Pewamo, MI

Pewamo was settled in 1834 and incorporated in 1859 in Lyons Township on the eastern edge of Ionia County. The village name honors Chief Pewamo and his friendship with local pioneer J.C. Blanchard. The railroad helped make the village, first through the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway and now through the trail that follows the former line. Pewamo's map still carries that old transportation story: a compact village between farm fields to the east and the woods, creeks, rivers, and former trestles to the west.

The Fred Meijer Clinton-Ionia-Shiawassee Trail passes through Pewamo, where the trailhead is fashioned after the original depot and offers restrooms, picnic tables, a drinking fountain, and bike racks. The village park adds ball fields, tennis courts, pavilions, and playground equipment, while P-W Schools and St. Joseph Catholic School keep education close to the center of town. Pewamo is the kind of Ionia County village where a railroad corridor becomes a trailhead, a depot becomes a meeting point, and a small park carries the weekend calendar.