Pequaming, Michigan: A Partial-Ghost Town in Baraga County

So is the Baraga County village of Pequaming a ghost town or not? It was once a bustling town, then declined to a ghost town, and now.....well.....

It’s up to you what you wanna call it. True, it’s not what it once was, but there are some current residents there, mixed in with some of the older, historic buildings. A good part of it is abandoned and desolate, but there are a good handful of summer homes and residents around the area.

The town got its original, longer name, Pequaquawaming (meaning ‘Cape Point’ or ‘Point Village’) from the Chippewas. The word referred to an area of peninsular land, mostly surrounded by water.

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By 1836 the Chippewas had all but left the area when trader Peter Crebassa showed up. He was followed by the Hebard & Thurber Lumber Company in 1877, who proceeded to build houses, mills, and shops. Hebard platted the village in 1879. A post office opened in 1880, closing in 1944.

Pequaming became a booming lumber town, with 100,000 acres for the staff of 200 lumberjacks to contend with. Over a short time, Pequaming soon had a band & orchestra, bath houses, boarding houses, churches, general store, hotel, 100+ houses, ice rink, livery stable, lumber offices, parks, post office, saloon, and schools. But between 1880 and 1900, the lumber company practically depleted the white pine trees.

In 1923, Henry Ford bought the mill and the town itself with everything intact: railroad, all the mills, land, buildings, cut lumber and more, in order to benefit his automobile manufacturing.

When the Great Depression hit, car sales dwindled but the Ford Company persevered, established various schools, donating goods to needy families and lowering food prices for residents. On October 9, 1942, the mill closed for good, thanks to a rise in shipping prices and truck tires in short supply.

Driving through the village these days, you can see the restored, original Ford water tower, Ford's former summer house, the abandoned sawmill powerhouse, a good portion of deserted homes and buildings, and even an old Native American graveyard about nine miles down the road.

So yeah, whether you call it a ghost town or not – I refer to it as a ‘Shadow Town ‘ - it’s a very cool, historic place to visit while up in the U.P.

Don’t expect to find any restaurants, gas stations, or shops while visiting. Gas up, get yer groceries, and go to the bathroom before you go...