Early 1900s Photos of Bendon, Michigan (Benzie County)

I did an article some time ago about the Benzie County "shadow" town of Bendon.

But since then, I came across some old photos of Bendon, going back over 100 years. Looking at these photos and comparing them to what Bendon is like now, it's hard to fathom that it's the same place.

To quickly recap, Bendon (founded 1888) is a shadow of its former self, sitting in Benzie's Inland Township. It was a lumber town along the Chicago & West Michigan Railroad that ran from Grand Rapids to Traverse City.

Bendon had stores, shops, a hotel, railroad yard, hardware store, boarding houses, mill and more.....all that's left is a cool old church, sawmill & hardware shop, and some houses. No more businesses. The post office shut down in 1954 and from there, the establishments slowly closed down.

Some call it a 'shadow town', others a 'ghost town'...it's your call.

To find out a little more, you can read the original article HERE, but for now, take a look at the gallery of old photos below!