About this episode

This episode tells the dramatic story of Michigan’s forgotten German colony, Ora Labora, and the challenges it faced.

In 1863, a group of German Methodist families came to the edge of Wild Fowl Bay near Bay Port, Michigan, with a bold plan. They would build a Christian colony in the wilderness. They called it Ora Labora, meaning “Pray and Work.” Led by Emil Baur and backed by the Harmony Society of Pennsylvania, the settlers raised cabins, cleared land, built mills, opened a store, created a post office, and tried to form a self-sufficient community during the darkest years of the Civil War. But faith alone could not overcome debt, labor shortages, hard winters, poor planning, and growing distrust. Within a few years, Ora Labora began to break apart. Then came the fire of 1871, which changed the region forever. This episode tells the dramatic story of Michigan’s forgotten German colony, the dream that brought families to Huron County, and the reasons their settlement faded into history.A story of faith, work, ambition, and loss on the shore of Wild Fowl Bay. The End of the Road in Michigan is a production of Thumbwind Publications

Topics covered

• history
• settlement
• community
• faith
• struggle
• Michigan
• German colony

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Harmony Society of Pennsylvania

Places: Wild Fowl Bay, Bay Port, Michigan, Huron County

More episodes of The End of the Road in Michigan

• Trucks, Sugar & Survival: The World War I History of Alma Michigan. · July 11, 2026 · 9 min
• The Fishing Village of Leland Michigan: One of The Last Commercial Fisheries on Lake Michigan · July 1, 2026 · 10 min
• The Hotel Ojibway: Luxury, Legends, and Life Along the Soo Locks · June 26, 2026 · 4 min
• Michigan's Little Known Ghost Towns - Lost Ports, Mining Camps And Vanished Company Towns · June 24, 2026 · 19 min
• Pere Marquette Docks Show How Arcadia Served The Great Lakes · June 21, 2026 · 11 min
• Hillman, Michigan: Fire, Rails and Lake Avalon in a Northern Village · June 15, 2026 · 11 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The End of the Road in Michigan podcast page.