Sylvester, Michigan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sylvester is an unincorporated village located in Hinton Township of southern Mecosta County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is approximately 20 miles south and east of Big Rapids, the Mecosta County seat. Whites first inhabited the area around 1860 as a lumber town. An oft-traded sawmill existed on the Sylvester Creek until the boiler exploded in the year 1900. The sawmill was not rebuilt, and the local lumber industry soon died out. Agriculture is now the primary local industry, with some tourism surrounding the area's many lakes.
Sylvester maintained a local post office from 1872 until 1904. The town also supported a school for sixty years, between 1883 and 1943.
A series of grocers set up shop over the first century of the town's existence, until the last one, William Yurisko, saw his establishment burn to the ground on New Year's Eve, 1957. The Grand Rapids Herald ran a photo of the burning store next to an article titled: "Last Store Burns: Mecosta County Town of Sylvester Becomes History".
As it turns out, William Yurisko was not the last grocer in Sylvester. The town's few businesses include a popular general store known as King's Trading Post, which was featured in the September 8, 1996 edition of The Grand Rapids Press for its thriving ice cream cone trade.
