HISTORIC MICHIGAN SMALL TOWN: Pinnebog, Hidden in the Thumb Area

Near the tip of Michigan's thumb is the village of Pinnebog, a lumber town in the mid-to-late 1800's, named after the nearby Pinnepog (Chippewa for 'partridge drum') River. Some historians refer to this village as a 'ghost town' but that's a tough call...there are still a handful of people living there, but almost all of the town's old 1800's structures are gone...but it's still one of Michigan's historical old lumber towns.

Walter Hume was the first settler here, arriving in 1841; he built himself a log cabin, then proceeded to  construct a hotel and trading post.

The town was originally called "PinnePOG" and shared that name with another town about 5 miles north. Both towns had no problem sharing one name, but when they decided to establish post offices, one of 'em had to change in order to avoid postal delivery confusion. So, the southern village simply changed one letter and became "PinneBOG", but deliveries still got screwed up. Not long afterward, the northern Pinnepog changed it's name to Port Crescent.

Thanks to the area's successful lumber trade, Pinnebog prospered and eventually boasted many businesses: blacksmith, cheese factory, church, dry goods stores, farm equipment store, feed mill, flour mill, grocery store, hardware store, hotel and schoolhouse. Almost all are gone.

In 1881, when Port Crescent shut down their sawmills (thanks to a fire and the timber running out), some of their buildings were transported to Pinnebog. One of the buildings moved to Pinnebog was a general store that was built in 1882; it was torn down in 2014, much to the dismay of the remaining residents (SEE PHOTOS). Nowadays, Port Crescent has no remnants, no ruins, nothing except maybe faint trails. You can read about Port Crescent by CLICKING HERE.

Pinnebog is located at the junction of W. Kinde Rd. and N. Pinnebog Rd. in Hume Township, Huron County. There's not much left of the town's old glory days, since some power-that-be tore the old general store down...but don't let that stop you from taking a drive-thru on your next Michigan Thumb roadtrip!

Stop by and pick up a kool "Pinnebog" t-shirt!