From Pine Forest to Market City: The History of Clare Michigan’s Downtown

With the Civil War still raging on, two men began purchasing land in southern Clare County to expand their lumber operations. Ammi Wright bought a parcel on the east side of the Isabella-Houghton Lake Indian Trail on September 1, 1863. William McEwan acquired his parcel on the west side of the same trail on February 10, 1864. By the end of 1864, McEwan owned both parcels, and four years later most of the timber was cleared on his lot. With the coming of the Flint & Pere Marquette Railroad, McEwan speculated that his land would make a good location for a town. What is known today as the City of Clare was platted in 1870. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, From Pine Forest to Market City: The History of Clare Michigan’s Downtown tells the story of Clare’s Downtown Historic District.