Evening star., 1922-10-01
MOVING A TOWN
BY MOTOR TRUCK
Without Lumber, Jennings,
Mich, Merges With City
of Cadillac.
NEWCOMERS WELCOMED
Auto Plant Center's officials and
Citizens Turn Out for In
coming Inhabitants.

CADILLAC, Mich, September Go
With the primeval Michigan forest Tor
miles around the lumber town of Jen-
nings completely cut and leaving the
thousand inhabitants without an indus
try, the entire town is being moved
twelve miles to this city. Its homes and
population are being merged with Cadil-
lac.
This is the first time a town has been
moved. homes and all. and the motor
truck made 1t possible.
The houses themselves are now in the
process of being moved by means of Il
gigantic Acme motor truck and trailer
built by the Acme Motor Truck Company
Of Cadillac at the request OF interested
citizens of this city. A local lumber
company for the past quarter OF CEN
tury has operated a chemical plant. saw
mill and flooring plant at Jennings,
northeast of Cadillac. The only industry
In Jennings since it's founding has been
the one mentioned above. The saw mil
has already been torn down and the
machinery shipped to Sault Ste. Marie
Now the chemical plant and the flooring
factory are to be RACED and brought to
Cadillac. where modern buildings will be
erected. AS the residences now stand IN
Jennings it is estimated they are worth
not to exceed $3.50 each. but il they can
be brought here the worth will at once
increase to $500 and up. a,umber of
different plans had beer considered for
moving the houses. but none of them
proved practical until the motor truck
and trailer plan was worked out.
Little Use for Buildings.
Jennings is situated on the banks "
beautiful little lake. abounding in fish
of all kinds. About the only use the
empty buildings could be put to now
would be for use as Il summer resort.
but there is no one to go ahead with
such project
1t was great civic event in Cadil-
lac when the first house came into
! town from Jennings. Hundreds of
citizens of Cadillac met the cavalcade
on the outskirts of the city and ac-
companied it to the foundation which
had already been laid for the FIRST
home.
1t took a motor truck trailer TWEEN
ty-four feet wide and fprtytwo feet
long to carry each of the houses. The
foundations were cut away. to admit
backing the trailer underneath each
house and then the jacks which sup
ported the house were let down and
the house rested on the trailer. and III
that way each was conveyed to the
city with which Jennings merged.
Great preparations were necessary
III OTOeT 10 Indke TIE iloNilE VI n
town by motor truck successful. The
bridge across the Clam river, between
Jennings and Cadillac, had to have
the steel sides removed and remov-
able wooden sides built on. The road
in many places had to be widehed. due
to the eleven foot tread of the motor
truck and equipment. Large SxS josts
were laid down to build UP the road.
for the trailer itself weighs eight
tons and the truck four and half
tons. The buildings weigh from TWEEN
tS five to thirty five tons each.
Skating Rink to he Left.
About the only buildings to he left
standing after the removal of the
homes were the old boarded-up roller
skating rink, the Jennings Opera
House. which is to be torn down. and
the department store and post office.
which are also to be wrecked. The
Jail was removed to he utilized as a
store in Cadillac. for there is no need
of it there. the latter having fine
Jail of its own. OF course. Jennings
has it's cemetery. for the town is
more TIM twent-five years old. but
officials of both cities have decided
10 allow the cemetery to remain
where it is.
The inhabitants of Jennings who
worked in the lumber mill are to be
employed en- masse. as fast as the
houses are moved, at new mills start
ed at Cadillac as an outgrowth of