The city of Manistique decided to expand and improve their water system in the early days of 20th century. However, by the year 1920, what they did was already inadequate for their growing locale, and wasn?t even enough for firefighting anymore. This is why they decided to construct a new system, after borrowing $97,000 after the approval of the voters.

This led to the construction of the Manistique Pumping Station. It was completed in 1922 and featured a 200,000 gallon water tower and a pumping station. There was also a nearby dam for the distribution.

The great thing about the Manistique Pumping Station is that it is a great example of a utilitarian building with an attractive architecture. It was designed by Fridolf Danielson and was declared as a part of the National Registry of Historic Places in 1981.