Houghton Lake is an unincorporated community in Roscommon County, Michigan with no local government, but should not be confused with the community of Houghton on the Keweenaw Peninsula. Houghton Lake is thought to have been first settled in 1873 by a family who moved south from Chesaning, Michigan to homestead. Timber production was largely responsible for the community's establishment and growth, and numerous logging camps had popped up by the mid-1800s. Other towns appeared, and railways were built to support the logging industry, which by the late 1800s had become the area's primary industry. Houghton Lake was established some time prior to 1879 but was originally name Roscommon; it was renamed in honor of Michigan's first state geologist, Douglass Houghton. Today it is one of Michigan's top resort destinations.