The Near-Ghost Town of Sickels: Gratiot County, Michigan

What's left of the town of Sickels lies in Gratiot County at the intersection of Fillmore and Ransom roads.

The town was named after former Civil War soldier William Sickels, who settled here in 1873 with his wife Isabel. She became the first postmaster in 1881, but the post office was misspelled as 'Sickles' and some maps still spell it that way.

In 1883, William built and opened a large steam flouring mill and the town was eventually handled by a number of members of the Sickels family. The main hub was a general store at the intersection (photo seen below)

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According to migenweb.org, “Judge Sickels and wife were both energetic, public-spirited citizens who exerted an influence for good in whatever capacity they were called to serve, and are justly classed among Gratiot County’s most respected citizens.”

The post office closed in 1904, thus beginning the failure of town growth.