Hell, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hell, Michigan is an unincorporated community with a population of 266, located in Putnam Township, in Livingston County, and in the U.S. State of Michigan. The community is near the border with Washtenaw County, about 20 miles northwest of Ann Arbor. Hell's ZIP Code is 48169.
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[edit] History
For several hundred years, the low, swampy area was occupied mostly by the Potawatomi tribe. Later, in the early 19th century, it was the most unpleasant part of a trail between Lansing and Dexter (which at the time contained a major farmers market) and a point on the route taken by traders portaging between the Huron River and the Grand River.
In the late 1830s, George Reeves, a New York farmer, started several businesses in the area — a general store, and a watermill, and a distillery — which became the core of a minor population center; by the 1840s, enough people had immigrated to make a 70-person school viable (assuming 19th century birth rates, this pegs the population somewhere close to its current level).
According to the town's semiofficial Web site, there are two leading theories about the origin of Hell's name.
The first holds that a pair of German travelers stepped out of a stagecoach one sunny afternoon in the 1830s, and one said to the other, "So schön und hell!" - roughly translated as, "So beautiful and bright!" Their comments were overheard by some locals and the name stuck.
The second holds that after Michigan gained statehood, George Reeves was asked what he thought the town he helped settle should be called, and replied, "I don't care, you can name it Hell for all I care." The name became official on October 13, 1841.
[edit] Miscellaneous
Hell's main export is, appropriately, kitsch. It has a "fully non-accredited" college that sells "signed, sealed and singed" diplomas, a motorcycle dealership, and an ice cream parlor.
In the early 1930s, Pinckney, Michigan postmaster W. C. Miller began to receive requests from stamp and postmark collectors for cancellations: Hell had no post office, and Pinckney was barely three miles away. On July 15, 1961, a postal substation was established at Hell. (It remains today, at the back of the general store.)
Hell Creek runs through town, and through a small dam; a bar next to the creek is known as "The Dam Site Inn".
Hell also sponsors a running event called "Run Thru Hell 10 mile and 4.8 mile race." [1] Each participant is given a T-shirt that says "I Ran Thru Hell".
Kiwanis International chartered the Kiwanis Club of Hell, Michigan on December 15, 2001 as the Michigan District's first Internet club. The club meets in private AOL chatroom, "Kiwanis Online." [2]
Hell also had a party on June 06, 2006 (6/6/6). Among other things, they had live entertainment and a costume contest. There were souvenirs, most selling for $6.66. [3]
Because of Michigan's climate, Hell "freezes over" every winter. Because of this, the phrase "when Hell freezes over …" is laughed at by those who know of this small town.
[edit] See also
- Paradise, Michigan, in the Upper Peninsula, is 294 miles north of Hell, despite being often cited as 666 miles away.
- Climax, Michigan, another small Michigan town known for its name, is just a couple hours west of Hell.
- Hell for Certain, Kentucky
- Hell, Norway
- Hell, Grand Cayman
[edit] External links
- Hell Michigan web site
- Guide to Hell Michigan special events
- Has Hell frozen over? (Current temperature in Hell/Pinckney)
- Pictures of Hell Michigan
- The Hell trailblazer
- The Kiwanis Club of Hell, Michigan
- Hell, Michigan comic book
- BBC guide to Hell, Michigan
