Beaver Lake- Beaver Lake Trail Foster Twp.  and the railroad line.  The town was platted* by W. Jay Kenworthy and owned by C.E. Place and recorded on the 28th of August 1880. It started as a lumber town in 1872.  It is 8 miles north of West Branch.  During the boom years of the town, it had 3 hotels, several general stores, a drug store, a blacksmith shop, 7 bars, a church, a post office and a school.  The cemetery only has one headstone remaining.

A few miles from here is Preacher Brown's Hill.  A black preacher and his family lived there during the logging days.

Damon- Fairview Rd. and McGregor Rd. Foster Twp.

Damon was settled by George F. Damon, Damon and Cutting Logging Company.  It is 15 miles north of West Branch, in an area known as the "Plains"of Ogemaw County.

Most of the first timber was owned by H.M. Loud Co. of Ausable and the Potts Company of Oscoda in the late 1880's.

Ths Davison Company came then and cut the second growths of cedar and tamarack.

The Village consisted of 4 business blocks.

The Davison Bros. had a General store, a warehouse, and a two story hotel.  The lower section was a bar, living quarters, kitchen and dining room.

The second floor had twelve rooms for guests.  The hotel was auctioned off in 1917-18.

There was also a blacksmith shop, a post office, a store, school, oil house, which stored barrels of kereosene for the homes and lumberman, and a refrigerator building which had ice cut from the lakes and packed in sawdust and meat was hung in here to sell at the store.  Making fresh meat available all year long.

Piper-Located on Camp Timbers North of West Branch, near Clear Lake.

It was located 7 miles north east of Beaver Lake along the M.C. Railroad.  It started off being a lumber camp and became a village around 1882.  It had a post office, baseball field, roller skating rink, general store, a church, a blacksmith shop and a district school.

It was known as "Little Chicago."  In 1891 Phillip-Jacob & Co. had a sawmill and shingle mill.  Thompson's also had a shingle and planing mill.

In March 1892 the post office closed and people had to get their mail from Beaver Lake.

Hicks- was located north of Damon along the railroad

Rose City-Rose City Rd and M-33

Lupton-Main Street  between Heath Rd and Rose City Rd

Maltby-Heath Rd and Maltby Hills Rd

South Branch-Heath Rd and Mack Lake Rd

Fayettes Corners-Houghton Creek Rd. and Flynn Rd.

Ogemaw Springs-On Ski Park Trail and Maes Rd.  This was the first village in Ogemaw County.

1871 The Ogemaw Lumber Company, which was made up of Ohio capitalists.  Dr. C. L. Nauman was the secretary of the lumber company.

In 1873, the year of the Great Panic, The Ogemaw Lumber Company was sold to other parties.

In 1876, the election for the county seat was won by West Branch as they had more people voting.  The mill runs all year, but most of the timber is cut and moved in the winter.  There are some farms in the area. 

On Jan. 23, 1879 the corporation known as the Ogemaw Lumber Company had the town platted*.  George W. Kneisly was the president of the company at the time with Louis Keller the secretary.

The streets running North and South were Detroit Avenue, College Street, Saginaw Street, and John Street.  Running along the tracks was Spring Street.  East/West streets were Indiana Street, Ohio Street(still there), Cedar Street, Dayton Street, and Michigan Street(also still there).

West Branch-was known as Logan's Mills in 1863.  It became West Branch as the lumberjacks called it West Branch as it was on the west  branch of the Rifle River.

Campbell Corners-located on Campbell Rd and State Rd.  It was settled by James Campbell.  In 1890 it had a post office and by 1905 its population was 145.  They had 2 churches a Catholic and a Methodist Church.  Daily mail from Sage to West Branch, a saw and feed mill, grocery store and a school.

Slabtown-corner of M-55 and M-33, named from all the slabs of wood cut to make the roads.

Selkirk

Sage

Smith Junction

Skidway Lake

Van Camp Corner-

Canfield-Laird Lake Rd., 8 miles west of Hale.  In 1905 it had a post office but the mail was only 3 times weekly, in 1910 the post office was daily.  They had a blacksmith shop, a grocery store a railroad and express agent, and a saw mill.

Edwards-located on Greenwood Rd and M-30. 

The marl plant was located near Edwards Lake.  It was owned by The Hecla Portland Cement and Coal Company.

Walkers Corners-located on Stillwagon Rd. and Greenwood Rd.  Cork Blakely had a general store and was the postmaster here.

Wades Corner

Loranger-was located on Boehm Rd and M-76

It had a rail line that went to Edwards Twp. to the marl plant. 

Greenwood

Located on Greenwood Rd. and the railroad line near M-76

Elbow Lake

It had a rail line for two years.  It is located near Elbow Lake Rd. and Mills Rd.

Nester

Prescott

Hauptman-was located on Rau Rd and M-76  The train line ran to Houghton Lake.

*plat info found on http://www.cis.state.mi.us/platmaps/sr_subs.asp

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