Lost cities, towns, and counties of Michigan
Encyclopedia
The following is a list of cities, towns, villages and counties of Michigan that no longer exist as separate entities but are generally still inhabited. Many of these were settlements that faded away or were swallowed up into larger adjoining communities.
Lost cities
generally fall into three broad categories: those whose disappearance has been so complete that no knowledge of the city existed until the time of its rediscovery and has been studied, those whose location has been lost but whose memory has been retained in the context of myths and legends, and those whose existence and location have always been known, but which are no longer inhabited.
Lost towns are listed by their former name, the present-day county where they are located, and their location relative to present-day maps. If further information about these communities is available it is included briefly as well. This list is not comprehensive.
Lost cities
Lost Cities
Lost Cities is a 60-card card game, designed in 1999 by game designer Reiner Knizia and published by several publishers. The objective of the game is to mount profitable expeditions to one or more of the five lost cities...
generally fall into three broad categories: those whose disappearance has been so complete that no knowledge of the city existed until the time of its rediscovery and has been studied, those whose location has been lost but whose memory has been retained in the context of myths and legends, and those whose existence and location have always been known, but which are no longer inhabited.
Lost towns are listed by their former name, the present-day county where they are located, and their location relative to present-day maps. If further information about these communities is available it is included briefly as well. This list is not comprehensive.
- Village of Grape 41°57′49"N 83°32′22"W, Raisinville TownshipRaisinville Township, MichiganRaisinville Township is a civil township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,896 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Monroe CountyMonroe County, MichiganMonroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 2010 population is 152,021. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The U.S. Census Bureau defines all of Monroe County as conterminous with the Monroe Metropolitan Area...
, on the north side of River RaisinRiver RaisinThe River Raisin is a river in southeastern Michigan, United States that flows through glacial sediments into Lake Erie. The area today is an agricultural and industrial center of Michigan. The river flows for almost , draining an area of in the Michigan counties of Lenawee, Monroe, Washtenaw,...
, 6 miles west of present-day Monroe, MichiganMonroe, MichiganMonroe is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,733 at the 2010 census. It is the largest city and county seat of Monroe County. The city is bordered on the south by Monroe Charter Township, but both are politically independent. The city is located approximately 14 miles ... - Village of SteinerSteiner, MichiganSteiner was a small farming settlement in what is now Frenchtown Charter Township, Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It was situated at the intersection of the Norfolk Southern Railway and Steiner Road at ....
41°59′20"N 83°23′15"W, Frenchtown TownshipFrenchtown Charter Township, MichiganFrenchtown Charter Township is a charter township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 20,777 at the 2000 census. Frenchtown is the second most populated township in Monroe County after Bedford Township...
. Monroe County, at the intersection of the Norfolk Southern RailwayNorfolk Southern RailwayThe Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I railroad in the United States, owned by the Norfolk Southern Corporation. With headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, the company operates 21,500 route miles in 22 eastern states, the District of Columbia and the province of Ontario, Canada...
and Steiner Roads, 4 miles north, northwest of Monroe - Village of Stoney Creek 41°57′51"N 83°20′03"W, Frenchtown Township, Monroe County, 4 miles north of Monroe east of where Interstate 75Interstate 75Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
crosses Stoney Creek - Standale 42°58′21"N 85°46′35"W, Kent CountyKent County, Michigan-Air Service:*Commercial air service to Grand Rapids is provided by Gerald R. Ford International Airport . Previously named Kent County International Airport, it holds Grand Rapids' mark in modern history with the United States' first regularly scheduled airline service, beginning July 31, 1926,...
, near the intersection of M-45M-45 (Michigan highway)M-45 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan that is also called Lake Michigan Drive. The highway runs from Agnew near Lake Michigan to the west side of Grand Rapids in the western Lower Peninsula. Lake Michigan Drive continues in each direction from M-45's termini, extending west...
and M-11M-11 (Michigan highway)M-11 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. The highway runs through the western and southern sides of the metro area, starting over the border in Ottawa County at an interchange with Interstate 96...
in WalkerWalker, MichiganWalker is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan and a suburb of Grand Rapids. The population was 23,537 at the 2010 census. Before incorporating as a city, it was known as Walker Township...
. Formerly an independent, unincorporated community of some significance to the local area, it was in Walker Township, which incorporated as the City of Walker in the 1960s. It still exists in the names of several businesses and churches, as well as the official name of the business district along Lake Michigan Drive. Many locals still refer to their hometown as Standale, rather than Walker. - Kelloggsville, Kent County, near the intersection of 44th St. and Division in the suburbs of Grand RapidsGrand Rapids, MichiganGrand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
. This was formerly a community of local significance, including its own still-existent school district (Kelloggsville Public Schools). It was situated partially in Paris Township and partially in Wyoming Township. These two townships incorporated as the cities of KentwoodKentwood, MichiganKentwood is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 48,707 at the 2010 census, making it the second most populous suburb of Grand Rapids and the 25th most populous city in Michigan.-History:...
and WyomingWyoming, MichiganWyoming is a city in Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 72,125. That makes it the 2nd largest community or city in West Michigan, the 14th largest city in the state of Michigan, and the 18th largest community in the state as well...
respectively, thus taking any official Kelloggsville designation with them, although there are still churches with that name, and many people within the area will refer to it as such. - ChestoniaJordan Township, MichiganJordan Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 875 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Communities:Chestonia was a town...
45°03′37"N 85°04′39"W, Jordan TownshipJordan Township, MichiganJordan Township is a civil township of Antrim County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 875 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Communities:Chestonia was a town...
, Antrim CountyAntrim County, Michigan-History:Antrim County was formed in 1863. In 1950 its population was 10,721. The county seat was originally located in Elk Rapids, but was moved to Bellaire in 1904 after 25 years of litigation.-Demographics:...
, at the intersection of M-66M-66 (Michigan highway)M-66 is a north–south state trunkline highway on the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. It runs from the Indiana state line in the south to Charlevoix in the north. M-66 is the only state highway to traverse almost the entire north–south distance of the LP. It starts as a...
and East Old State Road. Chestonia grew up around a depot on the Detroit and Charlevoix Railroad that was founded in 1899. At one point, it boasted a post office, nearly 100 residents, and the junction of the East Jordan and Southern and Detroit and Charlevoix railroads. When the last of the railroad tracks in the town were removed in 1962, the depot and post office closed, and the town quickly fell down hill. Today, nothing is left of the former townsite except for some old cement foundations near the old railroad grade.