The name Indian Town had its origin in honor of Mrs. Simons, an Indian woman, who gained modest wealth in serving the area as a midwife. She also prescribed many herb remedies for the sick. Indian Town was once an important railroad junction. The railroad branched off to Heath's shingle and lumber mill which was constructed in 1900 about four miles south of Indian Town on the bank of the Cedar River. The railway junction was heralded as the beginning of a fast growing city. The railroad was extended to Heath's Mill and on to Gourley Township. As many persons of Belgian descent settled in the region of Heath's Mill, the area is often referred to ask the Belgian Settlement.
A general merchandise store was constructed at Health's Mill by Mr. MacCauley and Mr. Heath constructed a large boarding house for his employees. Railway officials erected a roundhouse where locomotives were stored and serviced. All this took place near the banks of the Cedar River. A large dam was constructed in the Cedar River and it was used during the log drives each spring. The area boomed until the forests were denuded. Today, only a few landmarks remain to enable early settlers to recall the rapid growth of the village and then its rapid extinction as the lumbering industry waned. The area is occupied by farmers who are able to sustain their families by diversified farming.
Source: Menominee County Book for Schools, edited by Ethel Schuyler. Menominee, Michigan: Office of County School Commissioner, 1941.
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