Estranged from friends and family and nicknamed "The Lone Pine of Michigan", he officially died of "senility" at age 87.

[6] Burt's legacy today is mixed, seen as a vindictive old man, a generous benefactor of the city of Saginaw and a famously wealthy American entrepreneur.

[6] Michigan was then only a few years old and Burt's subsequent life and career as a first generation Michigander was often identified with the growth and progress of the new state.

[4] At the age of 22, he decided to see the world and obtained work as a sailor abroad on freighters in Australia, Central and South America, and New Zealand.

[5] When he returned home in 1857 at age 26, he found a burgeoning timber industry in Michigan, the "Green Gold Rush".

[5] In 1867, he founded the community of Melbourne on the Saginaw River near Zilwaukee, Michigan, named after his favorite city in Australia.

[5] Many at the time thought this would be the end of Burt's fortunes, but he also owned timber land elsewhere, including in St. Louis County, Minnesota, which turned out to be favourable for him,[5] as it was in the heart of the immensely valuable Mesabi iron range.

[5] In addition to his various timber and iron mine holdings, Burt made his fortune in the salt industry, in railroads and in foreign bonds and banking investments.

[10] Burt's political career included time as mayor of East Saginaw in 1867 and 1868, and as unsuccessful Fusion candidate for the position of Governor of Michigan in 1888.

[8] "In the capitol at Lansing", one Saginaw News account read, "Sen. Burt was more conspicuous for his political naiveté than for any distinguished act of statesmanship.

[5] It contained a "spite clause" which specified to wait until his children and grandchildren were dead before the estate could be dispersed to any descendants yet unborn in Burt's lifetime.

[14] In the end, thirty of Burt's descendants, including children and grandchildren, missed out on the inheritance because they were ineligible or died before the will's conditions were met.

[3] It is not entirely clear why Burt made such an unusual will, but newspaper records suggest family feuds were likely at the core of his decision.

This portion of the estate, amounting to $5 million, was distributed to Burt's children and grandchildren[5] (a son, three daughters and four granddaughters).

Saginaw historian Thomas B. Mudd said "For a while, I took Wellington R. Burt as a selfish rich guy, but the picture that emerges is of someone who also threw himself into the community".

His charitable giving to Saginaw during his lifetime was extensive, including funding the City Auditorium, the Burt Manual Training School,[11] a women's hospital, a Salvation Army and a YWCA that later became Jacobson's.