Tower, MI

Tucked along the Upper Black River and Tower Pond in Cheboygan County, Tower is a quiet Northern Michigan community with deep historic roots. The town took shape in the late 1890s when the Detroit and Mackinac Railway arrived to support the booming timber industry. It was named in honor of Ellen May Tower, a local judge's daughter who served as a military nurse during the Spanish-American War. In its logging heyday, Tower was a bustling hub filled with sawmills, neighborhood shops, and an active ice trade on the pond that supplied homes and railroad cars through the winter.

Today, the pace is much calmer, with daily life centered on the outdoors and relaxed rural living. The former railroad bed has found new life as the North Eastern State Trail, giving walkers, cyclists, and snowmobilers a 71-mile path stretching from Cheboygan to Alpena. With the pond and river right in town, residents enjoy easy access to kayaking, fishing, and scenic water views, all while staying conveniently connected to neighboring communities via M-33 and M-68.