Vernon was first settled in 1833 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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I saw this old building on Main Street in the small town of Bitely. It stands next to the railroad tracks and looks as if it was a tavern or hotel at one time. It looks like it is a private residence now but It looks as if it has been standing next to the tracks for a long time.
Bitely is located in the Manistee National Forest near Bitely Lake. It was given a station along the railroad and a post office in 1889, It was named for Steven Bitely, who built a sawmill there, but due to a typographical error, the post office was initially spelled as Biteley. The town still has a few old buildings and one of my favorites is the log cabin church.
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The sign on the side of this building reads THE WINN SHOPPING CENTER. It looks as if it has been a while since anyone has done any shopping at the shopping center. The small town of Winn west of Shepherd was started in 1867 and either named for Mr. Winn or for Wynn England. I have seen a reference to both. The Town was platted by Wiley Dush and he changed the name to Dushville. After Mr. Dush died in 1898 the name of the town was changed back to Winn.
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The town of Rockland sits along US-45 near Ontonagon. It started in 1847 when the Rockland Mine opened. It was a booming area at one time but after the mines closed the town dwindled in population. Today a few hearty Yoopers call it home. I went through town to get to the Old Victoria historic town site.
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The small town of Silverwood sits in the Thumb between Mayville and Marlette. I always thought the name sounds like something from a TV western or movie. It was not the first name of the town. When the railroad was built through here in 1882, the residents applied for a post office. One suggested naming it something easy to remember, and the post office named “Easy” and opened on 13 April 1882. I am not sure why but in 1890 The name changed to “Rollo” and changed again in 1892 to “Silverwood”, after the nearby stands of white pine.
P.S. There is a nice old building in town that is used as a store. For years I have been trying to get a nice pic of it but every time I am in the area, there are a bunch of cars parked in front of it. So instead, I took a pic of this building. I am not sure what it was but the stone at the top reads. H. C. BEARUP 1896.
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While out exploring Michigan I like to go and visit small towns I have never been to before, and see what there is. I love it when they still have a historic downtown area like the one in Lowell. If I am really adventurous, I just look at the map, and find a town I have never been to, and take a drive there just to see what is there. hopefully, I will find something interesting along the way also but I guess you will never know unless you make the journey.
Lowell was founded as a trading post on the south bank of the Grand River in 1831 by Daniel Marsac. In 1847, he purchased land on the north side of the river and platted it as “Dansville”. In 1851, a post office was established there named “Lowell” after the township. The community was replatted in 1854 and renamed after the post office. It incorporated as a village in 1861.
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The small town of Elm Hall is located west of Alma near the center of the mitten. The thing it is most noted for is the small post office building that sits near the center of town. The little building is not much more than a shed but it serves the community and is still important to those in the area. You know what they say “its not the size of the post office that is important, It’s how you use it”
It is not the smallest post office. It is located in Ochopee, Florida and used to be a shed that stored irrigation pipe for a tomato farm.
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I like taking a break from the expressway in northern Michigan and take Old 27 to see the sights on the back roads. The small town of Wolverine was originally plated by the name of Torrey in 1881. After the post office was built that same year, the town was named Wolverine after the state animal. Old 27 or South Straights Highway passes through the town but most people just see the sign for it as they zoom past on I-75.
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I came across this pic of an old building in Columbiaville that I never posted. I am not sure what this place is or was but it looks like an old general store at one time.
In 1848 a sawmill was built by George and Henry Niver, on the bank of the river. The town became known as Niverville until 1857, when the first post office was established. A town named Niverville existed in Michigan, so a new name was needed. Columbiaville was suggested by the Nivers, after their native county Columbia, NY.
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Traveling the back roads of Michigan, I come across many small towns. Some have a long history but unfortunately, they are not thriving like they once used to. I like to take photos that highlight the town in a good way because I know people like to be proud of where they live. I saw this old building in Woodlawn west of Lansing and it just called to me to take a photo of it. Woodland was settled by brothers Johnathan and Charles Galloway in 1837 and was given the name Woodland for the dense woods it was located in.
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