Where the River Meets the Lake: The Story of Au Sable Township
Long before sawmills lined the shoreline or ships crowded the mouth of the river, the Au Sable was already a place of movement. Native Americans traveled its waters for generations, following its bends inland and out to Lake Huron. By the late 1840s, that same river drew a different kind of traveler.
In 1848, Louis Chevalier established a trading post along the river, becoming the first permanent settler in what would become Au Sable Township. Within a year, men like Curtis Emerson and James Eldridge arrived, purchasing land and laying out a settlement at the river’s mouth. It was a rough place—log structures, muddy paths, and dense forest pressing in from every side—but it held promise.
That promise came in the form of timber.
By the 1860s, the forests along the Au Sable River were being cut at an astonishing pace. Logs felled deep inland were floated downstream in massive drives, choking the river with white pine bound for the mills at its mouth. Among the men who transformed the settlement into an industrial powerhouse was John E. Potts, whose J. E. Potts Lumber Company became one of the most important operations in northern Michigan.
Potts did more than build a mill—he built an empire. His company operated sawmills, ran the Potts Logging Railway Company, and employed hundreds of workers across camps and yards. Ships lined the docks, loading lumber bound for Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. The air smelled of fresh-cut pine and steam. The sound of saws never seemed to stop.
By the 1880s, Au Sable was no longer a frontier—it was a booming industrial town.
And it didn’t stop with lumber.
Potts expanded into salt production through the J. E. Potts Salt and Lumber Company, drilling brine wells and constructing facilities to process and ship salt across the Great Lakes. Now, ships leaving the docks carried not just lumber, but barrels of salt—another essential commodity for a growing nation.
At its peak, Au Sable was one of the largest and most active communities in the region. Streets were lined with boarding houses, stores, saloons, and company buildings. Workers came from across the country to find jobs in the mills and camps. It was a place of constant motion—river, rail, and lake all working together.
But like many boom towns, its success was tied to a single resource.
By the early 1900s, the great forests were gone.
What followed was swift and devastating. Mills slowed. Jobs disappeared. And in 1911, fire swept through the area, destroying much of what remained of the once-thriving town. Buildings, businesses, and homes were reduced to ash. The industrial heart of Au Sable never fully recovered.
Yet even as one chapter ended, another began.
In 1918, William A. Foote oversaw the construction of Foote Dam, part of a growing hydroelectric system developed by Consumers Power. The river that once carried logs now generated electricity, powering homes and industries far beyond the township itself.
The community that remained was smaller, quieter, and no longer driven by industry.
Through the 1920s and into the Great Depression, residents adapted once again. Some farmed. Others worked in small operations or left in search of opportunity. In 1931, the once-incorporated City of Au Sable was dissolved, returning to township status—a reflection of how much had changed.
After World War II, new influences arrived. The development of Wurtsmith Air Force Base brought jobs, people, and renewed activity to the area. Roads improved, and the region became easier to reach.
But it was the river—always the river—that shaped what came next.
By the 1960s and 1970s, the Au Sable River had gained a national reputation for trout fishing. Canoes replaced log drives. Guides replaced lumber bosses. Small businesses emerged—bait shops, canoe liveries, and motels—serving visitors drawn to the same natural beauty that had first brought settlers a century earlier.
The forests returned, quieter this time, growing over the scars of logging camps and rail lines.
Today, Au Sable Township is no longer a place of smokestacks and sawmills. It is defined instead by its landscape—by the meeting of river and lake, by the sound of water instead of machinery. Yet traces of its past remain: in the shoreline, in the old foundations, and in the stories passed down through generations.
From Louis Chevalier’s trading post…
to John E. Potts’ lumber empire…
to the steady flow of water through Foote Dam…
Au Sable Township has never stood still.
It has simply changed with the current.
Long before sawmills lined the shoreline or ships crowded the mouth of the river, the Au Sable was already a place of movement. Native Americans traveled its waters for generations, following its bends inland and out to Lake Huron. By the late 1840s, that same river drew a different kind of traveler.
In 1848, Louis Chevalier established a trading post along the river, becoming the first permanent settler in what would become Au Sable Township. Within a year, men like Curtis Emerson and James Eldridge arrived, purchasing land and laying out a settlement at the river’s mouth. It was a rough place—log structures, muddy paths, and dense forest pressing in from every side—but it held promise.
That promise came in the form of timber.
By the 1860s, the forests along the Au Sable River were being cut at an astonishing pace. Logs felled deep inland were floated downstream in massive drives, choking the river with white pine bound for the mills at its mouth. Among the men who transformed the settlement into an industrial powerhouse was John E. Potts, whose J. E. Potts Lumber Company became one of the most important operations in northern Michigan.
Potts did more than build a mill—he built an empire. His company operated sawmills, ran the Potts Logging Railway Company, and employed hundreds of workers across camps and yards. Ships lined the docks, loading lumber bound for Detroit, Cleveland, and Chicago. The air smelled of fresh-cut pine and steam. The sound of saws never seemed to stop.
By the 1880s, Au Sable was no longer a frontier—it was a booming industrial town.
And it didn’t stop with lumber.
Potts expanded into salt production through the J. E. Potts Salt and Lumber Company, drilling brine wells and constructing facilities to process and ship salt across the Great Lakes. Now, ships leaving the docks carried not just lumber, but barrels of salt—another essential commodity for a growing nation.
At its peak, Au Sable was one of the largest and most active communities in the region. Streets were lined with boarding houses, stores, saloons, and company buildings. Workers came from across the country to find jobs in the mills and camps. It was a place of constant motion—river, rail, and lake all working together.
But like many boom towns, its success was tied to a single resource.
By the early 1900s, the great forests were gone.
What followed was swift and devastating. Mills slowed. Jobs disappeared. And in 1911, fire swept through the area, destroying much of what remained of the once-thriving town. Buildings, businesses, and homes were reduced to ash. The industrial heart of Au Sable never fully recovered.
Yet even as one chapter ended, another began.
In 1918, William A. Foote oversaw the construction of Foote Dam, part of a growing hydroelectric system developed by Consumers Power. The river that once carried logs now generated electricity, powering homes and industries far beyond the township itself.
The community that remained was smaller, quieter, and no longer driven by industry.
Through the 1920s and into the Great Depression, residents adapted once again. Some farmed. Others worked in small operations or left in search of opportunity. In 1931, the once-incorporated City of Au Sable was dissolved, returning to township status—a reflection of how much had changed.
After World War II, new influences arrived. The development of Wurtsmith Air Force Base brought jobs, people, and renewed activity to the area. Roads improved, and the region became easier to reach.
But it was the river—always the river—that shaped what came next.
By the 1960s and 1970s, the Au Sable River had gained a national reputation for trout fishing. Canoes replaced log drives. Guides replaced lumber bosses. Small businesses emerged—bait shops, canoe liveries, and motels—serving visitors drawn to the same natural beauty that had first brought settlers a century earlier.
The forests returned, quieter this time, growing over the scars of logging camps and rail lines.
Today, Au Sable Township is no longer a place of smokestacks and sawmills. It is defined instead by its landscape—by the meeting of river and lake, by the sound of water instead of machinery. Yet traces of its past remain: in the shoreline, in the old foundations, and in the stories passed down through generations.
From Louis Chevalier’s trading post…
to John E. Potts’ lumber empire…
to the steady flow of water through Foote Dam…
Au Sable Township has never stood still.
It has simply changed with the current.
