The Old Michigan Logging Town Famous For Its Toast

Trenary is located in Mathias Township, Alger County. The name might not be well-known in Michigan’s mitten, but in the U.P. is definitely is.

What is Trenary’s claim-to-fame? TOAST.

Yeah, toast.

It’s named "Trenary Toast", it’s dry, it’s hard, it has a long shelf life, it’s sold in a plain brown paper bag…..and people buy it in droves.

This toast has been around almost 100 years, made the same way and sold the same way. So what’s the deal? Why is it so popular? Taste, of course.

It’s dusted with cinnamon sugar, and the key is dunking it in coffee…what happens then is unique – the toast acquires an unexpected mouth-watering flavor. This type of toast was introduced to the Upper Peninsula by the Finns who migrated here in the 1800’s.

Why such a big deal about toast? Because many former residents grew up on it and it has remained a fond childhood memory…the smell, the taste…and it could be stored for a long time.

Trenary Toast is obviously named after the village of Trenary, which in turn was named after Levi Trenary, who came from Indiana in 1886 and settled in the U.P., opening a lumber business. He was also a blacksmith, funeral officiator, and Sunday School teacher.

Trenary was a railway stop along the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad; it got it’s own post office in 1903, with Alanson Clark as first postmaster. Levi Trenary was also a postmaster.

The village was a bustling logging town, but as with others, it’s the same old story…the days of prosperity came and went. Today the town still retains many old buildings (SEE PHOTOS BELOW) and the original bakery is still intact, where the famous Trenary Toast has been made since 1928.

If heading to Trenary for the toast and seeing all the great old buildings isn’t enough, here’s another reason: the Trenary Outhouse Classic, where teams drag outhouses down snow-covered Main Street in a race every winter.

Many reasons await you in Trenary. The bakery is located at E2918 Highway M-67, Trenary. The town is 33 miles southeast of Marquette.

Add this to your next northern Michigan roadtrip!

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