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The village of Farwell, Michigan was founded as a planned community, created in preparation for the Pere Marquette Railroad line from Saginaw to Ludington.

Farwell was founded in 1870 by Edmund Hall, Jan Van Riper, and George L. Hitchcock. The townsite was platted on paper in 1871, platted and recorded by Josiah L. Littlefield in 1872. The Pere Marquette Railroad was coming through the area at the time, and the town was named for Samuel Farwell. A native of Utica, New York, Farwell was a major stockholder in the Pere Marquette Railway Company, and a contractor for public works projects, including the construction of the Erie Canal. He was the father-in-law of William Potter, who was employed as a superintendent by the railroad.

Farwell was a planned community and the Flint-Pere Marquette Railroad, organized by the Farwell City Company. In 1870, the trust deed was signed by Ezra Rust, Gordon Corning, L. B. Curtis, James Hay, Ammi Wright, Thomas Merrill, Edmund Hall, and their wives. These men were all in the logging business and needed a town closer to their logging camps, where they could purchase supplies, and they needed the railroad to bring the product to market.

A Post office was established on January 20, 1871, with Mr. Hitchcock as its first postmaster. Farwell served as the county seat from 1871 to 1879. In 1877, the county courthouse in Farwell burned. Arson was suspected but not proven. Clair and Farwell were in competition for the county seat after the fire, but the seat was moved to Harrison in 1879, as Harrison without to be more centrally located.

Farwell was incorporated as a village in 1879. Littlefield park is situated within the village, and Littlefield Lake is about 10 miles southwest of Farwell. The village experienced four decades of decline from 1890 to 1930, but its population has increased each decade since, and is currently just over 870.

Situated in southern Clare County, in the central Lower Peninsula of Michigan, the main route through the village is business 10, which becomes Main Street in Farwell, and connects with US-10 just northwest of the Village. Other routes include Vandecar Road and Old State Avenue. Nearby cities and villages include Clare, Rosebush, Coleman, Harrison, and Barryton.

The Focus of this guide is on the village of Farwell, Michigan. Appropriate resources include websites representing the village, or any individuals, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, or events within the village.

 

 

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