Singapore is a ghost town located in Michigan, United States. It was destroyed by erosion after the trees in the surrounding area were cut down. This damage was made worse because people needed wood to rebuild cities and towns in the Midwest that were destroyed by fires in 1871. Today, the remains of the town are buried under the sand dunes along the Lake Michigan shoreline, near the mouth of the Kalamazoo River in Saugatuck Township, close to the cities of Saugatuck and Douglas in Allegan County.
The town was established in 1836 by a land investor from New York named Oshea Wilder. He wanted to create a port town that could compete with Chicago and Milwaukee. At its peak, Singapore had three mills, two hotels, several general stores, a bank, and Michigan’s first schoolhouse. The town included 23 buildings and two sawmills.
Bank scandal
In 1838, two short-lived banks were created in Allegan County: the Bank of Allegan and the Bank of Singapore. Both banks printed their own paper money. They were required to keep enough gold and silver coins to cover at least one-third of the money they had in circulation. However, neither bank met this requirement.
By 1838, more than $50,000 in paper money from the Bank of Singapore had been in use. After the Civil War, the Bank of Singapore and many other banks in Michigan faced problems. Inspectors asked them to show the gold and silver coins needed to back their paper money. When they could not do this, the banks were closed down.
Sometimes, collectors find paper money once used by the Bank of Singapore. A few complete sheets of paper were printed before being cut into individual notes. Some sheets had signatures from the bank president or other officials, while others did not.
40-day blizzard
The 40-Day Blizzard of 1842 could have destroyed the people of Singapore if not for the shipwreck of the Milwaukie, which was carrying barrels of flour near the shore. Many barrels floated to land and provided food for the people of Singapore until the storm ended.
Change of ownership
In 1846, Wilder left the town and returned to Calhoun County. James Carter from New York purchased Wilder's share in the town and moved there to manage his investment. Two years later, Carter sold the town to his brother, Artemas, and Francis B. Stockbridge. Artemas was more creative than his brother and quickly worked with Stockbridge to build the first three-masted schooner on Lake Michigan. The ship was named the Octavia and was used to transport lumber from Singapore to Chicago. In 1850, Carter was bought out by Stockbridge. The 1850s were a time of growth for Stockbridge and the town, which had a population of several hundred people by 1871.
Singapore's demise
In late 1871, fires spread through Chicago, Holland, Peshtigo, and Manistee. To help rebuild those areas, most of the trees near Singapore, Michigan, were cut down. Without trees to protect the land, strong winds and sand from Lake Michigan quickly wore away the town. Within four years, the town was completely buried by sand and became ruins. By 1875, the town was abandoned.
Today, the only sign that Singapore once existed is the name of the Singapore Yacht Club at one end of the area. Just as the "cow kicking over the lantern" story came from the Great Chicago Fire, this event also inspired a legend. The story says one person in Singapore refused to leave, even as sand covered their home. Eventually, they had to enter and exit their house through a window on the second floor. They stayed until the sand reached the roof of the house.
The story of Singapore, Michigan’s rise and fall, was mentioned by Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong during his first National Day Rally speech on August 18, 2024. At that time, he was a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.