What’s A Grayling?

Photo By Master Sgt. Helen Miller | Rasmus and Margrethe Hanson, date unknown  

MI, UNITED STATES

08.09.2016

Story by Tech. Sgt. Daniel Heaton 

Michigan National Guard

Due to the aggressive lumbering practices of the late 19th and early 20th century, the fish habitats in the Au Sable changed and the fish eventually ceased to exist in nature in northern Michigan.
Lumbering had a direct, positive impact on military operations in northern Michigan, however. In 1913, Rasmus Hanson, who is almost universally referred to in print as a “lumber baron,” donated some 13,800 acres to the state of Michigan for use as a forest game preserve and a military training facility. Hanson’s bequest forms the main camp area of Camp Grayling.
Hanson was a co-owner and founder of the Salling Hanson Company, a lumbering firm that operated in northern Michigan from 1869 through 1927. He also owned two sugar companies in Michigan.
The Michigan National Guard utilized the initial land grant from Hanson and expanded Camp Grayling over the decades until the base reached its current roughly 147,000 acres over parts of three counties. The camp is now the largest National Guard training facility in the nation.
Part of Lake Margrethe is included in Camp Grayling. The lake is named after Hanson’s wife.
Despite the disappearance of the arctic grayling, the Au Sable River continues to be a prime destination for those who love to fish. It is considered one of the best spots in the country for brown trout fishing.

• Date Taken: 08.09.2016
• Date Posted: 08.10.2016 13:27
• Story ID: 206688
• Location: MI, US