Lake George, Michigan

Lake George is an unincorporated community in Lincoln Township, Clare County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The town is at the northern end of Lake George at 43°57′48″N 84°56′49″W. The Lake George ZIP code 48633 provides P.O. Box service to an area on the northern side of Lake George. In the 2000 census, the 48633 ZIP Code Tabulation Area had a population of 65.

Map of Lake George, MI 48632, USA

Lake George began as a lumber settlement founded by George Lake and named for him. It was a station on the Toledo, Ann Arbor and North Michigan Railway and a post office was established on December 8, 1899 with Edward J. Roys as the first postmaster.

Winfield Scott Gerrish is credited with revolutionizing lumbering in Michigan by building a seven-mile-long logging railroad from Lake George to the Muskegon River in Clare County.

The area is mostly wooded land with a variety of wildlife, including white-tail deer, wild turkey, pheasant, and other game animals. Fishing is very popular in the area with numerous lakes (10 within a 10-mile radius) containing largemouth bass, perch, bluegill, sunfish, pike, musky, bullhead catfish, and rock bass.

The population of the area is somewhat mixed; this includes the original pioneer families, and the tourists who stay there during the summer season in lodges and rented cabins. There are very few jobs in the area, therefore workers commute to places as far as the Midland area.

The town has a large bar (the Swiss Inn), a restaurant and a few small stores; the Lake George Grocery and the new Depot.

There was an old train depot (no longer standing) where two trains crashed on July 19, 1925 (http://www.michiganrailroads.com/RRHX/Wrecks/ICCReports/AARR-LakeGeorgeMI-1925.pdf).

The current "Depot" party store was originally built in 1937 by John Seats Sr. The post office was also inside the grocery store, run by Lula Seats. The store was in the Seats' family until 1973, and three generations of the family worked there over the years.