Vernon was first settled in 1883 by Henry Leach of Detroit and soon followed by Squatter Jacob Wilkinson. The first permanent settler was James Ratan and he became the first postmaster in 1842. The Detroit and Milwaukee railroad came thru in 1856 and a station was built on the rail line. The town was named after George Washington’s home of Mt Vernon.
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Traveling the back roads I go through many small towns like Applegate which is located in the Thumb between Sandusky and Lexington.ne year before Michigan officially became a state George Pack built a sawmill in 1856 where Applegate stands today. The town was named after Jesse Applegate who lead the party which opened up the southern route to Oregon.
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Believe it or not this small town in southern Michigan got its unique look from the invention of Kitty Litter. In the 1940s people used sand for their litter boxes and one day Ed Lowes neighbor asked him for some sand for her litter box. He gave her some dried up clay granules instead for her to try. She was amazed at how well it worked and that was the inspiration that created Ed’s multi-million dollar business Kitty Litter and Tidy Cat.
In the 70s Lowe had the idea of converting downtown Jones into a wild west looking ghost town for a tourist attraction. It seems like an odd location located between Cassopolis and Three Rivers. I am assuming he thought it would flourish with Swiss Valley Ski Resort being only a few miles away. Sadly the town did not attract the business Lowe was hoping for and slowly the buildings faded away. The town of Jones has several residents and is not a true “ghost town” but the buildings along Main Street still have the remnants of the former tourist attraction facades
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Zig-Zagging through Lapeer county, around the ponds and rivers, a few miles north of Lapper, I came across this old church that looks to be converted into a house on Millville road. Nearby was an old schoolhouse and more houses along with the Plumb Creek flowing through the countryside. I found out it was on this creek that Horace Lathrop built a sawmill in 1837. It was the start of the town of Millville. Like many sawmill towns in Michigan, the timber around it was all cut down. The sawmill moved, leaving the little town’s population to dwindle. I was still intrigued to find this beautiful brick church in the Lapeer countryside, I guess that’s why I continue to take the long indirect way to get to where I want to go.
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While driving through the town of Blanchard this old barn looking building caught my eye. Because it’s next to a dam on a creek and it has Dewitt Lumber Co on the side I can only assume it was a sawmill. According to its website, Dewitt Lumber Company is the oldest family-owned lumber supplier in Michigan. It was started in Blanchard in 1890. It is interesting the things you find and learn on a road trip to somewhere you have never been to before.
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This old building with the peeling red paint stands in the center of Eau Claire. I am not sure what it is or was but I am thinking some sort of granary. The name of the town is French for “clear water” and is named after a nearby spring.
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I saw this old building, or at least what is left of it in the town of Pinnebog. It’s located near the tip of the thumb on the Pinnebog River. It was started back in the 1840s as a lumbering town. Another sawmill town had the same name, but when they established a post office the town changed its name to Port Crescent. That is where the state park is now and is named after the former town.
Some of the buildings from Port Crescent were moved to Pinnebog. I am not sure if this one was one of them but maybe it could have been. There is only a few houses left in the small town and I am sure it has been a long time since it heard the whirring of saw blades at the sawmill.
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Traveling through the town of Buchanan in the southwest part of the Mitten, I saw several scarecrows all around town. It was later I found out that they are sponsored by local businesses to rais money for a charity. What a brilliant idea. I thought they brightened up the community and also raised money to support it. If you are in the area during the fall be sure to visit the town of Buchanan and check out some of the straw-filled citizens.
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The town of Thompsonville does not consist of a lot of houses or buildings these days. It was originally by the Betsie River when it was founded by Sumner S. Thompson who operated the Thompson Lumber Company. After the railroad bypassed the town the buildings and houses were moved next to the tracks. I am guessing if they had not done it, that it would not show up on the map today.
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If you make a trip around Lake Charlevoix, which I highly recommend you do, you will travel through the small town of Horton Bay, Besides a nice little historic general store it has this white town hall. In front of it stands a Michigan historical marker that reads:
Named for pioneer settler Samuel Horton, this village was founded as a lumbering community in 1876, complete with sawmill, shanty boys’ boarding house, company store, blacksmith shop and draft horses. The store and many early buildings still stand. After the timber was gone, three fine restaurants opened: Dilworth’s, The Waffle Shop and The Red Fox Inn. Young Ernest Hemingway frequently came here to fish and camp on “The Point.” This area is the setting for several of his famous “Nick Adams” short stories. Hemingway was married here in 1921.
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