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Minden City, Michigan is not actually a city, but a small village in north Minden Township, in north Sanilac County, in the Thumb Region of the Lower Peninsula.

The chief routes through the village are East Bay City-Forestville Road and Minden Road, which intersect just west of the center of the village. Other incorporated cities and villages within twenty miles of Minden City include Forestville, Ubly, Deckerville, Harbor Beach, and Bad Axe, although the unincorporated communities of Palms, Ruth, and Charleston are within ten miles of the village.

With a current population below two hundred, Minden City's peak population was 408 in 1900, the peak and the decline having to do with the rise and fall of the area's timber industry.

Minden City was founded in 1855 by Philip Link, who named the settlement Minden, for his hometown of Minden, Germany. Other early settlers were Michael Brady and Gottlieb Volz, who built a sawmill near the north part of town. In 1857, Norman Wait opened the first grist mill in Minden City. The first store in the community was opened by Alfred Gunning in 1859. A couple of years later, he sold it to William Donner, who became the first postmaster of Minden on October 10, 1862, when a post office was opened in his store. In 1880, the Huron & Northwestern Railroad (Pere Marquette) established a station stop at Minden, along its branch north from Palms to Harbor Beach and Port Hope, about four miles north of Palms.

A Methodist Church opened in Minden in 1880, and a Congregational Church was organized a few years later.

The Pere Marquette Railroad opened a station in the summer of 1880, providing avenues for travel and commerce in the village. The trains brought supplies, and transported grain, produce, and other goods to market. The train included passenger services, with three passenger trains a day.

Minden was incorporated as a village in 1882, and its name was changed to Minden City on June 15, 1883. Within a few years, the village was home to a bank, a drugstore, a jewelry store, a dressmaking shop, a milliner, an auctioneer, a wool mill, a brickyard, a foundry, and a grain elevator, as well as three hotels, a public school, and a newspaper.

An annual event in Minden City is a Tractor Pull weekend. Facilitated by the Minden Lions Club and the Minden Fire Department, and supported by other local businesses, the event begins with a two-day tractor pull competition. Subject to variations from year to year, the event may also feature food venues, live music, a parade, and other activities and events.

Minden City includes two small downtown areas, separated by a few blocks. A community park provides a venue for volleyball courts, a baseball field, horseshoe pits, playground equipment, and a couple of pavilions.

Although Michigan is known as the Wolverine State, no wolverines were actually spotted in the state for centuries. However, in 2005 a wolverine was spotted near Bad Axe, about twenty miles from Minden City. Eight years later, a wolverine was found dead in Minden City State Game Area, southwest of the village.

The focus of this portion of our guide is on the village of Minden City, Michigan. Appropriate resources for this category include websites representing the village government or any businesses, industries, schools, places of worship, organizations, attractions, events, sports programs, and recreational opportunities within the village.

 

 

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