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The Lumberman's Daughter Who Saved Hartwick Pines
One woman's gift preserved the last great white pines of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.
In 1927, Karen Michelson Hartwick bought 8,000 acres of forest land near Grayling from her father’s lumber company, Stalling-Hanson, and donated the entire property to the state of Michigan in honor of her husband, Edward, who had died while stationed in France during WWI. Her agreement with the state specified that (1) the forest never be logged, (2) a road be constructed from Highway 27 to the property, (3) a building be built on the property in memory of her late husband, and (4) a museum be built on the property depicting Michigan's 19th-century logging era.
In 1934 and 1935, men of the Civilian Conservation Corps constructed the park's Memorial Building, dedicated to Edward Hartwick, and the Logging Museum, a replica of an 1890s logging camp. The Hartwick Pines State Park was formally dedicated in July of 1935.
Within the State Park lies Hartwick Pines, originally an 85-acre grove of virgin pine trees that were spared from the lumberman’s axe. On November 11, 1940, a fierce windstorm badly damaged the virgin pine grove, blowing down 36 acres of old trees and leaving behind only 49 acres of old-growth pine that remain today.
Hartwick Pines is the largest stand of old-growth white pine remaining in Michigan's lower peninsula. You can view the virgin trees up close by hiking along the Old Growth Forest Trail, a 1.25-mile paved loop that starts just behind the Visitor Center and takes you through the 49 acres of old-growth pines. The park now boasts 9,335 acres, camping, hiking trails and 2 unimproved lakes. Located just North of Grayling, the park required the Michigan Passport on your car license.
Karen Michelson Hartwick - circa 1910