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Surrounded by Cato Township, the Village of Lakeview, Michigan is in northern Montcalm County.

Situated on the northern, southern, and western shores of Tamarack Lake, a 330-acre body of water with three small islands, Lakeview is a village of about a thousand people. Tamarack Creek flows through the western portion of the village.

The main route through the village is M-46 (Howard City/Edmore Road), which passes through a small portion of the village in the south, and forms a portion of the village's southern boundary. M-91 (Greenville Road) is a north-south highway that begins in Belding and ends in Lakeview. Other routes include Bale Road, Cutter Road, Lakeview Road, Satterlee Road, Tamarack Road, and Youngman Road.

Cities and villages include Morley, Howard City, Edmore, Mecosta, McBride, Pierson, Stanton, Stanwood, Greenville, and Sand Lake.

Prior to the area's occupation by European-Americans, an Ottawa village was on the western shores of the lake. What is now Lincoln Avenue, in Lakeview, was originally the primary trail used by Native Americans to access the area.

The first European-American settlers came to the area in the late 1850s, and the townsite was platted by Albert S. French in 1867, who platted his property into lots, blocks, and streets. He named it for its location on the banks of the lake. On October 7, 1867, a post office was opened, with Hiram S. Barton as postmaster.

Over the next ten years, other homesteads were built, along with a general store, a leather manufacturing business, and a school.

As was the case with many other Michigan localities, the lumber industry was instrumental in the community's early economy. During the winter, a lumbering company would cut timber that would be piled onto the frozen lake. When the ice melted in the spring, the lumber would be floated down Tamarack Creek to other waterways, where it would eventually arrive at the lumber mills in Muskegon. In order to facilitate this process, the lumber company built a flume and a dam to control the water levels.

Unfortunately, this resulted in a major fish kill as it lowered the levels of the lake to an unsustainable level. In response, village residents built another dam in front of the lumber company's dam and guarded it against the lumber operations. In turn, this led to the construction of local lumber mills, which provided employment to village residents.

Land acquired from Albert French was cleared for a village cemetery in 1871. In 1879, the Chicago, Saginaw & Canada Railroad constructed a branch from Edmore to Lakeview. This later became the Pere Marquette. Lakeview was incorporated as a village in 1881.

The Lakeview post office serves most of Cato Township, as well as parts of Belvidere Township, Douglass Township, Pine Township, and Winfield Township, as well as portions of the Mecosta County townships of Hinton and Millbrook.

The focus of this category is on the village of Lakeview, Michigan, as well as any individuals, businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, and events within the village.

 

 

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