Hazelton

In 1849 the state of Michigan gave Porter Hazelton over six thousand acres of land in what soon became Hazelton Township. The land was partial payment for his construction of a bridge over the Flint River. A thriving village, popularly known as “Ratville”, developed. With an economy based primarily on agriculture, Hazelton by 1863 had three churches, a post office, a general store, and four hundred residents. In 1902 the post office closed as the town gradually disappeared.