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Situated at the southwestern corner of Kimball Township and the northern part of Saint Clair Township, Smiths Creek is in Saint Clair County, in the Thumb Region of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

In Michigan, unincorporated communities do not have legally defined boundaries, and the area that might be considered part of Smiths Creek covers an area that would include Smith Creek Road and Henry Street, south to Main Street, west to Burns Road, and east to Richman Road, as well as the immediate surroundings. The waterway by that name winds through the western part of the community, and the railroad parallels Main Street.

Cities and villages within twenty-five miles of Smiths Creek include Marysville, Memphis, St. Clair, Port Huron, Emmett, Richmond, Armada, Marine City, New Haven, Capac, New Baltimore, Yale, Imlay City, and Almont, while the unincorporated communities of Kimball, Thornton, Rattle Run, Wales Center, Columbus, Lambs, Sparlingville, Goodells, Wadhams, and Snyderville are within ten miles.

Smiths Creek was settled sometime in the late 1850s or early 1860s, and named for Elisha Smith, an early landowner for whom the creek, a tributary of the Pine River, was also named.

A post office was established at Smiths Creek on October 11, 1861, with John McSweeney as the first postmaster.

The Grand Trunk Western Railroad opened a station in Smiths Creek in 1865, and the town became the county seat of St. Clair County in 1869, although this honor was shortlived, as the seat was moved to Port Huron in April of 1871.

Smiths Creek's history includes an encounter with the renowned inventor, Thomas Edison, although he was not yet famous at that time. As a teenager, Edison had a concession to sell newspapers onboard the Grand Trunk Railroad, including a newspaper he published himself, The Grand Trunk Herald, which he sold along with other newspapers. However, while he was onboard, he had a habit of working on some of his other endeavors. In 1865, he was experimenting with some chemicals when he accidentally started a fire in the baggage compartment and was ejected from the train at Smiths Creek. Later, when Thomas Edison became friends with Henry Ford, the latter had the Smiths Creek Depot moved to Greenfield Village, also known as the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation. The railroad built a new depot in 1929 to replace it. The new depot now serves as an antique store in Armada.

Still in operation, the Smiths Creek post office serves all of Kimball Township. However, while Smiths Creek had a promising beginning, it was never incorporated as a village and is, today, a small residential community.

This portion of our web guide is focused on the locality known as Smiths Creek, Michigan. Although many of these do not exist within the community, any governmental entities located in Smiths Creek, as well as local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, and recreational opportunities are appropriate for this category.

 

 

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