In August 2005, Patty and I were heading up to her brother's in Minneapolis, Minnesota and this time we went through Michigan so we could visit the Bristol there.
Michigan
Bristol, Michigan is another small community, but looks a pleasant place to live.
Patty being welcomed to Bristol
Bristol town hall
Raymond Road and 8 Mile Road, Bristol
Bristol, MI
J.H. Sutton General Store, Bristol
Patty and I at Bristol Store
This photo was very kindly taken by the people at the Bristol Store
Bristol, consists of just a store, two churches, the village hall, and a couple of houses.
This town was once larger during the lumbering days, and had its own post office. It was founded by Bertram B. Payne in 1887. The post office, which opened the same year, remained open until 1904. The surrounding area is primarily a rural, wooded area with a few small farms. Over half of it is in the Manistee National Forest.
The Pine River also flows through here and is accessible from a scenic canoe landing on Skookum Road, about 4 miles southwest of Bristol. another Michigan lumber town; the closest railroad was in Tustin, 6.5 miles away.
In 2000, the population of the small town and surrounding area was around 300, but in December 2018, the 99.1 WFMK news site described it as a ghost town, but this may be an exaggeration as Bristol Store was still getting reviews on Yelp in 2019.
Bristol - Dover Township, Michigan (Info MI)