What’s Left of the Michigan Ghost Town of Garnet

One of the many ghost towns found in the Upper Peninsula doesn’t seem like much of one to me, even though it’s considered to be.

The Michigan ghost town Garnet – or what’s left of it – lies in Hudson Township, Mackinac County, 37 miles northwest of St. Ignace.

Garnet began in 1891 as a railway station under the settlement name “Welch” along the Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad. The Welch settlement was based around a sawmill and a general store: the Hudson & Donaldson general store, to be exact. The town later became part of the eastern U.P.’s successful dairy farming.

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Along with the success of the sawmill, and of the Hudson & Donaldson General Store, the settlement grew. By 1898 the town had its own post office, with the first postmaster being George, one of the afore-mentioned Donaldson’s. Finally, Welch was re-named ‘Garnet’ in 1904 and the post office closed for good in 1972.

Today, there’s barely anything left: a few shacks intermingling with some modern housing, empty structures, the railroad…..but no businesses. Some of the old homes have been renovated by people who are determined to live in seclusion – in a former prosperous town that is quiet and currently receives little visitors. And who can blame them?

Make sure you have enough road snacks in your vehicle and gas in your tank before you visit - because Garnet has nowhere for you to buy anything.