Prudenville, Michigan

History

The area received its first post office on September 6, 1875 under the name Prudenville, and it was soon changed to the name Edna on January 10, 1876. The name Edna existed until it was changed back to Prudenville on January 14, 1886. The Prudenville post office was discontinued on August 15, 1911, but reestablished 10 years later on August 30, 1921. The post office remains in operation and is located at 899 West Houghton Lake Drive (M-55).

The Homestead Act of 1862, which granted free land to travelers moving west, prompted settlers to the Prudenville area in 1870 due to its plentiful lumber resources. The growing community was named after early developer Peter Pruden, and the community grew to include a post office, two hotels, many businesses, and a school. In 1882, the Roscommon Lumber Company built a "stand-alone" trestle railroad to assist logging crews in pushing timber into the east bay of Houghton Lake. The logs were floated across the lake into the draining Muskegon River and further down the river to the mills of Muskegon on the shores of Lake Michigan. During its operation from 1882 to 1887, the company employed 700 workers and logged 175 million board feet of white and Norway pine.

From the History section of Prudenville, Michigan on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.