One of the earliest documents relating to Clare County history forms the Farwell City Company. It was formed in 1870 as a joint stock company by prominent businessmen Gurdon Corning, Lorenzo Curtis, … more

Menu cover from the Surrey House in Harrison from the early 1980s. The art is signed by local resident Thelma “Tem” Hubbell who was a popular commercial artist and beloved community … more

Often people ask for local history books and here is a great list of books to read if you are interested in Clare, Farwell, Harrison or Clare County history.   Harrison by Angela Kellogg and Cody Beemer (Arcadia Publishing, 2014) Michigan's Heartland by Forrest Meek Michigan Timber Battleground by Forrest Meek Ticket to Hell by  Roy … more

With great interest I’ve been following the finding and removal of the Thew Type O Steam Shovel from the bottom of the drained Wixom Lake near the Edenville dam. Not seen in 100 years, the … more

Clip from the front page of the Cleaver in 1945, one year before the Surrey House opened to the public and became a regional attraction. Northern Michigan and Harrison in particular saw a booming … more

Back in the Day-1963 57 Years Ago “The Patio” a teen-age center, open-air-style, will hold their opening weekend this Friday night, June 28, and will also be open for teen dancing … more

A postcard of the Shell service station at the Parkview Tourist Cabins on the corner of Townline Lake Road and US-27. In recent memory the property was a known for many years as a weekend flea … more

Knowledge of local history can go a long way in finding and identifying photos.  I found this photo in an online auction several years ago.  more

The year was eighteen hundred and eighty-eight, and it was the early part of April. It had been a winter of deep snowfall, but a sudden rise in temperature and a warm southwest wind had first settled … more

We only have a handful of newspapers that are pre-1930 and I often wonder why that particular paper was kept.   more

As early as December of 1948 the Clare Sentinel and the Clare County Cleaver were reporting the development of Snowsnake Mountain by James D’Arcy, local real estate … more

A collection of three photos were recently shared with the Cleaver from the Welty Family, long time seasonal residents of Lake George.  At times old photos have no back story and we are left to … more

History often presents seemingly impossible to answer questions.  W. J., a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, visited the logging camp of Winfield Scott Gerrish in 1878 and his report was … more

It's been sixty years since John "Spikehorn" Meyer passed away in the Gladwin Nursing home.  He claimed to be in his 80 the last 30 years of his life and was 89 when he died on September 19, … more

Linen postcards from the  1930s and 1940s wa something I had largely overlooked in collecting and researching Clare County.  So many are available and at an expensive price they didn't seem … more

Clare County’s first township was not Grant, Sheridan, nor Surrey Township, it was Three Lakes Township.  According to Forrest Meek in Michigan’s Timber Battleground (1976) in “January of … more

Ernest Merrill may be the most photographed man in early Harrison history.  Viewing so many photos of Harrison it became easy to spot Ernest Merrill in each photograph.  The same jaunty … more