Hiland Chain of Lakes, Hell, Michigan

Hiland Lake Chain of Lakes, Hell Michigan

The Hiland chain flows through the Pinckney Recreational area connecting Half Moon Lake, Bruin Lake, Blind Lake, Woodburn Lake, Hiland Lake, Patterson Lake, Watson Lake, Island Lake. There is a public beach and launch area located on Half Moon Lake. Half Moon is also home to the annual triathlon. Many people enjoy this chain while camping on Bruin Lake. There is a marina on Woodburn Lake where you can stop to get gas. Homes and cottages line the shores of many of the lakes, and motorized boat traffic is permitted throughout the area. While in the Half Moon Pinckney area visit Hell Michigan and "The Dam Site Inn", Hell Country Store, Hell Post Office, and Hell Creek Ranch for Horseback riding thru the scenic Pinckney Recreation Area.

Hell, Michigan, like many areas in the state, was inhabited by Indians. The Potowatamis were the major tribe in this region. Modern use of Hell was as a pit stop along the trail from Lansing to Dexter. By the 1830’s a New York Farmer named George Reeves had developed a mill, general store, and distillery. By the 1840’s a school opened with a capacity of 70 students. Today, Hell’s population remains near the population in the 1940’s, somewhere around 260.

There are two theories for the origin of Hell's name. The first is 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 hell!" - translated as, "So beautifully bright!" Their comments were overheard by some locals and the name stuck.[3]Soon 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.[3] The second theory is tied to the "hell-like" conditions encountered by early explorers including mosquitos, thick forest cover and extensive wetlands.[3]
Subsequent blogs will highlight each of the seven lakes in the chain as well as Hiland Lake. There are a number of homes available on each of the lakes and you can obtain further information on these homes by checking my website, www.anthonyemartin.com or contacting me direct at 734-552-1804.