Houghton Lake Michigan, 48629 | Main Street | Driving Tour and Exploring

Come along and explore with me. You can help this channel by liking this video and subscribing.* Help out the Channel and watch the video all the way through. * From Wikipedia The area around Houghton Lake has been occupied for thousands of years and is within Odawa and Ojibwe homelands.[5] In the Treaty of Washington of 1836, the Odawa and Ojibwe ceded nearly 16 million acres of their land to the United States in the eastern Upper Peninsula and northwest Lower Peninsula. The following year, Michigan gained statehood, and the area became part of Midland County. The treaty was enacted amid rapid surveying of the Lower Peninsula, including the land around Houghton Lake.The lake was first recorded as Red Lake by surveyor John Brink in 1838. During an 1852 resurvey of the county, the lake was renamed to Houghton Lake, in honor of Michigan's first state geologist, Douglass Houghton.[9] The first settlers of European descent arrived and settled in 1869. This family, the Emerys, traveled the Saginaw Trail, which would continue to be a primary route for settlers. By 1873, the settlement of Houghton Lake was established. The following year, Roscommon County was established and Houghton Lake was chosen as county seat. This would last until 1878, when the courthouse was relocated to Higgins Lake. Lumbering had shaped the early development of Houghton Lake. In the mid-1800s, lumber camps in the area were abundant, and roads, towns, and railways were established to support the lumber trade. Logs were floated from Houghton Lake down the Muskegon River to sawmills and shipping facilities in Muskegon. It has been estimated that in 1860 alone, mills on the Muskegon River produced 75,000,000 board feet of lumber.[citation needed] By the late 1800s, lumbering became the primary industry in the area. As lumber camps sprung up around sawmills, more settlers arrived. Around 1883, a community at Houghton Lake was created.[9] The lumber industry declined in the early 1900s, leading to the repurposing of railways that were previously used for the transportation of lumber. They were now designated as passenger lines, taking outdoorsmen to fish, hunt, and experience the beauty of the "north country." The Houghton Lake fishery became renowned and attracted visitors. By the mid-1900s, Houghton Lake had gained a reputation as a desirable resort area. Today, thousands of seasonal cottages, year-round homes, and businesses line the lake. Houghton Lake remains a popular vacation spot in Michigan, attracting thousands of visitors to its shores each year. In 1927, the "Johnson Dance Hall," presently known as "The Playhouse," was erected and served for many years as the entertainment center for the area. The Playhouse and the surrounding property are now home to The Houghton Lake Historical Society, as well as the yearly event "Historic Village Days." The town was struck by a windstorm on June 11, 1932, which killed four people. During a snowstorm that caused reduced visibility, two married couples died when they drove their cars into the frozen lake on New Year's Day, 1957.[11] The Limberlost Hotel, situated on the shore of Houghton Lake, was destroyed by a fire in 1968 causing one injury but no deaths. Two men drowned in a snowmobile accident during a carnival on the frozen lake in 1980.