
What really gets me about this scenario is that it has happened more than once. In 1907 some brilliant problem solvers tore up the entrance to the wooden pier saving countless lives and protecting the remainder of the pier from the flames.
In 1969 this scene was repeated, again leaving people on the pier safely watching waves of flames spiraling out of downtown Old Orchard. It's a frightening scenario and since I first read about it in an old postcard history of Old Orchard I can't shake it.
In 1909 a storm wiped out half of the pier. When a handful of men went out to what remained of the pier in a small boat a storm came up, trapping them with only a wood stove and a few quilts. After twenty four hours without relief someone noticed a power line running to shore and signaled the men. They were able to send cans of food and water out to their man made island. In the end a brave local took a small dingy out, carefully maneuvering it around the iron pilings in order to bring the six men back over the rough water. They were stranded for sixty hours.

I'm working on a feature article assignment for a nonfiction course and have been doing research into these exciting moments of Old Orchard history. The article is actually about the carousel that was destroyed in the 1969 fire, but I can't help but get caught up in the rest of the timeline and will probably write these stories more extensively in the future as well.
Vacationland is currently waking up and getting prepared for the upcoming tourist season. Looking at all of these photos makes me apprehensive as I anticipate the incoming barrage of tourists, but also excited. In the wintertime Old Orchard is a ghost town and although the dog and I have enjoyed having the beach to ourselves I'm also looking forward to the bustle and hustle of the tourist season (as well as the opportunity to escape it by driving North to visit family elsewhere.)
This is a unique area to live in full of interesting history.
People Trapped in 1909
Old Photos of Old Orchard and the 1969 Fire
(The bottom link is the source of the photos I chose here and deserve all credit for them.)
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