Two Ghost Towns and One That Survived: Delta County, Michigan

In 1893, way up in Delta County, 22 miles north of Escanaba, there was a post office and railroad station by the name of 'Defiance'. This place was growing into a decent little town, with saw mills, meat packing, a shoemaker, general store, and blacksmith.

In 1905, Defiance was given a new name: 'Trombely (or Trombley) Station' thanks to its rail station in 1915. The town kept growing with more shops, a school, saloon, and lath mill. Over a period of time, the 'Station' part was dropped, and the town's spelling was changed to 'Trombly'. By 1940, the population which was once over 250, had dropped to 50. Today, all the shops are gone and it is considered a ghost town.

The town had been the postal station for the town of Campbell, which wasn't much more than a railroad station in 1879. It too, has been referred to as a 'ghost town' and is two miles south of Trombly.

Get our free mobile app

Two miles north of Trombly is a town that actually succeeded: the town of 'Rock'. Rock was settled as early as 1865, originally called 'Malton Spur' and then 'Maple Ridge'. In 1877, it was known as a post office stop as 'De Beque'. In the 1880s, the town name was changed again and permanently called 'Rock', after the area's rocky terrain.

In 1949, a streamliner train was derailed in Rock, resulting in one death: the conductor/flagman, Oscar Johnson. His body was found under one of the train cars.

Rock is one of those towns that made it, even when the little towns around it failed, like Campbell and Trombly. The gallery below shows you the areas of Trombly and Campbell, and goes into the town of Rock to show you how it survives today.