This is Bob Myers from the Historical Society of Michigan with a Michigan history moment. In the little Michigan towns of Ausable and Oscoda, the summer of 1911 was hot and dry. Already the population of those towns was fading away. During the logging boom of the 1880s and 1890s, there were sawmills, logging camps, stores, hotels, churches and banks. Some 10,000 people had lived there. When the loggers ran out of trees, people left. By 1911, only 2,000 residents remained. But the lumberjacks had left plenty of dried brush in their wake. Everyone knew it was a fire hazard. Newspapers warned that the tinder dry pine brush was a disaster waiting to happen. Authorities and logging company owners paid little attention. Then, in July, with temperatures pushing 100 degrees, fire broke out. Westerly winds drove the flames through Oskoda and Ausable. In Oskoda, volunteer firemen fought the blaze for 90 minutes until flames destroyed the pumping station. Hundreds of people waded into Lake Huron to escape the flames. Railroad cars took people to Tawas, Bay City and Alpena. Relief vessels ferried people away until fire swept the docks. Only five people died in the fire, but 1200 people were left with nothing. Local authorities requested food, clothing and shelter. Donations from around the state arrived by rail, but authorities realized that the assistance would never meet the emergency. Governor Chase Osborne called out the Michigan National Guard. Within hours, the 3rd Infantry Hospital Corps was putting up tents and distributing blankets and ponchos. Guardsmen built a footbridge across the Ausable river to provide access to supplies. Others helped salvage possessions and provided medical and sanitary services. As Recovery continued, the 3rd Infantry's commanding officer, Captain Luther, arranged for the provision of building materials and household goods. The Ausable and Oscoda fire established a new precedent. The state government would make extensive commitments to ensure that residents would recover from natural disasters. Oscoda gradually re established itself, thanks in part to construction work on a dam that provided employment. Au Sable, however, lay in ruins and took decades to recover. In 1929, only 50 people still lived there. Today, Oscoda and Ausable are popular vacation destinations and retirement communities. This Michigan history moment was brought to you by michiganhistorymagazine.org.