Gladwin's lumber-town history (and the Carriage Festival)

Gladwin started as a lumber town — it was first called Cedar, after the river that runs through it, and grew up during Michigan’s logging boom in the late 1800s before incorporating as a city in 1893. You can still get a feel for that era at the Gladwin County Historical Village, a cluster of old buildings — including the town’s 1912 train depot, restored cabins, and a one-room schoolhouse — set up to show what county life was like back then. It’s generally open from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and there’s a companion museum downtown on Cedar Avenue.

The Historical Society is also behind the Carriage Festival, a long-running August event in town. If local history and small-town festivals are your thing, Gladwin leans into both.

You can find current hours and festival dates at gladwinhistory.org.