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Situated in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, the community known as Trenary is in west Mathias Township, in south Alger County.

Known for its Trenary Toast, the unincorporated community is concentrated along M-67, in the area of its terminus at US-41, and west along its intersection with Old US-41 and Eben-Trenary Road. Erickson Road extends north from M-67 within the community, as well.

Cities and villages within fifty miles of Trenary include Chatham, Gladstone, Munising, Marquette, Escanaba, Negaunee, and Ishpeming, while the unincorporated communities of Traunik, Diffin, Limestone, Kiva, and Ladoga are within ten miles.

As an unincorporated community, Trenary doesn't have defined boundaries, but it's located in the area of these roads. The West Branch of the Whitefish River, Scott Creek, and Werners Creek flow through the community.

Trenary is not a census-designated place, so the US census rolls do not specifically cover the settlement. but it is the only named community in Mathias Township, which has a population of just over five hundred.

Like many Michigan communities, Trenary originated as a community around a sawmill and a railroad station.

The settlement was named for Levi D. Trenary, a Finnish immigrant, who established a sawmill in the area. He was also a blacksmith, a funeral officiator, a Sunday School teacher, and a postmaster. The Minneapolis, St. Paul & Sault Ste. Marie Railroad opened a station at Trenary, as well. A post office was established on February 25, 1903, with Alanson W. Clark as the first postmaster, a task that Levi Trenary later assumed.

While never a large town, Trenary was a busy town during the logging boom. Today, the community supports a few commercial businesses serving travelers along US-41 and M-67 and recreational tourists visiting the Upper Peninsula, as well as local residents. The community still has a sawmill that currently offers custom sawing and planing, and paneling and air-dried dimensional lumber made from cedar, pine, and poplar.

The original bakery, where Trenary Toast has been made since 1928, is still intact and in operation. While Trenary isn't known except in the local area, Trenary Toast is known throughout the Upper Peninsula.

Introduced to the Upper Peninsula by Finnish immigrants who came in the 1800s, Trenary Toast is a dry, hard, toast that has a long shelf life. It is dusted with cinnamon sugar, and generally eaten after being dunked in coffee.

Another reason to visit Trenary is the annual Trenary Outhouse Classic, in which teams drag outhouses down a snow-covered Main Street each February.

The focus of this portion of our guide is on the small, unincorporated community known as Trenary, Michigan. Online resources for local businesses, industries, schools, churches, organizations, attractions, events, and outdoor recreational opportunities are appropriate for this category.

 

 

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