History

Peacock Township began as a lumbering community in the late 1800’s when it was situated at the crossing of two railways. The first line through the area was built by the Canfield Lumber Company of Manistee to haul timber from the Luther area. Around 1902, this line was sold and renamed the Manistee & Grand Rapids Railroad. The other line was built by the Chicago & West Michigan Railway in 1890. This line, which extended from Baldwin to Traverse City, was consolidated with other systems to become the Pere Marquette Railway in 1899. 

Historic railroad crossing and hotel/general store in Peacock  “Canfield.” However a different town of the same name was located northeast of Manistee, causing a great deal of confusion for the local post office. Therefore a petition was filed to have it renamed “Peacock,” after the area’s first postmaster, David J. Peacock. 

Around 1900, a number of businesses were established to take advantage of the lumbering and railroad activities. These included a hotel, grocery store, post office, and livery. Temporary narrow-gage railroads once crisscrossed the township as timber was harvested in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Evidence of these lines can still be identified to this day. Later on, a pickle warehouse existed at the present day intersection of 4 Mile Road and Irons Road. This location housed large vats where pickles were stored as they were delivered by area farmers. When the vats were full, they were shipped by train to the Squire Dingee Company in Chicago.

As the lumber era waned in the early 1900’s, Wolf Lake became a focal point of the community. The local economy existed and thrived by serving fisherman and vacationers to the area. Visitors would generally arrive by train and employ the livery for transportation to cottages in the area. 

In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) occupied a camp two miles east of the Peacock Post Office. A project executed by workers from this camp was to plant brush piles in Wolf Lake. This was meant to provide habitat for fish that had been stocked in the lake. 

Historically, Peacock contained a diverse population, consisting of white, black, and Native American families. In the 1930’s, children would attend elementary school in Peacock and high school in Luther. In the 1940’s, elementary school was in Irons, and high school was in Baldwin. By the 1950’s, all children attended school in Baldwin.