User:Mgreason/Sandbox 3

Stephan Bridge

{{Infobox Bridge

|bridge_name= Stephan Bridge

|image= StephanBridge.jpg

|image_size=275

|caption= View of the bridge from Gates Lodge

|official_name=

|also_known_as=

|carries= Stephan Bridge Road

|crosses= Au Sable River Main branch

|locale= Grayling Charter Township, Crawford County, Michigan

|maint= Crawford County Road Department

|id=

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|clearance=

|below=

|traffic=

|open= September 1931

|closed=

|toll= None

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|coordinates={{coord|44.679182|-84.577524|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

}}

The first Au Sable River crossing east of Grayling is Stephan Bridge at 11.2 miles.{{cite web |title=AuSable River Canoe Marathon map |url=https://trackleaders.com/ausable21 |website=trackleaders.com |publisher=Top Fusion GPS mapping |access-date=11 July 2023}} The next is Wakeley Bridge, 4.6 miles (and ninety minutes) downriver. Each year during the Au Sable River Canoe Marathon, the bridge and surrounding banks become a gallery of spectators cheering as the racers pass just before 10:00pm. For safety, the county road department closes the bridge to vehicles the evening of the race.

https://www.ausableanglers.org/

https://arpoa.org/?fbclid=IwY2xjawJKcZpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfk9HsX2oA-m2pTr7YiQ3b8bxZymFyVRCHopCGYw6DO1sge5kCgWSKx6Lg_aem_wGF-/;p[plo9. LZZNOwL5CGf2Cp32Hg Au SaP

Wildfires

=2020=

A forest fire in May 2020 engulfed over 100 acres of privately owned Jack pines and destroyed two buildings before being contained. Crawford County Sheriff deputies and Michigan State Police evacuated 75 families before the fire was controlled within 120 acres by Grayling Fire Department, DNR fire division and four US Forest Service Air Tanker units.{{cite news |title=Wildfire Near Stephan Bridge Road Damages 120 Acres, One Outbuilding |url=https://crawfordcountyavalanche.com/news/wildfire-near-stephan-bridge-road-damages-120-acres-one-outbuilding |access-date=28 June 2023 |agency=Crawford County Avalanche |publisher=Crawford County Avalanche |date=May 22, 2020}}{{cite news |last1=Lofton |first1=Justine |title=105-acre wildfire evacuates Northern Michigan residents |url=https://www.mlive.com/news/2020/05/120-acre-wildfire-evacuates-northern-michigan-residents-on-day-of-very-high-fire-danger.html |access-date=28 June 2023 |agency=MLive |publisher=MLive Media Group |date=May 22, 2020}} Arson was not suspected.

Namesake

The road and bridge were named after Peter William Stephan who emigrated from France in 1879s with his wife and seven children. They settled on the Au Sable river and son Daniel was born there in 1880. Peter worked in 1884 as a machinist in Bay City. Peter's sons John, Henry and George hunted, fished and became expert river guides as did Henry's son Henry, Junior and John's sons Norval and Lacey. George and his wife Matilda owned a well-known fishing resort on the river. Other Stephan family members became property caretakers for wealthy absentee owners who summered in Grayling.

Peter's wife Helene died in 1906 and Peter passed in 1920. Over the years, most of the family settled elsewhere, but there is a Stephan family cemetery west of Stephan Bridge Road, south of the river with 15-20 family graves.{{cite web |title=Stephan Family Cemetery |url=http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/crawford/cemeteries/s31504.txt |website=usgwarchives.net |publisher=US GenWeb Archives |access-date=10 July 2023}}