Start at the Beginning - Camping Post #2

   Sometimes I tend to jump around when I am chronicling one of our trips. This time, though, I’m going to make it easy on myself and start writing about our recent camping trip at the beginning, at Alpha.

Alpha, Michigan, is the third smallest incorporated village in the state of Michigan, with a population of 126. The Alpha post office was established on December 15, 1913, and the community was incorporated as a village in 1914. The first census on file for Alpha listed a population of 818 in 1920. It has steadily declined every year since.

Alpha sits in the lower half of Iron County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. As the county’s name suggests, iron ore mining was what started the development of the area in the late 1880s.

The George F. Porter School was built in 1914. Two single-story wings were added to the school in 1920 and 1929.

I found information on the internet regarding the name of the school in two different places. I first ran across one reference stating that George F. Porter was one of the major shareholders at the time, but it didn’t say shareholder of what. Another source stated that Mr. George F. Porter of Chicago had made a donation of 1,000 books to the Alpha school Library, more than doubling the number of books it housed, but it didn’t say what year that was.

The school building has sadly deteriorated greatly since I was here last in 2018.

That same year, however, the Alpha Michigan Brewing Company was established in the former bus garage on the east end of Porter School. 

 

On the other end of the school is the Village Hall, which was also built in 1914. 

There’s also a post office.

And a community center. I couldn’t tell if it was really being used or not.

Also, of note, but not photographed, were a bakery on the edge of town and what is reported to be the oldest traffic circle in Michigan. Circling back to the Alpha Brewing Company. One of their mottos is that “All our brews are craft brewed on the Circle”. They also claim to be the smallest village in America with a brewery!

And, yes, when they were open later in the week, we returned to try a brew and make a purchase.