Belding banner. (Belding, Mich.) 1889-1918, 1897-05-06
SUBMERGED HAVRE.
4 PROMISING VILLAGE DESTROYED
BY LAKE ERIE.
The Town Made an Unusually Ambitious
Start, and Its Projectors Expected Great
Inlags From NOW Its site. All That
Is Lett IL u Cre-s bottom.

Is Lett IL u Cre-s Bottom.
Mithina few miles OF the corporation
line of Toledo lies the site of lost village.
which was peopled not so long ago by sew
eral hundred souls. Its existence Is al
most forgotten and only IA few of the old
est inhabitants are able 10 indicate even
vaguely where the town once stood The
blue waters OF Lake Erie ripple over town
lots and bnilding lots which IL was hoped
would some day bring great wealth to the
projectors of the village
A few miles north of Toledo, Ten Mile
creek dignited by geographers with the
name of Ottawa river, marks the boundary
on the lake front between Ohio and Mich.
gan ON the north bank of the stream,
Just within Monroe county, Mich, is the
site of what once was the town of Havre.
1t WAS not "a hamlet such AS is gradually
formed around "A few fishing shanties when
a country is young, but "A town that was
created by hundreds of colonists. When
Hayre was laid out it was tho only place
that was more than "A mere settlement be
tween Monroe, Mich, and historic old
Mamnee, y. Toledo was only "A name, for
when the colonists landed in 1896 this
city was just year old, and its future
growth was highly problematical 1t was
situated IL miles from the island that
marks the western end of the lake, while
Havre, situated Ia the north Of Gard is
land, was practically ON the broad high
way of waters.
The colonists were brought to the site of
the town by the steamer Superior from
Buffalo 1t is probable that this steamer
was the first craft other than an Indian
canoe that had ever Ventured into the
channel between Gard island and the
mainland. Many of the colonists of Havre
were French. and they named the new
town after the famous port in their mother
country. Denis NORM, whose descendants
still live on the water front near the old
town site, laid out the streets with his
plow and helped to grade the locations of
the principal buildings. Old Peter Ire
wick, who is still living in Vienna, Mich,
also helped To build the town. Houses rose
rapidly. A first rate church was built,
and stores out of all proportion to the bust
ness of that day and commodious tavern
were erected In short, within two years
from the time the first colonists landed 500
houses had been built along the water
front, and the little steamer that piled be
tween Detroit, Monroe and Maumec found
profitable trading ut Havre.
Then came the cataclysm. Old Lake
Erie began slowly to rise. The town was
only a few feet a bove the level of the creek,
and the country was marshy lie was Mt
first thought that il was only remarkable
stage of high water But the water came
over the stills of the doors nearest the lake
and slowly but surely rose higher and
higher House after house was invaded;
and the pretty little creek mouth gradually
widened until il was nearly mile across.
On the water came until the floors in the
highest portion of the town stood four feet
deep in water. The people were, of course,
badly frightened With everything that
could float they hurried To the highest spot
on the mainland and waited for the end.
Finding after day or two that the waters
had apparently ceased to rise they return
cd and took away all the property that
could be moved by the old fashioned ca
noes, which were an Indispensable ad
junct to every French trappers outfit.
The boats were rowed right into the houses,
and when il came to transporting the bar
rels of good liquor with which the tavern
taproom was stocked there was many IA
poor Frenchman who had an opportunity
of drinking better spirits than he had ever
tasted before. In fact, the whole settle
ment had about as memorable drunk as
Then came what is still remembered rs
the big winter. Ten Mile creek was frozen
to its bottom, and the snow was very deep.
The founders of Have, who had encampcd
along the water front against the day
when the waters should rcccdc and they
should come into their own again, We're
forced by the inclement weather To hunt
for new homes. Monroe received many of
them, and other towns and the ad iaccnt
farms absorbed the rest of the villagers
The waters never went back, and the fol
lowing 81 ring there was IA great sale Of the
towns buildings. They went cheap, and
the settlers came from miles around To bid
for them.
The houses were raised before the ice
had gone out OF the creek and were hauled
away Ivy OK teams while the ground was
still in good condition for shedding. Only
II few of the houses were left near the vii
lage site, and the only one that can now be
identified is occupied by young Trevick
and stands over mile from where IL was
first built. The great tavern was taken
bodily to Vienna, Mich, where it stood for
years. Even the pioneer steamer was bro
ken up, and today some of the planks are
built into the house of Levi Morin whose
uncle plowed the first street line of Havre
All that is left of Havre is few piles that
can still be seen rotting in Ten Mile creek
Whether the water of Lake Erie actually
rose or whether the land about the town
site sank is question. Certainly no
other port on western Lake Erie has any
record of such an increase in its waters,
but it is argued by those who believe that
the waters rose that the effect would not
have been so noticeable at any other point
rs at Hayrc on account of the low level of
the town site Whatever the cause, the
waters are high above its streets, and many
fine pike and black bass has been taken
on the site of the old town, although few
of the many fishers from Toledo who visit
Ten Mile creek are familiar with the story
of the town Lencath its surface Toledo
correspondence.