The title that labels all of my columns, which is taken from the Indian word, Cheboygan, is particularly pertinent to today’s column. It is the story of Wolverine Village, which developed on the shores of the Sturgeon River, where two branches of the river meet. The river was an ideal way to transport the logs that were harvested in that area during the period of butchering the forests of Cheboygan County.

Wolverine is located in the southwest corner of our lovely county. It is located largely in Nunda Township. Wolverine was not always so small, but a small area is located in Wilmot Township. To reach Wolverine, a person must exit Interstate 75, nine miles up Indian River.

It is remarkable that Wolverine survived, for when the lumbering industry ended, many small towns vanished. Why did Wolverine survive? One reason was the quality of the people who settled there in early years. Many of them were devoted to the beauty of Cheboygan County and to their own little village.

The original name of the village was Torrey, but it was changed to Wolverine.

Wolverine was not always as small as it is today. In 1903, the population was 1,080. Many more people lived on farms and in lumbering camps in the area. These people used Wolverine’s facilities.

During the late twentieth century, the population dwindled. In 1978, a jokester commented, “[i]f we count cats and dogs and everything, we might come up with 300.”

By the 2000 census, the population had dropped to 359. Some names of the earliest settlers were Ballard, Grove, Peterson, Mackenson, Sholes, Coffran, Beebe, Holcomb, Merritt, Heyden, and Low. They represented many different nationalities.

Both men and women were remarkable for their courage and for their hard work. Many businesses opened, and some very grand homes were built by the prospering lumbermen. Professional people arrived to serve the settlers.

Village services developed a fire department, a jail, where drunk lumberjacks could sleep it off, and a grand school, which later burned down when the temperature dropped below zero. The janitor overloaded it with wood, which overheated it and started a fire. Churches were also built.

Early Wolverine had many doctors, but one individual, a woman, stood out. She was Dr. Marion Goddard. She had trained at Battle Creek and out east. She married George Darling, a widower who had two daughters. George froze to death while hunting near Wolverine. The people tried to take the two girls from her, but she dressed herself regally and marched with the step-daughters to the train and they left Wolverine forever.

The first house trailer may have been built near Wolverine in 1906. Harlan Sweet built a horse drawn portable home that had wooden wheels. He moved his home to follow timber cutting in Michigan.

Wolverine had a remarkable woman named Gretchen Sumerix. She and her husband were early settlers in Wolverine. After lumbering ended, they were forced to take their large family down-state to work. When he retired, they returned to Wolverine and she wrote a fabulous history of the area. She wrote three books titled “Our Yesterdays.” These books are available at the Wolverine Library. At one point, this was the only Wolverine history in the library. These books can be obtained by the inter-library loan program.

We cannot leave the story of Wolverine without Wolverine’s great elk story. One of Michigan’s most sought after species that people want to see is the elk. Michigan’s Pigeon River Country State Forest is located in southwest Cheboygan County, in the southeastern corner of the Indian River area. There the elk were found by early settlers, but by the 1800’s they were nearly decimated by hunters. Cheboygan County’s elk herd was renewed when seven elk were brought from Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 1918. They were placed by a five-man crew, in the area of Wolverine, in Pigeon River Country. Two more animals were added in 1928. By 1956, the state game division estimated the elk herd at well over 500 animals. They continued to thrive and to increase in the beautiful woodlands of Cheboygan County. They can be viewed, with binoculars, when they feed in open grassy fields. Fall is the best time to visit the Wolverine area to see the elk. The elk population increased so much that an elk hunting season is now permitted.

We have every reason to be proud of our small village of Wolverine and the wonderful people who did so much to contribute to the quality of life in their own small area of Cheboygan County. This area has become a valuable tourist attraction.