Hillman, Brush Creek, and the lumber days

Hillman, on the eastern side of the county where the Thunder Bay River winds through town, is Montmorency County’s only village — and one of its oldest settled spots. It started in the 1880s as a lumber town called Brush Creek, named for the stream that still joins the river right in the village. The river’s current powered the early mills, and for a while Brush Creek was the county seat, until the county government moved west to Atlanta in the 1890s and the town took the name Hillman.

When the big pine was gone, Hillman did what a lot of northern Michigan towns did: it turned to farming and settled into a quieter life. Today it’s a friendly small town with a school, a few shops, and the Brush Creek Mill — a rebuilt mill on the original site that now serves as a local museum and gathering place, with displays on the homestead families who first cleared this country. Just outside town, a well-known resort is famous for its horse-drawn sleigh rides out to see the elk.

For buyers, Hillman offers small-town living at a gentle pace — a real downtown, river frontage, and woods and lakes in every direction. It’s also an easy drive east to Alpena and Lake Huron when you want a bigger town.