Hell, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Hell, or Hiland Lake, is an unincorporated community in Putnam Township
Putnam Township, Michigan
Putnam Township is a civil township of Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 7,500 at the 2000 census.-Communities:...
of Livingston County
Livingston County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 156,951 people, 55,384 households, and 43,531 families residing in the county. The population density was 276 people per square mile . There were 58,919 housing units at an average density of 104 per square mile...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The community is near the border with Washtenaw County
Washtenaw County, Michigan
Washtenaw County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the population was 344,791. Its county seat is Ann Arbor. The United States Office of Management and Budget defines the county as part of the Detroit–Warren–Flint Combined Statistical Area...
, about 15 miles (24.1 km) northwest of Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. Hell is situated 3 miles (4.8 km) southwest of Pinckney via Patterson Lake Road. The community is served by the Pinckney
Pinckney, Michigan
Pinckney is a village in Putnam Township, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census.Three miles west of Pinckney, on Patterson Lake Road, is the famous tourist destination of Hell, Michigan.-Geography:...
post office with ZIP Code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
48169.
History
Hell grew up around a sawmillSawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
, gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
, distillery and tavern
Tavern
A tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. All four were operated by George Reeves. Reeves moved to the area in the 1830s from the Catskill Mountains
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. He purchased a sawmill on what is now known as Hell Creek in 1841. In addition to the sawmill Reeves purchased 1000 acres (404.7 ha) of land surrounding the mill. Reeves then built a gristmill on Hell Creek which was powered by water that was impounded by a small dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
across the creek. Farmers in the area were quite successful in growing wheat and had an abundance of grain. Reeves opened a distillery to process the excess grain into whiskey. Reeves also opened a general store/tavern on his property.
The tavern and distillery soon became a thriving business for Reeves. He built a ballroom on the second floor of the establishment and a sulky
Sulky
A sulky is a lightweight cart having two wheels and a seat for the driver only but usually without a body, generally pulled by horses or dogs, and is used for harness races...
racetrack around his millpond. Additionally Reeves sold his alcohol to nearby roadhouses and stores for as little as ten cents a gallon. His operation came under the scrutiny of the U.S. government in the years after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. When tax collector
Tax collector
A tax collector is a person who collects unpaid taxes from other people or corporations. Tax collectors are often portrayed in fiction as being evil, and in the modern world share a somewhat similar stereotype to that of lawyers....
s came to Hell to assess his operation Reeves and his customers conspired to hide the whiskey by filling barrels and sinking the barrels to the bottom of the millpond. When the government agents left the area the barrels were hauled to the surface with ropes. As Reeves aged he slowed down his business ventures, closing the distillery and witnessing the burning of the gristmill. He died in 1877.
Reeves' family sold the land to a group of investors from Detroit in 1924. The investors increased the size of the millpond by raising the level of the dam creating what is now Hiland Lake. The area soon became a summer resort area attracting visitors for swimming and fishing. Henry Ford
Henry Ford
Henry Ford was an American industrialist, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, and sponsor of the development of the assembly line technique of mass production. His introduction of the Model T automobile revolutionized transportation and American industry...
considered building some manufacturing facilities in the area but decided against it.
Name
There are two theories for the origin of Hell's name. The first is that a pair of German travelers stepped out of a stagecoach one sunny afternoon in the 1830s, and one said to the other, "So schön hell!" - translated as, "So beautifully bright!" Their comments were overheard by some locals and the name stuck. Soon after Michigan gained statehood, George Reeves was asked what he thought the town he helped settle should be called, and replied, "I don't care, you can name it HellHell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
for all I care." The name became official on October 13, 1841. The second theory is tied to the "hell-like" conditions encountered by early explorers including mosquito
Mosquito
Mosquitoes are members of a family of nematocerid flies: the Culicidae . The word Mosquito is from the Spanish and Portuguese for little fly...
s, thick forest cover and extensive wetlands.
Culture
Kitsch
Kitsch is a form of art that is considered an inferior, tasteless copy of an extant style of art or a worthless imitation of art of recognized value. The concept is associated with the deliberate use of elements that may be thought of as cultural icons while making cheap mass-produced objects that...
. It claims a "fully non-accredited" (fictional) college that sells "signed, sealed and singed" diplomas, an ice cream
Ice cream
Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours. Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners...
parlor (called Screams Ice Cream), and a small general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
called Hell in a Handbasket, formerly known as Hell Country Store & Spirits. Hell Creek runs through town and over a dam
Dam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
; a bar at that location is known as "The Dam Site Inn". There is a small chapel which is available for weddings. Nearby is the Hell Creek Ranch campground.
In the early 1930s, Pinckney, Michigan
Pinckney, Michigan
Pinckney is a village in Putnam Township, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,141 at the 2000 census.Three miles west of Pinckney, on Patterson Lake Road, is the famous tourist destination of Hell, Michigan.-Geography:...
postmaster
Postmaster
A postmaster is the head of an individual post office. Postmistress is not used anymore in the United States, as the "master" component of the word refers to a person of authority and has no gender quality...
W. C. Miller began to receive requests from stamp and postmark collectors for cancellations: Hell had no post office, instead being served by the one for Pinckney, three miles away. On July 15, 1961, a postal substation was established at Hell, operating from May 1 through September 30. It remains at the back of the general store, although the United States Postal Service
United States Postal Service
The United States Postal Service is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for providing postal service in the United States...
does not recognize Hell as a town, but instead uses the name of nearby Pinckney as the actual mailing address.
Several regular events refer jokingly or ironically to the community's name.
The third Saturday in September, the "Just Hearse'N Around" Hearse Club (Hell's only car club) hosts the annual "Last Rides Reunion", the largest gathering of Funeral Coaches (Hearses) in the State. In 2011, the club set a Guinness World Record for the Largest Parade of Hearses, with 51 hearses stretching one half mile.
Hell sponsors a running event called "Run Thru Hell", which includes 10-mile and 4.8-mile races; participants receive a T-shirt that says "I Ran Thru Hell". The Ann Arbor Bicycle Touring Society hosts an annual recreational event called "One Helluva Ride". There is a regular Blessing of the Bikes
Blessing of the Bicycles
The Blessing of the Bikes, also The Blessing of the Bicycles, is an annual tradition in which riders of motorcycles or bicycles are blessed by a priest in the hope that it will bring safety for the coming season...
, in which clergy bless attendees' motorcycles. The "Vista Cruise to Hell and Back" was held at Hell Creek Ranch every Father's Day
Father's Day
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society. Many countries celebrate it on the third Sunday of June but it is also celebrated widely on other days...
weekend from 2003-2007 by the GM Skywagon Club.
Kiwanis International chartered the Kiwanis Club of Hell, Michigan, on December 15, 2001, as the Michigan District's first Internet club. The club meets in private AOL chatroom, "Kiwanis Online".
Hell in popular culture
- If a player beats the video game Twisted Metal IIITwisted Metal IIITwisted Metal III is a vehicular combat video game developed and published by 989 Studios for the PlayStation...
as the demon, Minion, he wishes to spend eternity in Hell. In standard Twisted Metal fashion the wish is turned against him and he is sent to Hell, Michigan. - The movie Santa's SlaySanta's SlaySanta's Slay is a 2005 Christmas Black comedy horror film that stars former professional wrestler Bill Goldberg as Santa Claus. The movie was written and directed by David Steiman, a former assistant to Brett Ratner....
takes place in Hell Township. - From June 30 to July 4, 2008, KFCKFCKFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
ran a promotional sweepstakes "Hotter Than Hell", giving away 500 coupons each day for free hot wings to entrants whose home town's temperature was higher than in Hell, Michigan. - Hell has been featured on the show Extreme Towns on The Travel Channel.
- A pivotal scene in Sidney Ayers' paranormal romance novel Demons Prefer Blondes takes place in Hell, Michigan.
- Hell was referenced in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
, in which something hits the ship while MikeMichael J. NelsonMichael John Nelson is a U.S. comedian and writer, most famous for his work on the cult television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 . Nelson was the head writer of the series for most of the show's 11-year run, and spent half of that time playing the on-air host, also named Mike Nelson...
is having tea and he says, "What in the Hell, Michigan is going on?"
See also
- Hell for Certain, KentuckyHell for Certain, KentuckyHell for Certain is an unincorporated area in Leslie County, Kentucky, United States.The unincorporated town of Dryhill, , is the proper name of Hell for Certain, located seven miles north of the small town of Hyden...
- Hell, ArizonaHell, ArizonaThe U.S. state of Arizona has more places with the word "Hell" in their names than any other state of the United States. In 1994, the U.S. Geological Survey listed 60 such place names...
- Hell, NorwayHell, NorwayHell is a village in the Lånke area of the municipality of Stjørdal in Nord-Trøndelag county, Norway. It is located in the western part of the municipality, about south of the municipal center of Stjørdalshalsen. The village has a population of 1,418...
- Hell, Grand CaymanHell, Grand CaymanHell is a group of short, black, limestone formations located in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands. Located in West Bay, Grand Cayman, it is roughly the size of half a soccer field...
- Hell, CaliforniaHell, CaliforniaHell is a locale in Riverside County, California, United States, approximately west of Blythe on Interstate 10.-History:Hell was founded by Charles Carr in 1954. As of 1958 Carr, his wife, and their ten-year-old son Terry were the only inhabitants...