Theories on How Hell, Michigan Got Its Name

Here's a Michigan place I'm sure most of you are aware of: the town of Hell in Livingston County. Not only can you visit Hell – and safely get back home – but you can also be “Mayor for a Day”.

How Did Hell, Michigan Get Its Name?

It's been noted that Germans visited this area in the 1830s and mentioned it as being "so schön hell," meaning "so beautifully bright." Or was the name brought upon by founder George Reeves? Someone asked him what the name of his new town was, and he allegedly replied, “You can name it Hell for all I care". Sounds like he was real proud of the place, doesn't it?

Another theory is that the area was so swampy that it bred millions of mosquitoes, thus making the town almost unbearable to live in.

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No matter what the legends say, the facts are that in 1841 there was a group of New Yorkers that made their way here via the Erie Canal; they stopped in this area and basically thought “forget it – we've gone far enough; let's just stop here and settle”.A sawmill was already available so they took that over, made another flour mill, and distillery. They found their alcohol to the liking of the local Indians, and made some bucks selling their booze.

Now here is where another 'town name' theory comes in: with all that manufactured alcohol, fights kept breaking out among the Indians and townspeople. There were so many fights and injuries that the town was dubbed “Hell”.

Whatever tale you wish to believe, go for it. We may never know the real reason.
Now...take a look at some postcards, directly from Hell...!