Oh Hell Yes!          "So schoene hell!"             HELL-o!

You may have heard the old Texas expression, “It’s so hot in Texas, that if I owned both Hell and Texas, I’d rent out Texas and live in Hell!”

 

On November 11th, 2004 Jim and “The World’s Most Dangerous Blonde” went straight to Hell. Hell, Michigan that is. The small town in Central Michigan enjoys the notoriety, and tourist dollars, their name brings.

 

They say the road to Hell is paved with good intentions. However, we found that by heading to Hell via a Michigan back road, it was not paved at all!

 

There is an official NOAA Weather Station there so you can always know exactly how hot it is in Hell. The day we were there it was a cold day in Hell.

 

Among the many cute signs and predictable bric & brac in their Halloween store, I liked the “Bat Outta’ Hell” Bat and the “If you are caught shoplifting here, you will have HELL to pay!”

 

If you purchase and mail a postcard at the Hell Country Store (and Spirits!) not only will it be postmarked as coming directly from Hell, but they will also BURN the edges of the card for dramatic effect.

 

Burning Bush?!Days before our arrival, 63% of Hellos voted for Bush, 37% for Kerry, so I guess you can say Bush rules Hell.

 

Their websites ( What? You’re surprised Hell has websites?!) are worth checking out: www.hell2u.com and www.damu.com

 

The nice Hellions (Hell-raisers?) working in the two stores (“My job really IS Hell!”) have heard all the hellacious jokes and are a friendly and good-natured bunch.  Hell hath no fury.

As for how the town got its name, there are two theories: One is that a pair of German travelers slid out of a curtained stagecoach one sunny summer afternoon, and one said to the other,

"So schoene hell!"

“Hell” of course means bright and beautiful (as in “The World’s Most Dangerous Blonde.”)Those who overheard the visitors' comments had a bit of a laugh and shared the story with the other locals.

Sometime later, George Reeves, who, more than anyone else, was responsible for the origin of Hell, was asked just what he thought the town should be named. George reportedly replied, "I don't care, you can name it Hell if you want to!" As the story goes, the name stuck.

So, take it from Jim … Go To Hell!