![Thomas Edison Was Thrown off a Train in This Small Michigan Town](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2019/02/SMITH-10.jpg?w=980&q=75)
Thomas Edison Was Thrown off a Train in This Small Michigan Town
Smiths Creek, located in St. Clair County, is both a town AND a creek. They were named after one of the area’s first settlers, Elisha Smith.
A post office was established in 1861 and the Grand Trunk Railroad set up a station there in 1865.
Smiths Creek was the original county seat until it was moved to Port Huron in 1871.
Do you know the story about Thomas Edison getting thrown off the train? This little town is where it happened. Edison was a boy working on the train selling candy, newspapers, cigars and cigarettes.....and conducting experiments in his spare time. Thanks to one of his experiments that was deemed too dangerous, he was thrown off the train. The movie, “Young Tom Edison”, which starred Mickey Rooney, depicts this incident. In the film, his ‘experiment’ was making nitroglycerin. In reality, Edison had caused a fire in the baggage compartment thanks to his experiments with phosphorus.
The original train depot is now sitting in Greenfield Village, after being purchased by Henry Ford.
Smiths (no apostrophe) Creek was a productive village at one time, with farmers growing cucumbers to be sold to the numerous pickle plants throughout the thumb. It had two garages, gas station, Farmall tractor dealer, and a few shops that dotted the street. Once the Depression set in, things changed. Today, the town retains its church, Legion Hall, Masonic Lodge, and post office, not to mention the Pink Elephant Bar.
Very cool (not to mention historic) place to stop on your next roadtrip…get some photos! Let 'em know young Tom Edison was here!
MORE STUFF:
ARZENO SELDEN, THE STRATOSPHERE MAN
Pretty Boy Floyd's Michigan Hideout, 1930
When Chief Sitting Bull Visited Michigan, 1885
More From 99.1 WFMK
![A Look Inside Old Michigan Department Stores: 1900-1916](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-big-rapids-early-1900s.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![A Skeleton Appears on the Lake Michigan Shore Every Few Years](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-mlive-youtube-1-18.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The Ghost Town of Wildwood: Cheboygan County, Michigan](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-winter-time-1910-a.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![If You Want Michigan’s Best Donut, Go To This Bakery in Jackson](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-127.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The Only Source of Water That Supplied an Entire Town: Ogemaw Springs, Michigan, Late 1800s](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-chosen-won-youtube-14-4.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Remembering Michigan’s A&P Stores: When Did They Go Belly-Up?](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-1941-public-domain-via-wiki-1.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Once Prosperous, Now a Shadow Town: Prescott, Michigan](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-former-business-3.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![The Two Michigan Ghost Towns Furthermost from the Ohio Border](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-junet-2.jpg?w=980&q=75)
![Was There a Place Called ‘Purgatory’ in Michigan? Oh, Yeah…](http://townsquare.media/site/691/files/2024/07/attachment-haunted-michigan-youtube-4.jpg?w=980&q=75)