Mancelona Township in Antrim County, Michigan — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Village of Wetzell
Photographed by Joel Seewald, February 3, 2023
1. Village of Wetzell Marker
Inscription.
Village of Wetzell. . On November 10, 1881, the Antrim County Herald ran an advertisement about the village of Wetzell that read: "New Town, New Store; Everything New!" Earlier that year the Wetzell brothers had platted the village and opened a sawmill. As the town grew the pine forests were depleted. In 1886, Frank Harding changed Wetzell into a company town when he converted the sawmill into a wood turning factory that utilized the area's abundant hardwood forests. Harding attracted millhands to the town by guaranteeing them "steady work, good wages, free stove wood, free rent and water." Wetzell boomed, but its prosperity was fleeting. By 1909 timber supplies were low, the factory operated sporadically and Harding decided to cease operations. Without a new industry to sustain it, Wetzell became a ghost town.
On November 10, 1881, the Antrim County Herald ran an advertisement about the village of Wetzell that read: "New Town, New Store; Everything New!" Earlier that year the Wetzell brothers had platted the village and opened a sawmill. As the town grew the pine forests were depleted. In 1886, Frank Harding changed Wetzell into a company town when he converted the sawmill into a wood turning factory that utilized the area's abundant hardwood forests. Harding attracted millhands to the town by guaranteeing them "steady work, good wages, free stove wood, free rent and water." Wetzell boomed, but its prosperity was fleeting. By 1909 timber supplies were low, the factory operated sporadically and Harding decided to cease operations. Without a new industry to sustain it, Wetzell became a ghost town.
Erected 1989 by Bureau of History, Michigan Department of State. (Marker Number L1618.)
Location. 44° 55.864′ N, 85° 1.801′ W. Marker is near Mancelona, Michigan, in Antrim County. It is in Mancelona
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Township. It is at the intersection of U.S. 131 and Satherly Lake Road, on the left when traveling north on U.S. 131. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Mancelona MI 49659, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Northern Michigan Lower Peninsula and in the Grand Traverse Bay Region. It is also in the American Midwest and on the Great Lakes. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Northwest Territory.
Credits. This page was last revised on December 6, 2023. It was originally submitted on February 6, 2023, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan. This page has been viewed 857 times since then and 66 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on February 6, 2023, by Joel Seewald of Madison Heights, Michigan.
