Michigan Ghost Town of Summitville: Nothing Is Left

Summitville is one of those Michigan ghost towns that resides in the Michigan Mitten; in fact, it’s easily accessible. It is on the west side of the center of the Mitten, at the intersection of US-10 and State Road in Lake County.

Why was it called ‘Summitville’? Maybe because there was a small hill right there...just a stone’s throw from the railroad tracks. The hill now is covered with off-road-vehicle tracks that are in plain view from passers-by.

Don’t expect to find any structures left...they’re all gone. If you want to venture into the woods just to see if anything remains, be my guest.

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Just when was Summitville founded? An exact year could be anybody’s guess, but in 1877 a sawmill and post office began operating. It was one of many sawmills in the area, and Summitville became known as one of Michigan’s lumber towns. An old historic ledger leads one to believe any history of Summitville was between 1850 and 1880.

Around that same time, the Pere Marquette Railroad came through, making a promising beginning but failing to last. The former railroad is now known as the “Rails to Trails” Trail.

When Michigan’s logging boom began going belly-up, many towns in the area did, too. Along with Summitville, the towns of Chase, Idlewild, Marlborough, Nirvana, and others went bye-bye.

As I mentioned earlier, if you want to park and explore the woods, go for it. It may or may not be worth your while. The gallery below shows how Summitville appears in the 2020s.