Douglas shore 1892-1896
DouglasShoreView1892-96.jpg 632KB
![Text likely by James Schmiechen: THE OLD DOUGLAS INDUSTRIAL DOCKLANDS
Some notes on the environs of Wade's Bayou
[The Douglas-Dudleyville map of 1864 shows "Wade's Bayou" stretching from Mill Point [later the basket factory] to South Street.
The Map of 1873 shows "Wade's Bayou" confined to the area south of Fremont Street and into what is now marshland. Hence, it may be historically correct to refer to the Douglas waterfront as Wade's Bayou]
Beginning in the 1850s, along the shore bordering on Water Street from Wall to South Streets were a number of lumber (first in 1862) and shingle, and lath mills, a blacksmith shop, furniture factory, a large flour mill, and the first Douglas basket factory (later moved to the south to Mill Point), most of which were served by docks along the water. At one point the area included a furniture manufacture's display room. Commercial businesses were a short way from this activity-on higher ground along Center Street.
Further, to the north end of Water Street (between Wall and Chestnut Streets) were the docks and warehouses of local fruit growers, a large ice house, and further on was "Mill Point" which was the site of the first lumber mill in Douglas (1851), founded by Jonathan Wade in 1851 and later enlarged by the William Dutcher family, and still later, it became the Douglas Basket Factory.
To the south, at the south-west corner of South and Water Streets and with a dock on the Bayou, was the Gerber Steam Tannery which produced shoe leather from hides, and, at the bottom of South Street (at the water edge) was the Village Jail (south-east corner, South and Water) and the tannery warehouse and dock (north-east corner, South and Water).
All in all, this industrial-docks area provided employment for hundreds of men and women. By 1927 most of the manufacturing activity had ended.](https://d8e7jbdw4fu0e.cloudfront.net/4124/b5a9d9f0-adc7-11f0-b08e-df84f6beeef0-v0m7t1y.lg@2x.jpg)
Name/Title
Douglas shore 1892-1896Entry/Object ID
2021.41.56Description
Digital scan of photo of Douglas shoreline, possibly of Red Dock area, circa 1892-1896. Ship thought to be the Charles McVea.Photograph Details
Type of Photograph
Digital scanSubject Person or Organization
Red Dock/Keewatin Dock/Tower Harbor Village/Eastland/Crawford Trans. Co. Dock, Charles McVea (ship) 1888-1928, Wade's Bayou/Douglas Municipal Docks/Gerber MillCataloged By
Winthers, SallyAcquisition
Accession
2021.41Source or Donor
Schmiechen, James A.Acquisition Method
DonationDimensions
Dimension Description
digital assetLocation
005 A+B Nautical History
Digital data in CatalogIt