Old Elk Rapids
Township Hall
Township Hall
(Click on
photos for enlargement)
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History -
Elk Rapids, Antrim County: The first white
settler of Antrim County was Abram Scranton
Wadsworth, a government surveyor and native of Durham, Connecticut. In 1838 Mr.
Wadsworth built a log cabin near the present site of the Elk Rapids Town Hall. He laid out the
lots of the village in 1852 and the asking price was $25 per lot. Mr. Wadsworth built a
sawmill and has been credited with naming some of the bodies of water in Antrim County. The school district
was organized in 1853 and the post office was established. The village was known as
Stevens. In 1863 the first newspaper - the Elk Rapids Eagle, was established. In 1864 Dexter &
Noble built saw mills, a lumber yard, grist mill and a boat dock on Lake Michigan. The charcoal blast
furnace turned out 24 tons of pig-iron per day and employees in Elk Rapids numbered 365.
There were seven churches and seven saloons. By 1910 the hardwoods had been logged off and
the industry died out.
A cement
plant was erected in 1890 and later moved to Petoskey. Population sank to 684 during the
depression in 1930. Today Elk Rapids remains a peaceful picturesque village with an appeal
to tourists and residents alike.
Early Elk Rapids
Settlers -
Elk Rapids Earliest
Settlers Link
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