Luther

In 1880, the firm of Luther and Wilson established a sawmill here, and the town was called Wilson. It was renamed Luther in 1881 for B. T. Luther of the firm. The town was organized as a village in 1893 and it had its own newspaper called the Luther Observer. In its heyday, the village of Luther was a bustling logging town and the Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad built a station here during the big lumber boom.

Despite its rural location and small size, Luther is an established tourist community with its own school, post office, a community building and a few small businesses, stores and restaurants.

The Little Manistee River flows through town, forming a pond at the backside of the recently rebuilt dam – a nice place to fish for brown trout. The Pine River also flows about four miles north, with several canoe landings and two campgrounds (Silver Creek and Lincoln Bridge) adjacent to the river.

The Luther Area Public Library was originally founded in 1979.  Today we serve seven (7) townships and the Village of Luther bringing the total population served to 3,917. We have expanded to provide more room for educational, fun programs and resources. Our hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday (10:30 am to 6:00 pm), Thursday (2:00 pm to 6 pm), and Saturday (10:30 am – 1:30 pm). Phone 231-797-8006 for more information.

Luther has a historical museum run by local families. It is well worth a trip to see. For canoeists, cottage owners and fishermen, Luther is the prime location to get supplies, gas and food, as well as a taste of down-home friendliness!

Make plans to join us on July 4th weekend for the annual Luther Logging Days, a celebration of our community’s rich lumber and logging heritage. Fun for the whole family, events include an international lumberjack competition, a car show, kids games, a parade and a horse pull along with music and other entertainment.