Incorporated as the Farwell City Company by wealthy businessmen and nurtured by a few founding families, Farwell was a unique planned community in the wilderness of mid-Michigan. Farwell brought businessmen, lumberjacks, Civil War veterans, hopeful farmers, and other courageous pioneers due to its location at the convergence of a new state road and the railroad, with valuable virgin timber in all directions. Carefully platted and attracting many businesses, Farwell successfully transitioned from lumbering to agriculture as the pioneer days gave way to the new century. While many neighbors became ghost towns, Farwell continued to make additions to the village, open new schools, and create many social and cultural organizations. From its beginnings as a joint stock company and seat of Clare County to the present-day village, Farwell has endured, adapted, and succeeded at providing generations with a small town to proudly call home.
