Oct. 12, 2004

The Michigan Historical Commission today announced 12 sites will officially be honored with state historical markers, including five Consumers Energy hydroelectric plants.

"We commend Consumers Energy for the commitment it has shown to its historic resources," said State Historic Preservation Officer Brian D. Conway.  "The company has not only obtained official recognition, it has preserved the character of these unique and significant resources."

"Consumers Energy appreciates the Michigan Historical Commission's approval of State historic markers for five of our hydro sites in the northern Lower Peninsula," said Robert A. Fenech, the utility's senior vice president, nuclear, fossil and hydro operations.  "We've been serving the people of Michigan since 1886 with reliable electricity.  Our hydro plants continue that service to this day."

Federal relicensing of the plants triggered review by the State Historic Preservation Office, which determined three of the plants eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.  (A fourth had previously been designated.)  Consumers Energy gradually obtained listing in the national register for the plants and then applied for the state historical markers.  Significant in the history of engineering, the plants represent the advances made in hydroelectric power during the early 20th century. The plants are:

• Cooke Hydroelectric Plant, Oscoda
  Cooke Road at the Au Sable River
  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 1, 1997;
   
• Five Channels Dam Workers' Camp, Oscoda
  6051 State Route 65 at the Au Sable River
  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 13, 2002;
   
• Hardy Hydroelectric Plant, Newaygo
  6928 East Thirty-sixth Street at the Muskegon River, Big Prairie Township
  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Dec. 1, 1997;
   
• Croton Hydroelectric Plant
  6505 South Swan Avenue at the Muskegon River
  Listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Aug. 16, 1979; and
   
• Mio Hydroelectric Plant
  Route No. 1, Pond Drive at the Au Sable River.
  

The commission approved seven additional historical markers, including:

• The Currier House, an octagon house located in Almont, Lapeer County;
   
• The Union Depot in Lansing, an elaborate brick and stone railroad station with conical towers, which was rehabilitated as a restaurant;
   
• W. W. Fairbairn Hardware in Alanson, which housed a family-owned hardware in the same location since 1895;
   
• The Thomas B. W. Stockton House in Flint, an ornate residence currently undergoing rehabilitation, which was home to a colonel in the topographical engineers who laid out the turnpike between Detroit and Saginaw;
   
• The Diamond Crystal Salt Company in St. Clair, which developed a new extraction process that produced exceptionally pure salt;
   
• First Presbyterian Church in Gregory, Unadilla Township, which dates from 1914 and houses a congregation that dates from 1837, the year Michigan became a state; and
   
• The Flint Masonic Temple, a grand building that drew crowds from across the state when it was dedicated in 1911. 

Donations by the sponsors fund the markers.  Since the program began in 1955, some 1,500 historical markers have been erected.  The Michigan Historical Commission determines the placement of Michigan Historical Markers and serves as an advisory board to the Michigan Historical Center.  The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), a division of the Michigan Historical Center, administers the marker program.  To learn more about the marker program and registered historic sites, visit the SHPO Web site at www.michigan.gov/shpo.

The Michigan Historical Center is an agency of the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries.  Dedicated to enriching the quality of life for Michigan residents by providing access to information, preserving and promoting Michigan's heritage and fostering cultural creativity, the department also includes the Mackinac Island State Park Commission, the Library of Michigan, the Michigan Film Office and the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Read more press releases from the Department of History, Arts and Libraries.