 Houghton drowned when his boat capsized in Lake Superior near Eagle River. He was only 36.  The City of Houghton Michigan, Houghton County and Houghton Lake all are named in his honor. In 1903 the Peerless Portland Cement Company began dredging operations for Marl. They used 4 railroad cars that floated on a barge and were placed at certain places while a Orange Peel Bucket
 http://www.bucketmaster.com.cn/BUCKET_WORLD/Special_Bucket/Other_Special_Bucket/2011/0323/71.html dug up the sediment . The Marl was loaded on the 4 railroad cars and the barge floated back to shore where they hooked up to a locomotive and taken to Detroit,Cement City,Petoskey and Union City. Workers pay in 1903 was 10 cents an hour for 12 hour days, 7 days a week. In 1929 the pay averaged $3.50 per day , the year the dredging operations were closed down. On payday the men were paid in gold and silver dropped from canvas bags at the Spring Arbor Depot.