1800s Michigan - The Story of the Long Wooden Docks Along Lake Huron

Along the shores of Lake Huron, long wooden docks once determined whether a town survived or faded. From the mid-1800s through the early 20th century, these structures served as the economic backbone of dozens of Michigan shoreline communities. Without them, commerce stalled, supplies ran thin, and towns struggled to connect with the outside world.

One of the clearest examples comes from Forestville, where a massive dock extended far into the lake, well beyond the shallow nearshore waters. Real photo postcards from the era show just how dominant these docks were—long trestles bristling with pilings, cranes, sheds, and freight activity.

Shallow Water, Big Problem

Lake Huron’s western shoreline is notoriously shallow. Unlike natural harbors such as Saginaw Bay or Thunder Bay, much of Michigan’s Thumb coast slopes gradually into the lake. Large schooners and steamers could not approach shore without risking grounding.

The solution was simple but expensive: build out into deep water.

Towns invested heavily in timber docks that stretched hundreds—sometimes more than a thousand—feet into the lake. These docks allowed vessels to tie up safely while cargo was moved by hand, wagon, or later, rail spurs. Without such infrastructure, a lakeside town had little chance of becoming more than a local settlement.

Docks Were Economic Lifelines

Long docks allowed small towns to participate in regional and national trade. Lumber, shingles, railroad ties, salt, grain, and livestock moved outward. Coal, manufactured goods, mail, and passengers came in.

For Forestville, the dock supported sawmills, general stores, hotels, and a steady population of dockworkers, fishermen, and teamsters. Similar docks lined the Lake Huron coast at Port Austin, Lexington, Harbor Beach, and dozens of now-vanished landings.

Passenger steamers also relied on these docks. Before widespread road improvements, lake travel was often faster and more reliable than overland routes. A dock meant scheduled stops, tourism traffic, and access to medical care and markets in larger cities.

Supporting Commercial Fishing

By the early 1900s, docks also anchored Michigan’s commercial fishing industry. Fisheries clustered near dockheads where nets could be dried, fish iced, and catches shipped quickly to urban markets.

A 1936 Forestville postcard labeled “Fishery on Lake Huron” shows this transition clearly. By then, fishing had replaced lumber as the primary lake-based industry. Whitefish, lake trout, perch, and herring moved from net to dock to railcar in a matter of hours.

Without long docks, commercial fishing on an industrial scale would have been impossible along much of Lake Huron’s coast.

Lake Huron's Docks - Vulnerable by Design Critical By Placement

Despite their importance, these docks were fragile.

Built primarily of timber, they required constant maintenance. An Ice shove each spring could snap pilings. Storms regularly tore away decking. The devastating 1913 Great Lakes storm—often called the White Hurricane—destroyed or severely damaged docks up and down the Lake Huron shoreline.

As railroads expanded inland and trucking improved after World War I, shipping needs changed. Maintaining massive docks became harder to justify. Many were abandoned, dismantled for lumber, or simply left to collapse.

What Docks Remain Today

Most of Lake Huron’s great docks are gone. What remains are marina piers, breakwalls, and fragments preserved in photographs and postcards. These images are more than scenic views; they document how shoreline towns connected to the wider world.

The Michigan Moments reel built from Forestville postcards captures this story in visual form—showing how one dock shaped a town’s economy, work life, and identity. It reflects a broader truth across the Great Lakes: infrastructure determined destiny.

Why Care Anymore?

Understanding these docks explains why some towns flourished while others vanished. Access to deep water meant access to markets. Without it, growth stalled.

Today’s waterfront redevelopment projects often sit atop these forgotten industrial sites. Knowing their history adds context to modern shoreline use and reminds us that Lake Huron was once a working highway, not just a scenic backdrop.

The long docks may be gone, but their impact remains written into the rise—and fall—of Michigan’s lakeshore towns.