[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 14650]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    150TH ANNIVERSARY OF TAWAS CITY

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. BART STUPAK

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 28, 2005

  Mr. STUPAK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a community in my 
district that is celebrating its 150th anniversary as a city. On 
Thursday, June 30, 2005 the residents of Tawas City, Michigan celebrate 
their history that 150 years ago began a rollercoaster of triumphs and 
tribulations. From fishing to lumber to railroad to a military base, 
this city has adapted to each new opportunity resulting in a rich 
history and growth.
  In the early days of what is now known as Tawas Bay, the fish rich 
area was difficult to traverse because of the seafaring dangers. A 
lighthouse was constructed in 1853 attracting the first of the English 
settlers including Oakland County Judge Gideon O. Wittmore, founder of 
Tawas City. Whitmore was drawn to the increasingly valuable endless 
supply of timber in the area. Timber was in great demand as new 
settlements were established in the Midwest region. Whitmore 
constructed the first sawmill, Whitmore and Company, and platted the 
city in 1855 as Tawas City. The city was named after the local Native 
American Indian tribe the Ottawas.
  Just 15 years after becoming an official village, the rough waters of 
Tawas Bay had brought sand and sediment unto Tawas Point rendering the 
lighthouse useless to mariners. Almost immediately, work began on a 
replacement lighthouse that was completed in 1876 and is still in use 
today. This lighthouse, the Tawas Point Lighthouse, was recognized in 
1984 in the National Register of Historical Places.
  Throughout the late 1800's, the lumber boom had become a major facet 
in the local economy as the home for sawmills and the historic Detroit 
and Mackinac Railroad. It also provided many tales of great lumberjacks 
from the Michigan lumber camps. Some local residents believe that many 
stories we tell today about the great Paul Bunyan originated from that 
area. However, by the 1890's the lumbering boom had dwindled from 
depleted resources and the immense damage to the forests. The land 
resembled that of a wasteland and farming quickly took over as a top 
industry alongside fishing. However, with the invention of the 
automotive assembly line, young sons of farmers headed downstate to 
make quick money leaving hundreds of family farms vacant.
  With its natural resources exhausted, young people left the Tawas 
area. The once beautiful landside was left naked, polluted and over 
fished. Tawas thought it had seen the worst but, on July 11, 1911 a 
fire leveled communities of neighboring Oscoda and AuSable with five 
dead and 2,000 homeless. Tawas area residents took in survivors and 
helped the two devastated communities rebuild. In the process of 
rebuilding the communities, they had the opportunity to establish six 
hydroelectric dams in the AuSable River that are still in use today.
  It was around that time that Tawas City would see nearly 70 years of 
revitalization and economic opportunity come to the area. In the 1920's 
the United States Army Air Corps began a flight training program that 
would evolve into Wurtsmith Air Force Base. From the mid 1920's to the 
1950's the Civil Conservation Corps planted nearly 500 million trees to 
restore much of the area ravaged during the lumber years. In 1937, the 
Tawas Post of the Michigan State Police became a permanent part of the 
Tawas community. Even during the war years, Tawas played an important 
role in protecting America and its soldiers from poisonous attacks with 
the Tawas plant, staffed by women, producing up to 42,000 gas masks a 
day. In 1965, Tawas Point State Park was created and provided 175 acres 
of camping sites, picnic areas, beaches and the lighthouse area which 
attracts over 250,000 people per year.
  In the 1990's Tawas City would see another great challenge with the 
closure of the Wurtsmith Air Force Base. However, after nearly a 
century and a half of rising to meet challenges in the past, the local 
community partnered with State, local and Federal resources to turn the 
base into a thriving opportunity. The Wurtsmith redevelopment was so 
successful in turning the economy around they were cited as an example 
throughout the country on how small towns can overcome the hardships of 
military base closures.
  Mr. Speaker, the history of Tawas City is made up of the tales of 
brave fishermen, innovative entrepreneurs, legendary lumberjacks, 
dedicated neighbors, hardworking farmers, courageous soldiers, devoted 
workers, and All-American families. The values that extend from each 
industry, every challenge, and every triumph have added to the fabric 
of this community. I applaud the people of Tawas--past and present--for 
advancing this city to be the outstanding place it is today. 
Furthermore, I ask the United States House of Representatives to join 
me in congratulating Tawas City and its residents on their first 150 
years and in wishing them well through the next century.

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