Chicora, Michigan: Is It a Ghost Town or Not?
The village of Chicora is listed an an "unincorporated community", as is many small Michigan burgs.
Chicora - located in Cheshire Township, Allegan County - was created as a postal station, established in 1896 and closing up shop just eight years later, in 1904.
The village - 20 miles from South Haven - was named in honor of the S.S. Chicora, a ship that sank in Lake Michigan near South Haven in 1895. The ship and entire crew were lost in the water, with pieces of wreckage later being found for miles. In April 1895, one note was found in a bottle that read "All is lost, could see land if not snowed and blowed. Engine give out, drifting to shore in ice. Captain and clerk are swept off. We have a hard time of it. 10:15 o'clock." One week after, a second note was found in a jar, written by the ship engineer: "Chicora engines broke. Drifted into trough of sea. We have lost all hope. She has gone to pieces. Good bye. McClure, Engineer."
So it was a nice gesture of the residents to name their hometown "Chicora".
At one time, Chicora not only had a church, but a cheese factory and creamery. The cheese factory was later turned into a general store...now it's just an empty corner (SEE PHOTOS).
That's really about all Chicory had, as far as businesses...today, there are a couple of companies up and down 108th Avenue, including Aggregate Industries, Sand Harbor Motorcoach Resort and a few farms. But the intersection of 108th and 44th is where you want to visit. Not much there except the church and a couple of old buildings, but try to imagine when a cheese factory and creamery stood on those corners. The house on the corner south of the church is where the creamery stood.
Wouldn't it be nice to go back in time?