The Michigan Ghost Town of Stratford is COMPLETELY Gone

The Michigan village of Stratford is a true ghost town. Absolutely NOTHING remains of this town: no people, no buildings, no nuttin'....except maybe ghosts.

Stratford does not show up on any search engines or maps anymore so I'll tell you where it is...it's in Missaukee County, Norwich Township, below Grass Lake about 13 miles west of Higgins Lake, with nothing left but a marker as a reminder.

Stratford was founded in 1898 as a lumber camp/logging village, mostly run by the Manistee Lumber Company and Thayer Lumber Company. The railroad also went through town, ending at the W.J. Morey Camp and sawmill just east of town. Aside from a train station and lumber camp, Stratford had a post office, boarding house, saloon and general store.

Get our free mobile app

Trains stopped six days a week for 12 years to haul lumber out of Stratford. What kind of lumber? Virgin red & white pine. And by the time they ran out of pine in 1910, Stratford was abandoned by all who lived there...and the railroad was ripped up.

Today, nothing is left. After the state bought the land in 1937, everything was torn down with foundations and any possible remains being overgrown with weeds, grass, trees, bushes and more foliage.

If you visit, you'll see a plaque commemorating the former lumber village along with sign posts to show you where the business once stood. You also might be able to find some old structure foundations of this former town, hidden within the forest and weeds.

See the photos below for Stratford's location and where to stop for a visit on your next Michigan roadtrip!

MORE MICHIGAN GHOST TOWNS!