Singapore, Michigan

Beneath the sands near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River lies the site of Singapore, one of Michigan’s most famous ghost towns. Founded in the 1830's by New York land speculators, who hoped it would rival Chicago or Milwaukee as a lake port, Singapore was in fact, until the 1870's, a busy lumbering town. With three mills, two hotels, several general stores, and a renowned “Wild-cat” bank, it outshone its neighbor to the south, “The Flats,” as Saugatuck was then called. When the supply of timber was exhausted the mills closed, the once bustling waterfront grew quiet. The people left, most of them settling here in Saugatuck. Gradually, Lake Michigan’s shifting sands buried Singapore.