The Michigan Home Colony

The Michigan Home Colony. . , In 1901 Cephus Buttles of Milwaukee, Wisconsin came to Lewiston to open the Michigan Home Colony land company. The Corporation purchased huge tracts of cutover land from the lumber companies at $1.25 per acre and resold the "fertile" open land for $5-$15 per acre to unsuspecting farmers looking to establish a homestead in Michigan. To prove the point of successful agriculture, Mr. Buttles raised pure bred Angus cattle at the family homestead, Angusdale Farm, still standing, 5 miles north of town. , , The new settlers were recruited from neighboring states and a large group from Scandanavia [sic]. A new settlement of Finnish and Swedish families was established in the area of CR 612 and Townline Rd. Many ancestors [sic] of these hard working people remain in the area today. They were industrious folks, but the thin soil and short growing season made conditions very challenging. , , After the railroads left the county transportation became very difficult and economic conditions nationwide turned bleak. Many farms were abandoned, and the few remaining turned to dairy, as it was not possible to sustain profitable crops in the area. , , With the land boom over, the land company was dissolved and Mr. Buttles moved his family west to California. The Home Colony building continued to serve the community as the U.S. Post Office until it was torn down to make way for the first Standard Oil Gas Station in town in 1949. , , Donated by Huston Real Estate. , , The Lewiston Heritage Trail is a DDA project funded by private donors with period photos and historical text provided by the Lewiston Area Historical Society.