"Lake George. A station on the Toledo, Ann Arbor and Northern Michigan Railroad; the village began as a lumber settlement; it was founded by George Lake in 1880 and named for him; lumberman Edward J. Roys became its first postmaster on Dec. 8th, 1999" [Lula Seats, PM]. "The little community of Lake George grew up in the lumbering era of the county and the area was once renowned for having the nicest stand of white pines in Michigan. Much of Lincoln Township, named after Abraham Lincoln, was good pine timber land." [Clare County Review] *Postmaster 1899 

 

"One of the most tragic events to happen in Clare County occurred in 1893. A freight train was wrecked near the south end of Lake George. Several cars were derailed, but no one was hurt. Late Sunday night, a wrecking train, piloted by George Riner proceeded to Lake George to pick up debris of Saturday evening. John Hunt of Owosso was in charge of the wrecker with  twenty men on board. After cleaning up the debris, and without waiting for orders, Ringer started for Farwell about the time the passenger train was leaving. Hunt was not a conductor so he had no authority over Ringer. They hadn't gone far before the fireman told Ringer he could see smoke on the tracks up ahead. Before counter measures could be taken, the two trains collided. Three people were killed and many more injured. William Unger and Isaac Bushnell of Owosso were killed as was Seth Chad, address unknown." [Meek]

 

"The earliest activity here (Lake George) centered around the machine shops of Gerrish's logging railroad. They were located north and west of Shingle Lake near the section line of Sections 7 and 8 , and began to function in the Fall of 1876. Also clustered around the area were the lumbering camps which were harvesting the white pine for Gerrish and his associates. E. J. Roys, the Farwell businessman, kept moving his shingle mill toward Lake George and finally arrived there in 1890. He was cutting bolts from the stumps Gerrish had left, and claimed he made good money from the cut-over land. By 1895, a considerable nexus of industry had formed and mills were turning out shingles by the carload every day. Supporting these enterprises was the Quinnan Lumber Company store. Clustered around it were twenty families who recieved their external nourishment from Quinnan. Julius Borst was still in the area and earned most of hist livelihood from the tourists, especially after the Toledo and Ann Arbor Railroad came through in 1887-88." [Meek]

 

"Most of the residents earned their livelihood from lumbering, but some, such as Borst, Martelle and Parsons, rented boats even in the early days. C. O. Dexter was a string butcher, Jim West ran a general store in Lake George as early as 1895 and F. A Luce who came in just after the turn of the century, also had a store." [Meek]

 

"Back in 1890, Lake George did a booming ice business as the regions south of Michigan suffered a heat wave which prevented  their customary harvests. The Toledo and Ann Arbor Railroad erected a huge ice house, similar in size to the Harrison and Lake ice houses. Nearly six thousand carloads of ice were shipped into the Toledo area that winter." [Meek]

 

"In 1908, all fourth class post offices were placed under Civil Service, and names such as Temple, Farwell, Crooked Lake, Harrison, Leota, Hatton, Lake George, Clarence and Clare began replacing the more colorful names which identified the rural community." [Meek]

 

"Thomas Sotham (Secretary of the Hereford Breeders Association in Lansing) sold his 2000 acres in Lincoln Township to Warren T. McCray of Kentland, Indiana. McCray owned one of the finest herds of Herefords in the nation, and he put some of his better animals on the ranch near Lake George in 1917. Annually he sold $95000- $125000 worth of premier blooded stock. One animal sold for $20000." [Meek]

 

"Gasoline powered motor boats were introduced onto the lakes in 1910 or so. Sailboats were beginning to make an appearance on lakes near the railroads at about the same time. Later, when autos were common (around 1915), tenting out was popular at Lake George, Temple, Freeman, Crooked Lake, Windemere, Budd and Cranberry Lakes, as well as along the rivers and streams." [Meek]

 

"Lake George had a large fire for its size in June of 1906. A freight train was switching cars when sparks caused a lumber pile to ignite. Two thousand five hundred dollars worth of lumber and three railroad cars were burned. The ice house and F.A. Luce's store were threatened with the extreme heart, but men were able to control the fire with water." [Meek]

 

"Lake George felt the forest fires again in 1917 as a pasture around F. A. Luce's barns burned. He lost some sheep to the flames, as did Erastus Bigelow, who also lost his recently contructed house. The fire travelled as fast as a mare could run, and threatened to do even greater damage, but the wind shifted and caused the fire to turn on itself." [Meek]

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"A fire burned down the stage stop hotel near Lake George in the early 1880's. This was located on the Ionia- Houghton Lake State Road and served as a hotel, saloon and restaurant for the intire lumbering district of Gerrish's. It was a busy place. The Lake George House, operated by Lewis Boyer, offered office quarters, living accommodations and a men's sleeping quarters. its prime time was around 1895." [Meek]

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The General Merchandice building (F.A Luce), built about 1904 by Don and Jim Luce's father, had living quarters put on first and then had additions put in later. It was at the corner where the hardware store was.

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The Tolson Cabin: made of hand hewn logs 100 years ago, bought by Paul Welty's mother in 1914 and in which later had a porch and fireplace added to it. It was in the Welty family until 1973.

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Kress home: built around 1900, located at the south end of the lake. You can find its picture in oldies.

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Otto Peitsch Cabin: built around 1906, it was in the Peitsch family until 1974.

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The Scott Gerrish boarding house: built before 1880 and used as a logging house. Located east of the tourist park near Shingle Lake.

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Lake George School House: built on 2 acres in 1913 and given by the Borst Committee. Reverted back between a school house and a church in the 1950's.

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Lake George Ice House: 12 were built with dimensions of 120x300x20. Ice was loaded from it onto trains and shipped to Ohio. Lake George Ice House burned about 1916.

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"Clare County: the county, when established in 1840, was named Kaykakee (Pigeon Hawk) after a chief who had signed the Treaty of 1826; it was renamed Clare, after a county in Ireland, in 1843; this settlement, named after it, was founded with the coming through of the Pere Marquette Railroad in 1870-71; Chester L. Harrington became its first postmaster on Jan. 20, 1871; incorporated as a village in 1879 and as a city in 1891." [Powers]

 

"Farwell, Clare County: founded in 1870 by Edmund Hall, John Van Riper and George L. Hitchcock; platted on paper in 1872; the Pere Marquette Railroad from Saginaw to Ludington was coming through here at the time and the town was named for Samuel Farwell who had an interest in the road and was the father- in- law of Mr. Potter, superintendent of the road; given a post office on Jan. 20. 1871, with Mr. Hitchcock as its first postmaster, the first county seat, 1871 to 1879; incorporated as a village in 1879; Littlefield Park is within the village and Littlefield Lake is ten miles wouthwest of it." [ Federal; Donald E. Smith]

 

"Harrison, Clare County; the board of supervisors sent a committee to locate a county seat in 1877; it reported its selection of the site on Jan. 8, 1878; the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad platted the village in 1879, presenting a block to the county for a county seat; John Hatfield built the first house in 1879; given a post office on Jan. 27, 1880, with Reuben Smith as its first postmaster; incorporated as a village in 1885 and as a city in 1891; named for 9th President William Henry Harrison." [Robert E. Roth; J. C. McNamara; PO Archives]