The village of Amber was the first to have a railroad depot of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad, in 1871. The line made it to Ludington a few years later, and Scottville became a hub when right-of-way couldn’t be procured south to Hart from Amber. Photo Courtesy of Mike Hankwitz.
By Carmelitta Tiffany
“This township as a general thing is rather level, soil poor & sandy. Most of the timber is Hemlock & Pine with some Beech, Ash, Aspin (sic), Oak, Cedar & Tamarack … There is a good share of Cedar and Tamarack swamp. The Lake in the Southern part of this Town in which the Pere Marquette River runs through … there is considerable timber in the lake but mostly dead.”
Such was a description of Amber Township reported in 1838 by Sylvester Sibley, contracted by the federal government to survey the new territory of Michigan. Surveyors were compensated $3-$4.25 per mile, “which covered payment of their crews and supplies.
“Crews were comprised of two surveyors, two axe men who trimmed brush, and two chain men. They usually conducted surveys in winter, because their line of sight was improved, and they could walk across frozen lakes and ponds. It took about 20 days to survey a township.” (MDNR Bulletin, “Original survey maps of Michigan township parcels now available online,” Dec. 5, 2012)
First white settlers
As a result of the reports of vast timberlands, within a decade the region was taken over by lumber companies. In the 1860s, settlers arrived to turn land left barren by the harvesting into farmsteads. In 1868, Amber Township was formally established by settlers who arrived from a small community called Amber, New York. Their new home so resembled the place some had left behind in the Finger Lakes region that they decided to bring the name along with them.
The list of settlers (Chilberg, Chinnery, Conrad, Dennis, Gordon, Hansen, Neil, Pittard, Towns, etc.) resembles the map of the township, as roads were named after them. Remember that, at that time, wagons and horses were the mode of transportation, and roads were pretty much glorified driveways that led to the settlers’ homesteads.
These white settlers, numbering about 50 in the beginning, lived alongside the Native Americans of the Odawa (Ottawa) and Potawatomi tribes, who resided along the Pere Marquette River.
One noted individual among the settlers was Jesse J. Penfield, who served with the Fourth Michigan Cavalry during the Civil War. He was one of the 20 chosen to serve under Colonel Pritchard in the capture of Jefferson Davis, the leader of the southern rebellion.
The Conrads
As of the 2017 census, the township’s population was 2,600, including those who carry on farms that originated over a century ago.
Present Amber Township Supervisor Jim Gallie is a descendant of the Conrad family. His family found its way to Amber Township, Michigan from Steuben County, New York by way of northwest Missouri and then to the Traverse City area.
“My mom was a Conrad, and I had always hoped to settle on the family farm,” Gallie said.
His family ⸺ wife Loretta, son Jim Jr. and daughter Tracey Barnett ⸺ all enjoy the beauty of the land that his family once traveled thousands of miles by horse-drawn wagon to settle. After serving eight years in the military, he became a DNR conservation officer and has spent the last years of his 23-year career here.
One of his descendants, Ann Conrad, recounted a history of the township in 1969:
In the early days, when lumber was of prime importance, Amber’s timber was plentiful and of good quality. As yet there were no roads, so the nearby Pere Marquette River was an important factor in the growth of Mason County. The lumbermen who owned mills on Pere Marquette used the river to float logs down to their mills . . . Chinnery-Rollway was used to roll their logs into the river. The lumbering era continued until about 1910 before the land was cleared and roads were built. By that time, farming and small industries necessary to the economy were flourishing and the railroad was providing transportation for people and products.
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The Chinnery Rollway, located along the Pere Marquette River, was used to transport logs to lumbermills downstream in the late 1800s. Recently, the Mason-Lake Conservation District and the Conrads, whose farmland includes the rollway, have worked to restore the eroding bank. Photo courtesy of the Mason-Lake Conservation District. -
The Chinnery Rollway, beside the Pere Marquette riverbank. Photo by Kerri (Conrad) Bowditch
Left: The Chinnery Rollway, located along the Pere Marquette River, was used to transport logs to lumbermills downstream in the late 1800s. Recently, the Mason-Lake Conservation District and the Conrads, whose farmland includes the rollway, have worked to restore the eroding bank. Photo courtesy of the Mason-Lake Conservation District. Right: The Chinnery Rollway, beside the Pere Marquette riverbank. Photo by Kerri (Conrad) Bowditch
Then and now
During its history, Amber had a grocery store, general store, post office, schoolhouse, library, two steam sawmills, town hall, hotel, gristmills and a wooden bowl factory.
Today, Amber Township is home to more than 100 businesses, many of which are located along the U.S. Highway 10 corridor between Scottville and Ludington. Crystal Lake Campground on Hackert Lake is close to U.S. Highway 31 and has its own history. (See accompanying story.) New businesses have experienced success off the beaten path, including Amber Elk Ranch (Freshwater Reporter, October 2019: https://tinyurl.com/aj3rw3bk) and Starving Artist, a craft nanobrewery (Freshwater Reporter, January 2020: https://tinyurl.com/3te4v842).
Gallie, as township supervisor, enjoys promoting Amber. He and other members of the township board work to maintain the beauty of the Pere Marquette River, one of the area’s most sought-after recreational attractions, while bringing new businesses and residents into the township.
“Amber Township is a welcoming and family-oriented place,” Gallie said. “We hope to see lots of visitors in the future.”
Crystal Lake Campground: Beauty caught in Amber
By Carmelitta Tiffany
John Purcell and his family have owned Crystal Lake Campground in Amber Township for 26 years.
“The campground has been around a long time,” Purcell said. “It was started a century ago by renting out steel-hulled row boats and evolved into a campground.”
CLC campers are devoted. Purcell explained that some campers who rent sites by the season have returned every year for 35 years. Some current seasonal campers are third-generation Crystal Lakers. And some who camped as children in the 1950s return every season.
The campground includes 160 forested campsites adjacent to 130-acre Hackert Lake, (aka Crystal Lake, to locals). Sites are rented by the night or the season. The lakefront includes a sandy beach for swimming and a boat dock, where campers can rent paddle boats, row boats and canoes. The lake is known for excellent fishing, including largemouth bass, bluegill, rock bass, crappie and northern pike, with an occasional catch of walleye stocked by the DNR. Those bringing their own boats can use a nearby public access.
Yesterday’s campers might be shocked by today’s campground amenities, including RV sites with full hookups, sites with water and electric, Wi-Fi, showers and restrooms, lighted camp roads, a camp store, an activities’ building, an ice cream parlor and a playground.
For fresh air and exercise, campers make use of a sand volleyball court, a basketball court and miniature golf.
Located 7-8 miles from Lake Michigan, Crystal Lake Campground is close to area dining, shopping and entertainment. Be forewarned: Leaving the beauty and serenity of the campground may be hard to do.
Camping season is May 1‒October 15, and seasonal sites are offered. To make a reservation, call the campground daily, 9‒9, at 231-757-4510 or visit CrystalLakeCamping.com. The campground is located at 1884 W. Hansen Road, Scottville.
